Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or relating to the fathers of the early Christian church or their writings.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to the fathers of the Christian church: as, patristic theology; patristic writings.
  • noun One who studies or adheres to the doctrines of the fathers of the Christian church.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to the Fathers of the Christian church.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to the fathers of the early Christian church, especially to their writings

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or relating to the writings of the early church fathers

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

patri- + -istic

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Examples

  • Though the term patristic belongs to the whole period here under consideration, as contrasted with the term scholastic applied to the Middle Ages, it may nevertheless be restricted to the period we are now describing.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 9: Laprade-Mass Liturgy 1840-1916 1913

  • Fourth, the idea of patristic authority (auctoritas patrum or auctoritas sanctorum) juxtaposed the notion of authorization (the inspiration of the Fathers by Holy Scripture), the notion of persuasion apart from or prior to rational demonstration, the notion of personal expertise in the juristic formulation of a canonical faith, and the anthropological reverence for the elders (auctoritas maiorum as the respect due the fathers of a Christian doctrinal tradition).

    AUTHORITY LEONARD KRIEGER 1968

  • "The Mass is very ritualistic, filled with scriptural and what we would call 'patristic' allusions."

    Westword | Complete Issue 2009

  • Besides that, for the skeptical modern reader, or even for most Christians, it is more important to outline what assumptions underlie modern thought and how J.P. Deuce has answered, used, or rejected those assumptions, rather than to show how he has used patristic sources, which the skeptical modern reader, and even some Christians, won't care much about.

    Archive 2009-03-01 2009

  • Besides that, for the skeptical modern reader, or even for most Christians, it is more important to outline what assumptions underlie modern thought and how J.P. Deuce has answered, used, or rejected those assumptions, rather than to show how he has used patristic sources, which the skeptical modern reader, and even some Christians, won't care much about.

    2009 Lenten Read-A-Thon Day 11 2009

  • Then just in time for Halloween, we even have a patristic discussion of ghosts!

    20 « October « 2009 « Maria Lectrix 2009

  • Then just in time for Halloween, we even have a patristic discussion of ghosts!

    October « 2009 « Maria Lectrix 2009

  • Contra Archdeacon Smiter, I'm glad Waldstein didn't go on for a few hundred more pages about J.P. Deuce's patristic sources.

    Archive 2009-03-01 2009

  • Then just in time for Halloween, we even have a patristic discussion of ghosts!

    #1686: Part 7 of On the Soul and the Resurrection by St. Gregory of Nyssa « Maria Lectrix 2009

  • Contra Archdeacon Smiter, I'm glad Waldstein didn't go on for a few hundred more pages about J.P. Deuce's patristic sources.

    2009 Lenten Read-A-Thon Day 11 2009

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