The Church Fathers

The Church Fathers

In Eastern Orthodoxy, the Church Fathers are Saints who faithfully expound Apostolic Tradition under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This includes both ancient Fathers (primarily 1st–8th centuries), such as St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus, St. Athanasius, the Cappadocians (St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Gregory of Nyssa), St. John Chrysostom, St. Maximus the Confessor, and St. John of Damascus, as well as modern saints recognized for their patristic spirit and fidelity to Tradition, such as St. Nektarios of Aegina, St. Silouan the Athonite, St. Justin Popović, St. Sophrony of Essex, St. Paisios of Mount Athos, and St. Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia.

A notable example is St. John of Damascus (8th century), whose Exposition of the Orthodox Faith systematically summarizes the consensus of earlier Fathers on theology, Christology, and the veneration of icons, serving as a foundational patristic text still widely used today.

No individual Father, ancient or modern, is infallible. Authority rests in the patristic consensus: the harmonious agreement of the Fathers across eras on essential teachings. This consensus embodies the “mind of the Church” (phronema) and is a reliable criterion of truth, alongside Scripture and the Ecumenical Councils.

Disagreements among Fathers are resolved by distinguishing binding doctrine (supported by consensus) from theologoumena (personal opinions). New teachings must align with this living consensus; innovations contradicting it are rejected. Thus, the Fathers, both ancient and modern, act as Spirit-guided witnesses preserving Orthodoxy from heresy and change.