7/11/2016 DoctoroftheChurchWikipedia

DoctoroftheChurch
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

DoctoroftheChurch(Latindoctor"teacher")isatitle
givenbytheCatholicChurchtosaintswhomthey
recognizeashavingbeenofparticularimportance,
particularlyregardingtheircontributiontotheologyor
doctrine.

Someotherchurcheshavesimilarcategorieswithvarious
names.

Contents
1 Beforethe16thcentury
2 CatholicChurch
2.1 Latinchurch
2.1.1 ListofDoctors
2.1.2 OtherrecognisedDoctors
2.1.3 Scholasticepithets
2.2 SyroMalabarCatholicChurch St.IsidoreofSeville,a7thcenturyDoctorofthe
2.3 ChaldeanCatholicChurch Church,depictedbyMurillo(c.1628)withabook,
3 EasternOrthodoxChurch commoniconographicalattributeforadoctor.
4 ArmenianChurch
5 AssyrianChurchoftheEast
6 Anglicanism
7 Lutheranism
8 Seealso
9 References
10 Externallinks

Beforethe16thcentury
IntheWesternchurchfoureminent"FathersoftheChurch"attainedthishonourintheearlyMiddleAges:
SaintGregorytheGreat,SaintAmbrose,SaintAugustine,andSaintJerome.The"fourDoctors"becamea
commonplaceamongtheScholastics,andadecreeofBonifaceVIII(1298)orderingtheirfeaststobekeptas
doublesinthewholeChurchiscontainedinhissixthbookofDecretals(cap."Gloriosus",derelique.etvener.
sanctorum,inSexto,III,22).[1]

IntheEasternChurchthreeDoctorswerepreeminent:SaintJohnChrysostom,SaintBasiltheGreat,andSaint
GregoryNazianzen.ThefeastsofthesethreesaintsweremadeobligatorythroughouttheEasternEmpireby
LeoVItheWise.Acommonfeastwaslaterinstitutedintheirhonouron30January,called"thefeastofthe
threeHierarchs".IntheMenaeaforthatdayitisrelatedthatthethreeDoctorsappearedinadreamtoJohn
Mauropous,BishopofEuchaitae,andcommandedhimtoinstituteafestivalintheirhonour,inordertoputa
stoptotherivalriesoftheirvotariesandpanegyrists.ThiswasunderAlexiusComnenus(10811118see"Acta
SS.",14June,underSt.Basil,c.xxxviii).ButsermonsforthefeastareattributedinmanuscriptstoCosmas
Vestitor,whoflourishedinthetenthcentury.ThethreeareascommoninEasternartasthefourareinWestern.
Durandus(i,3)remarksthatDoctorsshouldberepresentedwithbooksintheirhands.IntheWestanalogyled
tothevenerationoffourEasternDoctors,SaintAthanasiusbeingaddedtothethreehierarchs.[1]

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CatholicChurch
Thedetailsofthetitle,doctorofthechurch,varyfromoneautonomous
ritualchurchtoanother.

Latinchurch

IntheLatinchurch,thefourLatinDoctors"hadalreadylongbeen
recognized"intheliturgywhenthefourGreatDoctorsoftheEastern
Church,JohnChrysostom,BasiltheGreat,GregoryofNazianzus,and
AthanasiusofAlexandriawererecognizedin1568byPopeSt.PiusV.

Tothesenamesothershavesubsequentlybeenaddedtotheliturgy.The
requisiteconditionsareenumeratedasthree:eminensdoctrina,insignis
vitaesanctitas,Ecclesiaedeclaratio(i.e.eminentlearning,ahigh
degreeofsanctity,andproclamationbytheChurch).BenedictXIV
explainsthethirdasadeclarationbythesupremepontifforbyageneral TheFourGreatDoctorsofthe
council.Butthoughgeneralcouncilshaveacclaimedthewritingsof
WesternChurchwereoftendepicted
certainDoctors,nocouncilhasactuallyconferredthetitleofDoctorof
inart,herebyPierFrancescoSacchi,
theChurch.Theprocedureinvolvesextendingtotheuniversalchurch
c.1516.Fromtheleft:Saint
theuseoftheDivineOfficeandMassofthesaintinwhichthetitleof
Augustine,PopeGregoryI,Saint
doctorisappliedtohim.ThedecreeisissuedbytheCongregationfor Jerome,andSaintAmbrose,with
theCausesoftheSaintsandapprovedbythepope,afteracareful theirattributes.
examination,ifnecessary,ofthesaint'swritings.Itisnotinanywayan
excathedradecision,nordoesitevenamounttoadeclarationthatno
erroristobefoundintheteachingoftheDoctor.Itis,indeed,wellknownthattheverygreatestofthemarenot
whollyimmunefromerror.Nomartyrisinthelist,sincetheOfficeandtheMassareforConfessors.Hence,as
BenedictXIVpointsout,SaintIgnatiusofAntioch,SaintIrenaeus,andSaintCyprianarenotcalledDoctorsof
theChurch.

TheDoctors'worksvarygreatlyinsubjectandform.Some,suchasPopeGregoryIandAmbrosewere
prominentwritersoflettersandshorttreatises.CatherineofSienaandJohnoftheCrosswrotemystical
theology.AugustineandBellarminedefendedtheChurchagainstheresy.Bede'sEcclesiasticalHistoryofthe
EnglishPeopleprovidesthebestinformationonEnglandintheearlyMiddleAges.Systematictheologians
includetheScholasticphilosophersAnselm,AlbertusMagnus,andThomasAquinas.

Until1970,nowomanhadbeennamedadoctorinthechurch,butsincethenfouradditionstothelisthave
beenwomen:SaintsTeresaofvila(St.TeresaofJesus)andCatherineofSienabyPopePaulVIThrsede
Lisieux[2](St.ThereseoftheChildJesusandoftheHolyFace),"theLittleFlower"byPopeJohnPaulIIand
HildegardofBingenbyBenedictXVI.SaintsTeresaandTheresewerebothDiscalcedCarmelites,St.
CatherinewasalayDominican,andHildegardwasaBenedictine.

Traditionally,intheLiturgy,theOfficeofDoctorswasdistinguishedfromthatofConfessorsbytwochanges:
theGospelreadingVosestissalterrae("Youarethesaltoftheearth"),Matthew5:1319,andtheeighth
RespondatMatins,fromEcclesiasticus15:5,InmedioEcclesiaeaperuitosejus,*EtimpleviteumDeusspiritu
sapientiaeetintellectus.*Jucunditatemetexsultationemthesaurizavitsupereum.("InthemidstoftheChurch
heopenedhismouth,*AndGodfilledhimwiththespiritofwisdomandunderstanding.*Heheapedupon
himatreasureofjoyandgladness.")TheNiceneCreedwasalsorecitedatMass,whichisnormallynotsaid
exceptonSundaysandthehighestrankingfeastdays.The1962revisionstotheMissaldroppedtheCreed
fromfeastsofDoctors.

Asof2015,theCatholicChurchhasnamed36DoctorsoftheChurch.Ofthese,the17whodiedbeforethe
GreatSchismof1054(marked*inthelistbelow)arealsoveneratedbytheEasternOrthodoxChurch(Gregory
ofNarekwasfromtheArmenianApostolicChurchwhichwasnotincommunionwithChalcedonianChurch).
Amongthese36are27fromtheWestand9fromtheEast4women18bishops,12priests,1deacon,3nuns,
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1consecratedvirgin26fromEurope,3fromAfrica,7fromAsia.MoreDoctors(12)livedduringthe4th
centurythananyothereminentChristianwritersofthe1st,2ndand3rdcenturiesareusuallyreferredtoasthe
ApostolicFathersorAnteNiceneFathers,whilethe9th,and20thcenturieshavesofarproducednoDoctorsat
all.TheshortestperiodbetweendeathandnominationwasthatofAlphonsusLiguori,whodiedin1787and
wasnamedaDoctoroftheChurchin1871aperiodof84yearsthelongestwasthatofEphremtheSyrian,
whichtookfifteenandahalfcenturies.

On20August2011,PopeBenedictXVIannouncedthathewouldsoondeclareSt.JohnofvilaaDoctorof
theChurch.[3]Althoughnoofficialannouncementwasgiven,itwasreportedinDecember2011thatPope
BenedictintendedtodeclareHildegardofBingenasaDoctoroftheChurchdespitehernotyethavingbeen
officiallycanonised.[4]TheliturgicalcultofSt.HildegardofBingenwasofficiallyextendedtotheuniversal
ChurchbyPopeBenedictXVIon10May2012,clearingthewayforhertobenamedaDoctorofthe
Church.[5]PopeBenedictformallydeclaredSSJohnofvilaandHildegardofBingentobeDoctorsofthe
Churchon7October2012.[6]

PopeFrancisdeclaredSaintGregoryofNarektobeDoctoroftheChurchon21February2015.[7]

ListofDoctors

(ForearlierauthoritiesonChristiandoctrine,seeChurchFathersandAnteNiceneFathers)

St.Teresaofvila(15151582)by
PeterPaulRubens(Kunsthistorisches
Museum)

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Name Titles Born Died Promoted Activity

1.St.Gregorythe 540
March12,604 1298 Pope
Great (ca.)
340
2.St.Ambrose April4,397 1298 BishopofMilan
(ca.)
Doctorgratiae
BishopofHippo
3.St.Augustine (Doctorof 354 August28,430 1298
(nowAnnaba)
Grace)
347
4.St.Jerome September30,420 1298 Priest,monk
(ca.)
5.St.John Archbishopof
347 407 1568
Chrysostom Constantinople
6.St.Basilthe Bishopof
330 January1,379 1568
Great Caesarea
7.St.Gregoryof Archbishopof
329 January25,389 1568
Nazianzus Constantinople
Archbishopof
8.St.Athanasius 298 May2,373 1568
Alexandria
Doctorangelicus
(Angelic
Doctor)
9.St.Thomas Priest,
Doctor 1225 March7,1274 1568
Aquinas Theologian,O.P.
communis
(Common
Doctor)
Doctor CardinalBishop
seraphicus ofAlbano,
10.St.Bonaventure (Seraphic 1221 July15,1274 1588 Theologian,
Doctor) MinisterGeneral,
O.F.M.
Doctor
magnificus
Archbishopof
(Magnificent 1033or
11.St.Anselm April21,1109 1720 Canterbury,
Doctor) 1034
O.S.B.
DoctorMarianus
(MarianDoctor)
12.St.Isidoreof
560 April4,636 1722 BishopofSeville
Seville
13.St.Peter Bishopof
406 450 1729
Chrysologus Ravenna
Doctorunitatis
14.St.Leothe Ecclesiae
400 November10,461 1754 Pope
Great (Doctorofthe
Church'sUnity)
CardinalBishop
15.St.PeterDamian 1007 February21,1072 1828 ofOstia,monk,
O.S.B.
Doctormellifluus
16.St.Bernardof
(Mellifluous 1090 August21,1153 1830 Priest,O.Cist.
Clairvaux
Doctor)

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Name Titles Born Died Promoted Activity

Doctorofthe
17.St.Hilaryof
Divinityof 300 367 1851 BishopofPoitiers
Poitiers
Christ
Doctor Bishopof
18.St.Alphonsus zelantissimus Sant'Agatade'
1696 August1,1787 1871
Liguori (MostZealous Goti,C.Ss.R.
Doctor) (Founder)
Doctorcaritatis
19.St.Francisde BishopofGeneva
(Doctorof 1567 December28,1622 1877
Sales OFM,Cap.
Charity)
Doctor
20.St.Cyrilof Incarnationis Archbishopof
376 July27,444 1883
Alexandria (Doctorofthe Alexandria
Incarnation)
21.St.Cyrilof Archbishopof
315 386 1883
Jerusalem Jerusalem
22.St.John
676 December5,749 1890 Priest,monk
Damascene
23.St.Bedethe Priest,monk,
672 May27,735 1899
Venerable O.S.B.
24.St.Ephrem[8] 306 373 October5,1920 Deacon
25.St.Peter
1521 December21,1597 May1,1925 Priest,S.J.
Canisius
Doctormysticus
26.St.Johnofthe Priest,mystic,
(Mystical 1542 December14,1591 1926
Cross O.C.D.(Founder)
Doctor)
Archbishopof
27.St.Robert
1542 September17,1621 1931 Capua,
Bellarmine
Theologian,S.J.
Doctor
28.St.Albertus Bishopof
universalis
1193 November15,1280 December15,1931 Regensburg,
Magnus[9] (Universal
Theologian,O.P.
Doctor)
Doctor
29.St.Anthonyof evangelicus
1195 June13,1231 January16,1946 Priest,O.F.M.
LisbonandPadua (Evangelical
Doctor)
Doctor
30.St.Lawrenceof apostolicus Priest,Diplomat,
1559 July22,1619 1959
Brindisi (Apostolic O.F.M.Cap.
Doctor)
31.St.Teresaof Doctororationis
Mystic,O.C.D.
(Doctorof 1515 October4,1582 September27,1970
vila[10] (Founder)
Prayer)
Mystic,O.P.
32.St.Catherineof
1347 April29,1380 October3,1970 (Consecrated
Siena
virgin)
33.St.Thrseof
1873 September30,1897 October19,1997 O.C.D.(Nun)
Lisieux

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Name Titles Born Died Promoted Activity

34.St.Johnofvila 1500 May10,1569 October7,2012 Priest,Mystic
Visionary,
theologian,
35.St.Hildegardof
1098 September17,1179 October7,2012 composer,
Bingen
polymath,O.S.B.
(Abbess)
Monk,poet,
36.St.Gregoryof mystical
951 1003 April12,2015
Narek[11] philosopher,
theologian

OtherrecognisedDoctors

Inaddition,partsoftheCatholicChurchhaverecognisedotherindividualswiththistitle.InSpain,Fulgentius
ofCartagena,IldephonsusofToledoandLeanderofSevillehavebeenrecognizedwiththistitle.In2007Pope
BenedictXVI,inhisencyclicalSpeSalvi,calledSaintMaximustheConfessor'thegreatGreekDoctorofthe
Church',[12]thoughtheCongregationfortheCausesofSaintsconsidersthisdeclarationaninformalone.[13]

Scholasticepithets

ThoughnotnamedDoctorsoftheChurchorevencanonized,manyofthemorecelebrateddoctorsoftheology
andlawoftheMiddleAgesweregivenanepithetwhichexpressedthenatureoftheirexpertise.Amongthese
areBl.JohnDunsScotus,Doctorsubtilis(SubtleDoctor)Bl.RamonLlull,Doctorilluminatus(Illuminated
Doctor)Bl.JohnofRuysbroeck,Doctordivinusecstaticus(EcstaticDoctor)AlexanderofHales,Doctor
irrefragabilis(UnanswerableDoctor)RogerBacon,"DoctorMirabilis"(WondrousDoctor)Gregoryof
Rimini,Doctorauthenticus(AuthenticDoctor)JohnGerson,Doctorchristianissimus(MostChristianDoctor)
NicholasofCusa,Doctorchristianus(ChristianDoctor)andthepriestandprofessorFranciscoSurez,Doctor
eximius(ExceptionalDoctor).

SyroMalabarCatholicChurch

TheSyroMalabarCatholicChurchrecognisesAmbrose,Jerome,Gregory,Augustine,Athanasius,Basil,
GregoryofNazianzusandJohnChrysostom,aswellasEphremtheSyrian,IsaactheElder,PopeLeoI,Johnof
Damascus,CyrilofAlexandria,CyrilofJerusalem,EpiphaniusofSalamisandGregoryofNyssa.

ChaldeanCatholicChurch

TheChaldeanCatholicChurchhonoursasdoctorPolycarp,EustathiusofAntioch,Meletius,Alexanderof
Jerusalem,Athanasius,Basil,CyrilofAlexandria,GregoryNazianzus,GregoryofNyssa,JohnChrysostom,
FravittaofConstantinople,EphremtheSyrian,JacobofNisibis,JacobofSerugh,IsaacofArmenia,Isaacof
Nineveh,andMaruthas.

EasternOrthodoxChurch
TheEasternOrthodoxChurchhonorsmanyofthepreschismsaintsaswell,buttheapplicationoftheterm
DoctoroftheChurchisnotused.OneconsistentuseofthecategoryisthetrioofBasiltheGreat,Gregoryof
NazianzusandJohnChrysostom,recognizedasuniversalteachersandknownastheThreeHolyHierarchs.[14]
TheChurchalsorecognizesthreesaintswiththetitleTheologos(Theologian):St.JohntheEvangelist,St.
GregoryofNazianzusandSt.SymeontheNewTheologian.[15]

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ArmenianChurch
TheArmenianApostolicChurchrecognizestheTwelveHolyTeachers(Vardapets)oftheChurch:Hierotheus
theThesmothete,DionysiustheAreopagite,PopeSylvesterI,AthanasiusofAlexandria,CyrilofAlexandria,
EphremtheSyrian,BasiltheGreat,GregoryNazianzus,GregoryofNyssa,EpiphaniusofSalamis,John
Chrysostom,andCyrilofJerusalem.[16]TheyalsorecognizetheirownsaintsMesrob,Eliseusthe
historiographer,MosesofChorene,Davidthephilosopher,GregoryofNarek,NersesIIItheBuilder,and
NersesofLambron.

AssyrianChurchoftheEast
TheAssyrianChurchoftheEastrecognizesEliseus,DiodoreofTarsus,TheodoreofMopsuestia,andNestorius
asDoctorsoftheChurch.

Anglicanism
ThechurchesoftheAnglicanCommuniontendnottousetheterm"DoctoroftheChurch"intheircalendarsof
saints,preferringexpressionssuchasTeacheroftheFaith.Thosethusrecognizedincludefiguresfrombefore
andaftertheReformation,mostofwhomarealsorecognizedasDoctorsoftheChurchintheLatinriteofthe
CatholicChurch.ThosedesignatedasTeachersoftheFaithintheChurchofEngland'scalendarofsaintsareas
follows:

BasiltheGreat
GregoryofNazianzus
HilaryofPoitiers
FrancisdeSales
ThomasAquinas
CyrilofJerusalem
FrederickDenisonMaurice
WilliamofOckham
Anselm
CatherineofSiena
Athanasius
EphremofSyria
SundarSinghofIndia
CyrilofAlexandria
Irenus
Bonaventure
GregoryofNyssaandhissisterMacrina
BrookeFossWestcott
JeremyTaylor
BernardofClairvaux
AugustineofHippo
GregorytheGreat
JohnChrysostom
SergeiofRadonezh
Jerome
Teresaofvila
RichardHooker
WilliamTemple
LeotheGreat
JohnofDamascus
Ambrose
JohnoftheCross

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SincealloftheaboveappearinthecalendaratthelevelofLesserFestivalorCommemoration,their
celebrationisoptional.Similarly,because"IntheCalendaroftheSaints,diocesanandotherlocalprovision
maybemadetosupplementthenationalCalendar",[17]thoseDoctorsoftheChurchrecognizedbytheCatholic
ChurchmayalsobecelebratedintheChurchofEngland.

Lutheranism
TheLutherancalendarofsaintsdoesnotusetheterm"DoctoroftheChurch."ThecalendaroftheLutheran
ChurchMissouriSynodreferstoMartinLutherbythetitleof"Doctor"inrecognitionofhisacademicdegree,
DoctorofTheologyfromtheUniversityofWittenbergin1512.

Seealso
FathersoftheChurch

References
1.CatholicEncyclopediaarticle,DoctoroftheChurch(http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05075a.htm)
2."St.Therese,DoctoroftheUniversalChurchSaintThereseofLisieux".thereseoflisieux.org.
3."PopetoproclaimStJohnofAvilaDoctoroftheUniversalChurch".News.va.HolySee.20August2011.Retrieved
21August2011.
4."PopetoCanonizeandNameHildegardofBingenasDoctoroftheChurch".
5."ROMEREPORTSTVNewsAgency".www.romereports.com.
6."Pope:TwonewDoctorsoftheChurch".news.va.
7."SanGregoriodiNarekDottoredellaChiesaUniversale,23.02.2015"(inItalian).HolySeePressOffice.23February
2015.
8."EncyclicalofPopeBenedictXVonSt.EphremtheSyrian".October5,1920.RetrievedMarch16,2016.
9."AlberttheGreat(StanfordEncyclopediaofPhilosophy)".March20,2006.RetrievedMarch16,2016.
10."ProclamationofSaintTeresaofAvilaDoctoroftheChurch".September27,1970.RetrievedMarch15,2016.
11.McCarthy,Emer."PopeFrancisdeclaresArmeniansaintDoctoroftheChurch".VaticanRadio.Retrieved
February23,2015.
12.BenedictXVI(2007)."SpeSalvi".TheHolySee.
13.Prot.Num.VAR.7479/14
14."FeastoftheThreeHolyFathers,GreatHierarchsandEcumenicalTeachers,BasiltheGreat,GregorytheTheologian,
andJohnChrysostom".GreekOrthodoxArchioceseofAmerica.Retrieved20May2016.
15.Casiday,Augustine(2012).TheOrthodoxChristianworld(PDF).NewYork:Routledge.p.6.ISBN9780203
119389.Retrieved20May2016.
16."SaintsandFeasts".ArmenianChurchCatholicosateofCiliciaAnteliasLebanon.Retrieved12November2015.
17.CommonWorship(MainVolume),p.530

Holweck,F.G.,ABiographicalDictionaryoftheSaint.St.Louis,MO:B.HerderBookCo.1924.

Externallinks
DoctorsoftheCatholicChurch(http://www.doctorsofthecatholicc
WikimediaCommonshas
hurch.com/)
mediarelatedtoDoctorsof
CatholicEncyclopedia:DoctoroftheChurch(http://www.newad theChurch.
vent.org/cathen/05075a.htm)
[1](http://catholicdoctors.excerptsofinri.com/)Doctorsofthe Wikisourcehasoriginal
ChurchProducedbyEWTNhostedbyFr.CharlesConnor worksonthetopic:
DoctorsoftheChurch
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Doctor_of_the_Church&oldid=739599907"

Categories: DoctorsoftheChurch Typesofsaints Christianterminology

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