Why Do We Call St. Ignatius of Antioch and others APOSTOLIC FATHERS?

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Today is the feast day of one of my all-time favorite heroes. HE made me Catholic.

[For my 90-minute adventure documentary on Ignatius of Antioch along with four other Apostolic Fathers, get Apostolic Fathers, Handing on the Faith. For more info see below.]

There are Apostolic Fathers and Fathers of the Church. What is the difference? Fathers of the Church are those bishops, priests, and theologians of the first eight centuries who taught and wrote and who helped define the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

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Apostolic Fathers fit into that category but they have a subcategory of their own – the KNEW the Apostles. They did not have New Testaments under their arms but they did have the voice of the Apostles ringing in their ears. They learned personally from the Apostles.

Look at this chart below to see how close they are to the time of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. These are the guys who made me Catholic. If you haven’t read their writings, you should. (I don’t know who made the chart but would love to give him credit if I find out.)

Here is a chart I made for our documentary Apostolic Fathers: Handing on the Faith.

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Download a Free copy of the Apostolic Fathers Timeline

 

This amazing Timeline drives home the point of how close these men were to Jesus and the Apostles. It demonstrates how Catholic the first Christians really were!

 

 The Apostolic Fathers faced Emperors, heretics and lions but these heroes of the Catholic faith never lost courage. Chains, prisons and blood-soaked arenas did not stop the early Christians from witnessing for Christ and handing on the Apostolic Tradition.

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Strap on your sandals and step back in time to discover the “Apostolic Fathers, Handing on the Faith”

Comprehensive 28-Page Study Guide
Behind the Scenes: The Making of Apostolic Fathers, Handing on the Faith
Bloopers and Outtakes
Conversation with Steve Ray and Fr. Benedict Groeschel
English and Spanish subtitles
Feature running time: 90 minutes, extras 30 minutes

Buy it HERE

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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Maria May 18, 2017

    I got a question from my sister asking me why we call them fathers? Also the pope and the priest.
    If on Matthews 23:9 call no man a father. I show her Timothy 1:2, but that was not a good enough answer for her. How can I answer her?

    STEVE RAY HERE: Maria, this is one of the dumbest arguments protestant she was against Catholics and it’s been answered 1000 times and they keep bringing it up. I would suggest you visit http://www.catholic.com and view their writings or resources page they have articles on this.

    Also read my blog https://www.catholicconvert.com/blog/2011/01/27/call-no-man-your-father/

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