Apostolic Fathers

American  

plural noun

1. the fathers of the early Christian church whose lives overlapped those of any of the apostles.

2. the collection of works attributed to them.

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Apostolic Fathers British  

plural noun

1. the Fathers of the early Church who immediately followed the Apostles

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Etymology

Origin of Apostolic Fathers

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

The first volume of the series,* The Apostolic Fathers, is already out.

From Time Magazine Archive

High point of The Apostolic Fathers is the "Letter to Diognetus."

From Time Magazine Archive

St. Barnabas is the next of the Apostolic Fathers demanding our attention.

From Frauds and Follies of the Fathers A Review of the Worth of their Testimony to the Four Gospels by Wheeler, Joseph Mazzini

Hermas, one of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church; wrote a work in Greek called the "Shepherd of Hermas," extant in Latin, and treating of Christian duties.

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin

The Preaching and Apocalypse of Peter, for instance, are quite typical of the same period, and help us to read between the lines of the Apostolic Fathers.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 3 "Apollodorus" to "Aral" by Various