Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The word “doctor” comes from the Latin verb “docere”, which means to teach or instruct. The word “docile” denotes a willingness to learn, be taught, or to accept direction. The original meaning of docile is more to the point: “readily absorbing something taught.”
Three things are required to declare someone a Doctor of the Church.First,A doctor of the Church is a person whose teaching on faith has been deemed sound and of benefit to the church through their writing, study, or research. Along with significant theological contribution, the person must also display a heroic degree of sanctity, (all church doctors are also canonized saints). A third requirement to be named a doctor of the church is formal proclamation as such by the pope or an ecumenical council.
The first church doctors were declared by Pope Boniface VIII (c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) in the 13th century: Sts. Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Pope Gregory the Great. The first women to be named as church doctors were Sts. Teresa of Ávila and Catherine of Siena in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.
The following is a list of the 37 Doctors of the Church in alphabetical order.
St. Albert the Great [1]
Personal: Bishop of Ratisbon, 1260-1293
Introduced Greek and Arabic science and philosophy into the medieval world
Dominican, Order of Preachers
Teacher of Thomas Aquinas
Named in 1932 by Pius XI
Place and dates: 1206-1280
Writings: Summa Theologiae (1270): attempted to reconcile Aristotelianism and Christianity, Sentences: a commentary on Peter the Lombard, De Unitate Intellectus: against the Averrhoists
St. Alphonsus Liguori
Personal: Founded the Redemptorist Order in 1732
Bishop of St. Agatha, 1756-1775
Named in 1871 by Pius IX
Place and dates: 1696-1787
Writings: Moral Theology
Glories of Mary: (1750)
St. Ambrose
Personal: Bishop of Milan (374)
Defended the churches of Milan against Arianism
Friend of Monica, mother of Augustine, and finally brought Augustine into the Church
Place and dates: (Tier, now in Germany) 340?-397
Writings: On Faith: a Christian morals manual, On the Sacraments: an exegetical treatise, On the Holy Spirit: an exegetical treatise, Composed many hymns
St. Anselm
Personal: Benedictine monk
Theologian
Philosopher; proposed famous argument for existence of God
Archbishop of Canterbury, 1093-1100
Named in 1720 by Clement XI
Place and dates: 1033-1109
Writings: Monologium (1077): God as highest being and His attributes, Proslogium (1078): Faith seeking understanding,
Cur Deus Homo (1093): On the Incarnation and crucifixion
St. Anthony of Padua
Personal: Franciscan monk
Theologian
Exceptional intellectual and oratorical gifts
Named in 1946 by Pius XII
Place and dates: 1195-1231
Writings: Lector in theology: taught at Bologna, Montpellier, and Toulouse
St. Athanasius
Personal: Eastern theologian
Named in 1568 by Pius V
Place and dates: 293-373
Writings: Discourses Against the Arians, History of the Arians
Apology Against the Arian, On the Decrees of the Nicene Synod
St. Augustine
Personal: Son of Monica (332?-387)
Born a pagan
Converted in 387 and baptized by Ambrose
Ordained a priest in 391
Bishop of Hippo (395)
Combated Manichean heresy (conflict of Good and Evil)
Place and dates: (Numidia, now Algeria) 354-430
Writings: Confessions (c. 400): his autobiography, The City of God (413-426): great Christian apologia; a theological philosophy of history , Retractions (428): final verdict of earlier works, Epistles (386-429) , On Free Will (388-395), On Christian Doctrine (397), On Baptism: Against the Donatists (400)
On the Trinity (400-416), On Nature and Grace (415), Homilies
St. Basil the Great
Personal: Brother of Gregory of Nyssa and a friend of Gregory of Nazianzus
Patriarch of Eastern monasticism
Wrote a rule of the monastic way of life
Founded the Basilian monks (360)
Bishop of Caesarea (370).
Place and dates: (Caesarea Mazaca) 329?-379
Writings: Against Eunomius: written against the Arian leader Eunomius, On the Holy Spirit: a doctrinal treatise, Moralia: an anthology of New Testament verses, Liturgy of St. Basil
St. Bede, the Venerable
Personal: English Benedictine monk
Prolific writer
Named in 1899 by Leo XIII
Place and dates: 673?-735
Writings: Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731)
On the Reckoning of Time (725), Historia Abbatum (725)
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Personal: Cistercian monk
Preacher of the Second Crusade
Founded over 90 monasteries
Named in 1830 by Pius VIII
Place and dates: 1090-1153
Writings: The Love of God (1127) , Consideration to Eugene III (1148)
St. Bonaventure
Personal: Franciscan friar
Philosopher, theologian
Cardinal archbishop of Albano
Assisted at Council of Lyons
Named in 1588 by Sixtus V
Place and dates: 1217-1274
Writings: Breviloquium (1254): Commentary on Sacred Scripture,
Journey of the Mind to God (1259) , Life of St. Francis of Assisi (1263)
St. Catherine of Siena
Personal: Western mystic
Joined the Dominican Order in 1353
Convinced Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon
Noted for works of charity and unity in the Church
Named in 1970 by Pope Paul VI
Place and dates: 1347-1380
Writings: Letters on spiritual matters, Dialogue: her ideals of reform and repentance
St. Cyril of Alexandria
Personal: Patriarch of Alexandria in 412
Leader of the Council of Ephesus, 431
Instrumental in condemning Nestorianism
Place and dates: (Alexandria) 376-444
Writings: Against Nestorius, Against Julian the Apostate,
Prolific writer
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Personal: Bishop of Jerusalem in 351
Embroiled in controversy over episcopal duties
Place and dates: (Jerusalem) 315?-387?
Writings: 23 Treatises: addressed to catechumens and newly baptized
St. Ephraem the Syrian
Personal: Deacon, monk
Noted for his defense of the Church, the mysteries of Our Lord and the honor of the Virgin Mary.
Named in 1920 by Benedict XV
Place and dates: 306?-373
Writings: Wrote exegetical works and hymns
St. Francis de Sales
Personal: Named in 1877 by Pius IX
Bishop of Genova, 1602-1622
Founded the Order of the Visitation
Confronted the rise of Calvinism
Place and dates: 1567-1622
Writings: Introduction to the Devout Life: (1609)
St. Gregory of Narek — St. Grigor Narekatsi
Personal: Armenian monk, poet, mystical philosopher, theologian and saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Based in the monastery of Narek (Narekavank), he was “Armenia’s first great poet”. He is the author of mystical interpretation on the Song of Songs and numerous poetic writings. His Book of Prayers, also known as “Book of Lamentations”, a long mystical poem in 95 sections written around 977 has been translated to many languages. The book, the work of his mature years remains one of the definitive pieces of Armenian literature. He is also recognized as a saint by the Armenian Catholic Church and in February 21, 2015, Pope Francis named him a Doctor of the Church. Feast day — Oct. 13, Holy Translators day.
Place and dates: 951 – 1003
Writings: Book of Prayers / “Book of Lamentations”. Written shortly before the first millennium of Christianity, the prayers of St. Gregory of Narek have long been recognized as gems of Christian literature. St. Gregory called his book an “encyclopedia of prayer for all nations”. It was his hope that it would serve as a guide to prayer by people of all stations around the world.
In 95 prayers, St. Gregory draws on the potential of the Classical Armenian language to translate feelings of suffering and humility into an offering of words thought to be pleasing to God. Calling it his last testament: “its letters like my body, its message like my soul”, it is an edifice of faith for the ages, unique in Christian literature for its rich imagery, its subtle theology, its Biblical erudition, and the sincere immediacy of its communication with God.
St. Gregory Nazianzus
Personal: Bishop of Sasima (371)
Took charge of the Nicene congregation of Constantinople where he delivered five discourses on the Trinity that earned him fame as “The Theologian”
Place and dates: (Nazianzus in Capadocia, now Turkey) 329?-389
Writings: Philokalia (Love of the Beautiful): an anthology of the writings of Origen
St. Gregory the Great
Personal: Prefect of Rome in 570
Became a monk in 575
Elected pope (r. 590-604)
Enhanced prestige of the papacy
Upheld Rome’s traditional claims of church primacy over the patriarch of Constantinople
Introduced liturgical reforms and Gregorian chant
Extensive pastoral activity.
Place and dates: (Rome) 540?-604
Writings: Moralia: a commentary on the Book of Job, Pastoral Care, Dialogues: legends of saints of his own time
St. Hilary of Poitiers
Personal: Pagan, convert in 350
Bishop of Poitiers, 353
Defended the decrees of the Council of Nicaea
Named in 1851 by Pius IX
Place and dates: 315?-368?
Writings: De Trinitate: against the Arians, De Synodis, Commentary of the Psalms, Commentary of Matthew’s Gospel
St. Isidore of Seville
Personal: Encyclopedic knowledge
Archbishop of Seville
Conversion of Visigoths
Organizing the church in Spain
Named in 1722 by Innocent XIII
Place and dates: 560?-636?
Writings: De Natura Rerum
Etymologies: an encyclopedia
Chronica Majora: a compilation from church historians
Biographies, A summary of Christian doctrine
St. Jerome
Personal:Biblical scholar
Ordained a priest in 386
Secretary to Pope Damasus I in 382
Confronted many heresies, especially Pelagianism
Place and dates: (Stridon, present day Slovenia) 345?-419
Writings: The Vulgate: translated the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, 383-384, in Rome
St. John Chrysostom
Personal: Ordained a priest in 386
Greatest orator of the early Church
Patriarch of Constantinople in 398
Place and dates: (Antioch, Syria) 349?-407
Writings: On the Priesthood , Homilie, Wrote commentaries, epistles, treatises, and liturgies
St. John Damascene
Personal: Financial officer to Saracen caliph
Resigned in 700
Entered a monastery and ordained a priest
Opposed the Iconoclasts
Place and dates: (Damascus, Syria) 675-749
Writings: Source of Knowledge: three-part text of dogmatic theology in the early Greek church; contains a complete theological system based on the early Greek fathers and synods of 4th-7th centuries
St. John of the Cross
Personal: Western mystic
Combined mysticism with the theology and philosophy of Aquinas
Became a Carmelite monk in 1563
Ordained a priest in 1567
Organized the Discalced Carmelites in 1568
Imprisoned for monastic reform 1576-1577
Named in 1926 by Benedict XV
Place and dates: 1542-1591
Writings: Spiritual Canticle: a mystical poem, Living Flame of Love: a mystical poem, Dark Night of the Soul: describes the soul’s progress in union with God
St. Lawrence of Brindisi
Personal: Capuchin
Worked for the conversion of the Jews
Confronted the rise of Lutheranism
Organized Catholic princes against Turkish invasion
Named in 1959 by John XXIII
Place and dates: 1559-1619
Writings: Sermons, A commentary on Genesis, Writings against Lutheranism
St. Leo the Great
Personal: Pope, 440-461
Confirmed the doctrine of the Incarnation (Council of Chalcedon, 451)
Held the doctrinal primacy of Rome
Persuaded Atilla the Hun not to invade Rome
Named in 1754 by Benedict XIV
Place and dates: 461
Writings: 143 surviving letters, 96 sermons
St. Peter Canisius
Personal: Jesuit
Second great Apostle of Germany
Leader, Counter-Reformation
Named in 1925 by Pius XI
Place and dates: 1521-1597
Writings: Catechism (1560): instructed the faithful to defend their Faith
St. Peter Chrysologus
Personal: Called chrysologus (golden-mouthed) because of exceptional preaching eloquence
Archbishop of Ravenna, 433-450
Named in 1729 by Benedict XIII
Place and dates: 406-450
Writings: Many sermons survive
St. Peter Damian
Personal: Benedictine monk
Cardinal and Bishop of Ostia
Ecclesiastical statesman and reformer
Named in 1828 by Leo XII
Place and dates: 1007-1072
Writings: Notable poet
Wrote reforms for popes, clergy, monks
St. Robert Bellarmine
Personal: Jesuit theologian
Cardinal archbishop of Capua
Revision of the Vulgate (1592)
Leader of the Counter Reformation
Named in 1931 by Pius XI
Place and dates: 1542-1621
Writings: Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith: (1568-93)
St. Teresa of Avila
Personal: Western mystic
Foundress of the Order of Discalced Carmelites
Entered the convent in 1535
Founded the new order in 1562
Worked with the aid of St. John of the Cross, Spanish mystic and Doctor of the Church
Named in 1970 by Pope Paul VI
Place and dates: 1515-1582
Writings: The Way of Perfection: (1565) advice to her nuns, The Interior Castle: (1577) The Foundations: (1573-1582) the origins of the Discalced Carmelites
St. Therese of Lisieux
Personal: Carmelite Nun: Sister Theresa of the Child Jesus
Also known as “The Little Flower of Jesus”
Canonized: May 17, 1925
Created a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II, October 19, 1997
The third woman among 33 Doctors
Place and dates: Born: Alencon, France, January 2, 1873
Died: Lisieux, France, September 30, 1897
Writings: Autobiography of a Saint: Letter and Spiritual Counsels
St. Thomas Aquinas
Personal: Theologian
Named in 1568 by Pius V
Italian philosopher
Educated at Monte Cassino
Ordained a priest in 1250
Advisor and lecturer to the papal court, 1259-1268
Place and dates: 1225-1274
Writings: Eighty works are ascribed to him
Summa Contra Gentiles: “On the Truth of Catholic Faith,” 1261-1264: one of his greatest works, closely reasoned treatise on the truth of Christianity, Summa Theologica: a summary of theology, (1265-1273)
[1] The title “Great” is given by public acclimation.