church father

noun

often capitalized C&F

Examples of church father in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The early church fathers wisely chose the day near the winter solstice as the date to celebrate Christ’s birth, the return of light becoming associated with the hope of the world in the birth of the savior. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 10 Dec. 2024 In short, church fathers believed angels were spiritual beings created by God. Diane Owens Prettyman, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Mar. 2024 Scripture and church fathers alike have been interpreted in wildly diverging ways (the progressive Catholic magazine Commonweal has a fine detailed rundown of the varying history of major Catholic thinkers’ approach to remarriage). Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, 5 Apr. 2018 The early church fathers used an imbalance of power to silence the women of Easter and other charismatic women in the New Testament, some biblical scholars say. John Blake, CNN, 30 Mar. 2018 And Dostoyevsky was a very Christ-centric writer and his writings are full of Orthodox messages and even quotations from the church fathers. The Economist, 1 Feb. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of church father was in 1654

Dictionary Entries Near church father

Cite this Entry

“Church father.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/church%20father. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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