Doctors of the Church
From time to time you will read in the blog that a particular saint is a "Doctor" of the Church.
That means that the saint has received this title because of the great advantage that the universal Church has been given through their writings and doctrine and sanctity.
Four eminent writers attained to this honour in the Middle Ages - Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine and Jerome. Through the years more were added, and counting the ones that were added by various Popes in the 20th Century, there are now thirty-three in total.
Added to the above list are the following: the Eastern Church saints John Chrysostom, Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, together with Athanasius, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Anselm, Isidore, Peter Chrysologus, Leo I, Peter Damian, Bernard, Hilary, Alphonsus Ligouri, Francis de Sales, Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Damascene, Venerable Bede, Ephrem, Peter Canisius, John of the Cross, Robert Bellarmine, Albertus Magnus, Anthony of Padua, Lawrence of Brindisi, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Sienna, Therese of Lisieux.
The painting accompanying this article is a fresco by Luca Signorell (1499-1502), located in the Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto, Italy.
Books Worth Considering
The 33 Doctors Of The Church
The Doctors of the Church: 33 Men and Women Who Shaped Christianity
The Fathers of the Church, Expanded Edition
Fathers Of The Church: A Comprehensive Introduction
Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
www.episcopalnet.org