patriarchs

Cultural  

1. In the Old Testament, the “founding fathers” of the Israelites: Abraham and Isaac, Jacob, and the sons of Jacob. (See Joseph and his brothers.)

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Example Sentences

Our services are heavy on the patriarchs—and, for some, the matriarchs too.

From The Wall Street Journal

Although Italy's foreign ministry announced that the patriarchs had entered Gaza with 500 tonnes of aid, Pizzaballa said "not a gram" had yet been able to enter due to logistical issues.

From BBC

The leaders, or patriarchs, of Orthodox churches will wear their own style of mitres, a cape called sakkos and an ornate cloth called omophorion, in colours according to their specific traditions.

From BBC

Pennington, for example, characterized slavery as “an institution of the dark age” while critiquing the “monarchs, patriarchs, and prophets of the South.”

From Salon

Bartholomew I is regarded as the “first among equals” among patriarchs in Eastern Orthodoxy and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians.

From Seattle Times