The Doctors of the Catholic Church

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The Catholic Church gives the title “Doctor of the Church” to their very greatest teachers of theology or doctrine. Here are the current 37.

 


 

PATRISTIC ERA
33 to 590 AD

 

APOSTLES
33 to 100 AD

No Doctors of the Church

 

MARTYRS
100 to 311 AD

Irenaeus of Lyon (died 202 AD)

Title: Doctor of Unity

Lived 130 to 202 AD

 

EMPERORS
311 to 590 AD

Hilary of Poitiers (died 368)

Title: “Doctor of the Divinity of Christ”

Lived 300 to 367 AD

WROTE:

De Trinitate

Athanasius of Alexandria (died 373)

Title: “One of the four Great Greek Fathers”

Lived 298 to 373 AD

WROTE:

The Sayings of the Desert Fathers

On the Incarnation

Ephrem the Syrian (died 373)

Title: none

Lived 306 to 373 AD

Deacon

WROTE:

On the Diatessaron

Basil the Great (died 379)

Title: “One of the four Great Greek Fathers”

Lived 330 to 379 AD

Cappadocian theolo­gian,  Father of Monasticism in the East.

WROTE:

Contra Eunomium

On the Holy Spirit

Cyril of Jerusalem (died 386)

Title: none

Lived 315 to 386 AD

Bishop

WROTE:

Catechesis

Gregory Nazianzen (died 389)

Title: “One of the four Great Greek Fathers”

Lived 329 to 389 AD

Bishop of Constan­tinople

Ambrose of Milan (died 397)

Title: “One of the four Great Latin Fathers”

Lived circa 340 to 397 AD

Opposed Arianism

WROTE:

On Virginity

John Chrysostom (died 407)

Title: “One of the four Great Greek Fathers”

Lived 347 to 407 AD

Renown preacher, Bishop of Constantinople, greatest of the Greek Fathers

WROTE:

Bible Commentary (multi-volume series)

Jerome (died 420)

Title: “One of the four Great Latin Fathers”

Lived circa 347 to 420 AD

Father of Biblical Science, controversialist

Augustine of Hippo (died 430)

Title 1: “One of the four Great Latin Fathers”

Title 2: “Doctor gratiae (Doctor of Grace)”

Lived 354 to 430 AD

WROTE:

Confessions

City of God

Bible Commentary (multi-volume set)

Sermons (multi-volume set)

Cyril of Alexandria (died 444)

Title: “Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation)”

Lived 376 to 444 AD

Bishop

WROTE:

On the Gospel of John

Peter Chrysologus (died 450)

Title: none

Lived 406 to 450 AD

WROTE:

Sermons

Leo I the Great (died 461)

Title: “Doctor unitatis Ecclesiae (Doctor of the Church’s Unity)”

Lived 400 to 461 AD

Pope

WROTE:

The Tome of Leo

Letters

Sermons

 

MEDIEVAL ERA
590 to 1417 AD

 

MISSIONARIES
590 to 1049 AD

Gregory I the Great (died 604)

Title: “One of the four Great Latin Fathers”

Lived circa 540 to 604 AD

Pope

WROTE:

40 Gospel Homilies

The Book of Morals

Isidore of Seville (died 636)

Title: none

Lived 560 to 636 AD

WROTE:

Ety­mologiae

Bede the Venerable (died 735)

Title: “Anglorum doctor (Doctor of the English)”

Lived 672 to 735 AD

WROTE:

On the Song of Songs

Ecclesiastical History of the English People

Homilies on the Gospels

John of Damascus (died 749)

Title: none

Lived 676 to 749 AD

Also known as John Damascene

WROTE:

On Divine Images

Fountain of Wisdom

Gregory of Narek (died 1003)

Title: none

Lived 951 to 1003 AD

Armenian mystical and lyrical poet, monk, theologian

WROTE:

Book of Lamentations

Commentary on the Song of Songs

 

POPES AND SCHOLARS
1049 to 1294 AD

Peter Damian (died 1072)

Title: none

Lived 1007 to 1072 AD

WROTE:

The Letters of Peter Damian

Anselm of Canterbury (died 1109)

Title 1: “Doctor magnificus (Magnificent Doctor)”

Title 2: “Doctor Marianus (Marian Doctor)”

Lived 1033 or 1034 to 1109 AD

Father of Scholasticism

WROTE:

The Proslogion

Cur Deus Homo

The Procession of the Holy Spirit

Bernard of Clairvaux (died 1153)

Title: “Doctor mellifluus (Mellifluous Doctor)”

Lived 1090 to 1153 AD

WROTE:

Sermons

The Steps of Humility and Pride

On Loving God

Hildegard of Bingen (died 1179)

Title: none

Lived 1098 to 1179 AD

Also known as Saint Hildegard and Sibyl of the Rhine.

German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, visionary, and polymath.

Anthony of Padua and Lisbon (died 1231)

Title: “Doctor evangelicus (Evangelical Doctor)”

Lived 1195 to 1231 AD

Thomas Aquinas (died 1274)

Title 1: “Doctor angelicus (Angelic Doctor)”

Title 2: “Doctor communis (Common Doctor)”

Lived 1225 to 1274 AD

WROTE:

Summa Theologiae

Summa Contra Gen­tiles

Bonaventure (died 1274)

Title: “Doctor seraphicus (Seraphic Doctor)”

Lived 1221 to 1274 AD

WROTE:

A Life of St. Francis

Albert the Great (died 1280)

Title: “Doctor universalis (Universal Doctor)”

Lived 1193 to 1280 AD

Also known as Albertus Magnus

 

PAPAL SCHISMS
1294 to 1417 AD

Catherine of Siena (died 1380)

Title: none

Lived 1347 to 1380 AD

WROTE:

Dialogue

 

REFORMATION ERA
1417 to 1648 AD

 

PRE-REFORMATION
1417-1517 AD

No Doctors of the Church

 

REFORMATION
1517-1648 AD

No Doctors of the Church

 

COUNTER-REFORMATION
1545 to 1648 AD
“The Empire Strikes Back”

John of Ávila (died 1569)

Title: none

Lived 1500 to 1569 AD

Spanish priest, preacher, scholastic author, religious mystic

Teresa of Jesus (died 1582)

Title: “Doctor orationis (Doctor of Prayer)”

Lived 1515 to 1582 AD

Also known as Teresa of Ávila

WROTE:

The Interior Castle

The Life of Teresa of Ávila

Way of Perfection

Meditations on the Canticle

The Foundations

Visitation of the Discalced Nuns

John of the Cross (died 1591)

Title: “Doctor mysticus (Mystical Doctor)”

Lived 1542 to 1591 AD

WROTE:

The Ascent of Mt. Carmel

The Dark Night

The Spiritual Canticle

The Living Flame of Love

Peter Canisius (died 1597)

Title: none

Lived 1521 to 1597 AD

Lawrence of Brindisi (died 1619)

Title: “Doctor apostolicus (Apostolic Doctor)”

Lived 1559 to 1619 AD

Robert Bellarmine (died 1621)

Title: none

Lived 1542 to 1621 AD

WROTE:

Controversies

The Art of Dying Well

Francis de Sales (died 1622)

Title: “Doctor caritatis (Doctor of Charity)”

Lived 1567 to 1622 AD

WROTE:

In­tro­duction to the Devout Life

The Love of God

 

MODERN ERA
1648 to 1962 AD

 

ENLIGHTENMENT
1648 to 1789 AD

Alphonsus Liguori (died 1787)

Title: “Doctor zelantissimus (Most Zealous Doctor)”

Lived 1696 to 1787 AD

WROTE:

The­ologiae Moralis

 

REVOLUTION
1789 to 1870 AD

No Doctors of the Church

 

INTRANSIGENCE
1870 to 1962

Thérèse of Lisieux (died 1897)

Title: none

Lived 1873 to 1897 AD

Also known as the Little Flower of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.

Mystic

WROTE:

The Story of a Soul

 

POSTMODERN ERA
1962 AD to present

No Doctors of the Church

 


CHURCH HISTORY

The Patristic Era (33 to 590 AD)

The Medieval Era (590 to 1417 AD)

The Reformation Era (1417 to 1648 AD)

The Modern Era (1648 to 1962 AD)

The Postmodern Era (1962 AD to present)

The Ecumenical Councils

The Doctors of the Catholic Church


Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.