Doctor of the Church
In Roman Catholicism, a Doctor of the Church (Latin doctor, teacher, from Latin docere, to teach) is a saint from whose writings the whole Christian Church is held to have derived great advantage and to whom "eminent learning" and "great sanctity" have been attributed by a proclamation of a pope or of an ecumenical council. This honor is given rarely, only posthumously, and only after canonization. No ecumenical council has yet exercised the prerogative of proclaiming a Doctor of the Church.
Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Pope Gregory I were the original Doctors of the Church and were named in 1298. They are known collectively as the Great Doctors of the Western Church. The four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Athanasius were recognized in 1568 by Pope St. Pius V. Although the revered Catalan philosopher Ramon Llull was dubbed "Doctor Illuminatus," he is not officially considered a Doctor of the Church.
The Doctors' works vary greatly in subject and form. Some, such as Pope Gregory I and Ambrose were prominent writers of letters and short treatises. Catherine of Siena and John of the Cross wrote mystical theology. Augustine and Robert Bellarmine defended the Church against heresy. Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People provides the best information on England in the early middle ages. Systematic theologians include the Scholastic philosophers Anselm, Albertus Magnus, and Thomas Aquinas.
Until 1970, no woman had been named a Doctor of the Church, but since then three additions to the list have been women. In this regard, it is interesting to quote a line from the New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), "...it would seem that no woman is likely to be named because of the link between this title and the teaching office, which is limited to males."
Traditionally, in the liturgy, the Office of Doctors was distinguished from that of Confessors by two changes: the Gospel reading, Matthew 5:13-19, "Vos estis sal terrae" ("You are the salt of the earth"), and the eighth Respond at Matins, from Ecclesiasticus 15:5, "In medio Ecclesiae aperuit os ejus, * Et implevit eum Deus spiritu sapientiae et intellectus. * Jucunditatem et exsultationem thesaurizavit super eum." ("In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, * And God filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding. * He heaped upon him a treasure of joy and gladness.")
The Roman Catholic Church has to date named 33 Doctors of the Church. Of these, the 17 who died before the formal Eastern Schism in 1054 are also venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Among these 33 are 25 from the West and eight from the East; three women; 18 bishops, 29 priests, one deacon, two nuns, one lay woman; 24 from Europe, three from Africa, six from Asia.
List of Doctors of the Church
Name | Born | Died | Promoted | Ethnicity | Post |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
St. Gregory the Great | ca. 540 | March 12, 604 | 1298 | Roman | Pope |
St. Ambrose | ca. 340 | April 4, 397 | 1298 | Roman | Bishop of Milan |
St. Augustine, Doctor Gratiae* | November 13, 354 | August 28, 430 | 1298 | Numidian | Bishop of Hippo |
St. Jerome | ca.347 | September 30, 420 | 1298 | Dalmatian | priest, monk |
St. John Chrysostom | 347 | 407 | 1568 | Syrian | Archbishop of Constantinople |
St. Basil | 330 | January 1, 379 | 1568 | Cappadocian | Bishop of Caesarea |
St. Gregory Nazianzus | 329 | January 25, 389 | 1568 | Cappadocian | Archbishop of Constantinople |
St. Athanasius | 298 | May 2, 373 | 1568 | Egyptian | Patriarch of Alexandria |
St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis | 1225 | March 7, 1274 | 1568 | Neapolitan | Priest, Theologian, O.P. |
St. Bonaventure, Doctor Seraphicus | 1221 | July 15, 1274 | 1588 | Latium | Cardinal Bishop of Albano, theologian, O.F.M. |
St. Anselm, Doctor Magnificus | 1033 or 1034 | April 21, 1109 | 1720 | Savoyard | Archbishop of Canterbury |
St. Isidore | 560 | April 4, 636 | 1722 | Andalusian | Bishop of Seville |
St. Peter Chrysologus | 406 | 450 | 1729 | Italian | Archbishop of Ravenna |
St. Leo the Great | 400 | November 10, 461 | 1754 | Roman | Pope |
St. Peter Damian | 1007 | February 21/22,1072 | 1828 | Ravenna | Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, monk, O.S.B. |
St. Bernard, Doctor Mellifluus | 1090 | August 21, 1153 | 1830 | Burgundian | priest, O.Cist. |
St. Hilary of Poitiers | 300 | 367 | 1851 | Gaul | Bishop of Poitiers |
St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor Zelantissimus | September 27, 1696 | August 1, 1787 | 1871 | Kingdom of Naples | Bishop of Sant'Agata de' Goti], Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer |
St. Francis de Sales | August 21, 1567 | December 28, 1622 | 1877 | Savoyard | Bishop of Geneva |
St. Cyril of Alexandria, Doctor Incarnationis* | 376 | June 27, 444 | 1883 | Egyptian | Patriarch of Alexandria |
St. Cyril of Jerusalem | 315 | 386 | 1883 | Jerusalem | Bishop of Jerusalem |
St. John Damascene | 676 | December 5, 749 | 1883 | Syrian | priest, monk |
St. Bede the Venerable | 672 | May 27, 735 | 1899 | English | priest, monk |
St. Ephrem | 306 | 373 | 1920 | Syrian | deacon |
St. Peter Canisius | May 8, 1521 | December 21, 1597 | 1925 | Dutch | priest, S.J. |
St. John of the Cross, Doctor Mysticus | June 24, 1542 | December 14, 1591 | 1926 | Spanish | priest, mystic, Discalced Carmelites (Founder) |
St. Robert Bellarmine | October 4, 1542 | September 17, 1621 | 1931 | Tuscan | Archbishop of Capua, theologian, Society of Jesus |
St. Albertus Magnus, Doctor Universalis | 1193 | November 15,1280 | 1931 | German | Bishop, Theologian, Dominican Order |
St. Anthony of Padua and Lisbon, Doctor Evangelicus | August 15, 1195 | June 13, 1231 | 1946 | Portuguese | Priest, Franciscan |
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor Apostolicus | July 22, 1559 | July 22, 1619 | 1959 | Neapolitan | Priest, Diplomat, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin |
St. Teresa of Ávila | March 28, 1515 | October 4, 1582 | 1970 | Spanish | Mystic, O.C.D. (Founder) |
St. Catherine of Siena | March 25, 1347 | April 29, 1380 | 1970 | Tuscan | Mystic, Dominican Order |
St. Thérèse of Lisieux | January 2, 1873 | September 30, 1897 | 1997 | French | Discalced Carmelites (Nun) |
*Also venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church.
See also
- Fathers of the Church
External link
- Doctors of the Catholic Church Retrieved November 13, 2007.
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Doctor of the Church Retrieved November 13, 2007.
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