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

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.

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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