Phenomenology
of World Religion©
Chapter
10
Doctors of the Church
Doctors of the Church
The
founding Doctors
of the Church were the first to attain
sainthood in a long line of saints of the Holy Roman Catholic Church,
the first organized church in Christian history, established in Rome
after Emperor Constantine
established Christianity as a state-recognized religion. They are
known for the defense of the early Church as well as establishing the
Catholic doctrine. There were eight original Doctors of the Church:
Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and
Saint Jerome in the Latin Church; and Saint Athanasius, Saint Basil
the Great, Saint Gregory Nazianzen, and Saint John Chrysostom of the
Eastern Church. In 1568, Saint Thomas Aquinas was added to the list
of the original eight by Pope
Saint Pius V in his promulgation:
Tridentine
Latin Mass.
In
the 20th century, three female saints: Saint
Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of
Avila, and Saint Therese of Lisieux were added to the list of
recognized Doctors of the Church bringing the total to 33.
