Doctor of the Church facts for kids

Isidore of Seville, a wise teacher from the 600s, shown here with a book. Books are a common symbol for Doctors of the Church.

Hildegard of Bingen was a Doctor of the Church in the 1100s. She is also shown with a book, a symbol of her wisdom.

A Doctor of the Church is a special title given by the Catholic Church to certain saints. The word "Doctor" comes from a Latin word meaning "teacher." These saints are recognized because they made a huge difference in understanding Christian beliefs through their studies, writings, or teachings.

As of 2023, the Catholic Church has named 37 Doctors of the Church. Many of these Doctors, especially those who lived before the Great Schism (a big split in Christianity around 1054), are also highly respected by the Eastern Orthodox Church, even though they don't use the exact same title.

Among the 37 Doctors, 28 are from the Western part of the world and nine are from the East. Four of them are women, and 33 are men. They came from different backgrounds: one abbess, three nuns, and many bishops and priests. Most of them (27) were from Europe, three from Africa, and seven from Asia. The 300s were a very important time, with twelve Doctors living then.

Other Christian churches have similar ways of honoring their great teachers, though they use different names.

Early Great Teachers

In the early days of the Western church, four amazing "Fathers of the Church" were especially honored. They were Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome. People often called them the "four Doctors" because of their wisdom. In 1298, a special rule was made to celebrate their feast days across the Latin Church.

In the Eastern Church, three Doctors were seen as the most important: John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus. Their feast days became a must-celebrate across the Eastern Empire. Later, a special day was created to celebrate all three together, called "the feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs." It's said that these three Doctors appeared in a dream to a bishop and asked him to create this feast to stop arguments among their followers.

These great teachers are often shown with books in their hands in art, symbolizing their knowledge and teachings. In the West, people also started honoring four Eastern Doctors, adding Athanasius of Alexandria to the original three.

Becoming a Doctor of the Church

The Four Great Doctors of the Western Church were often shown in art, like this painting by Pier Francesco Sacchi from around 1516. From left to right: Saint Augustine, Pope Gregory I, Saint Jerome, and Saint Ambrose. Each has symbols that help identify them.

The rules for becoming a Doctor of the Church can be a bit different depending on the specific part of the Catholic Church.

In the Latin Church

In the Latin Church, the first four Latin Doctors (Gregory, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome) were recognized a long time ago. Later, in 1568, the four great Doctors of the Eastern Church (John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Athanasius of Alexandria) were also recognized.

To be named a Doctor, a saint needs three main things:

• Eminent learning: This means they had outstanding knowledge and taught important truths.
• High degree of sanctity: They lived a very holy life.
• Proclamation by the Church: The Church, usually through the Pope, officially declares them a Doctor.

This declaration means the Church believes their teachings are very valuable. It doesn't mean they never made any mistakes in their writings, but that their overall contribution to faith is huge. For a long time, martyrs (saints who died for their faith) were not included, but this changed in 2022 when Irenaeus became the first martyred Doctor.

The writings of the Doctors cover many topics. For example, Augustine of Hippo wrote a lot about almost everything. Popes like Gregory the Great and Leo the Great wrote many letters and sermons. Saints like Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Ávila wrote about deep spiritual experiences. Others, like Athanasius of Alexandria, defended the Church against wrong ideas. Some, like Thomas Aquinas, were brilliant thinkers who organized Christian beliefs.

In 1920, Pope Benedict XV called Jerome the Church's "Greatest Doctor."

Before 1970, no women had been named Doctors of the Church. Since then, four women have received this honor: Teresa of Ávila and Catherine of Siena (named by Pope Paul VI), Thérèse of Lisieux (named by Pope John Paul II), and Hildegard of Bingen (named by Pope Benedict XVI). These women were all nuns from different religious orders.

On October 7, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially declared John of Ávila and Hildegard of Bingen as Doctors of the Church. Later, on February 21, 2015, Pope Francis named the Armenian monk Gregory of Narek as the 36th Doctor. This was a special decision because Gregory came from a Christian tradition that had separated from the main Catholic Church centuries ago. However, his writings were deeply respected, and he was already honored by Armenian Catholics.

In 2019, Polish bishops asked Pope Francis to consider naming Pope John Paul II a Doctor of the Church because of his many contributions to theology and Catholic writings.

List of Doctors

(For earlier important Christian writers, see Church Fathers)

• indicates a saint who is also highly respected by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

No.	Image	Name	Special Titles	Born	Died	Promoted	What they did	Famous Writings
1.		Gregory the Great*	One of the four Great Latin Fathers	540 (c.)	604	1298	Pope, Benedictine monk	Dialogues, Pastoral Care
2.		Ambrose*	One of the four Great Latin Fathers	340 (c.)	397	1298	Bishop of Milan	Ambrosian hymns
3.		Augustine of Hippo*	One of the four Great Latin Fathers; Doctor of Grace	354	430	1298	Bishop of Hippo	Confessions, The City of God
4.		Jerome*	One of the four Great Latin Fathers	347 (c.)	420	1298	Priest, monk	Vulgate (Latin Bible translation)
5.		Thomas Aquinas	Angelic Doctor; Common Doctor	1225	1274	1567	Priest, Theologian, Dominican	Summa Theologiae
6.		John Chrysostom*	One of the four Great Greek Fathers	347	407	1568	Archbishop of Constantinople	Paschal Homily
7.		Basil the Great*	One of the four Great Greek Fathers	330	379	1568	Bishop of Caesarea	On the Holy Spirit
8.		Gregory of Nazianzus*	One of the four Great Greek Fathers	329	389	1568	Archbishop of Constantinople	On God and Christ
9.		Athanasius*	One of the four Great Greek Fathers	298	373	1568	Archbishop of Alexandria	Letters to Serapion
10.		Bonaventure	Seraphic Doctor	1221	1274	1588	Cardinal Bishop, Theologian, Franciscan	The Mind's Road to God
11.		Anselm of Canterbury	Magnificent Doctor; Marian Doctor	1033 or 1034	1109	1720	Archbishop of Canterbury, Benedictine monk	Proslogion, Cur Deus Homo
12.		Isidore of Seville*		560	636	1722	Archbishop of Seville	Etymologiae
13.		Peter Chrysologus*		406	450	1729	Bishop of Ravenna	Homilies
14.		Leo the Great*	Doctor of the Church's Unity	400	461	1754	Pope	Leo's Tome
15.		Peter Damian		1007	1072	1828	Cardinal Bishop, monk, Benedictine	On Divine Omnipotence
16.		Bernard of Clairvaux	Mellifluous Doctor (meaning "sweet-speaking")	1090	1153	1830	Priest, Cistercian monk	Sermons on the Song of Songs
17.		Hilary of Poitiers*	Doctor of the Divinity of Christ	300	367	1851	Bishop of Poitiers	Commentary on Matthew's Gospel
18.		Alphonsus Liguori	Most Zealous Doctor	1696	1787	1871	Bishop, Founder of Redemptorists	The Glories of Mary
19.		Francis de Sales	Doctor of Charity	1567	1622	1877	Bishop of Geneva	Introduction to the Devout Life
20.		Cyril of Alexandria*	Doctor of the Incarnation	376	444	1883	Archbishop of Alexandria	Commentaries on the Old Testament
21.		Cyril of Jerusalem*		315	386	1883	Archbishop of Jerusalem	Catechetical Lectures
22.		John Damascene*		676	749	1890	Priest, monk	Fountain of Knowledge
23.		Bede the Venerable*	Doctor of the English	672	735	1899	Priest, monk, Benedictine	Ecclesiastical History of the English People
24.		Ephrem*		306	373	1920	Deacon	Commentary on the Diatessaron
25.		Peter Canisius		1521	1597	1925	Priest, Jesuit	A Summary of Christian Teachings
26.		John of the Cross	Mystical Doctor	1542	1591	1926	Priest, mystic, Carmelite	Dark Night of the Soul
27.		Robert Bellarmine		1542	1621	1931	Cardinal, Theologian, Jesuit	Disputationes de Controversiis
28.		Albertus Magnus	Universal Doctor	1193	1280	1931	Bishop, Theologian, Dominican	On Cleaving to God
29.		Anthony of Padua	Evangelical Doctor	1195	1231	1946	Priest, Franciscan	Sermons for Feast Days
30.		Lawrence of Brindisi	Apostolic Doctor	1559	1619	1959	Priest, Diplomat, Capuchin	Mariale
31.		Teresa of Ávila	Doctor of Prayer	1515	1582	1970	Mystic, Carmelite	The Interior Castle
32.		Catherine of Siena		1347	1380	1970	Mystic, Dominican Tertiary	The Dialogue of Divine Providence
33.		Thérèse of Lisieux	Doctor of Confidence	1873	1897	1997	Carmelite Nun	The Story of a Soul
34.		John of Ávila		1500	1569	2012	Priest, Mystic	Audi, filia
35.		Hildegard of Bingen		1098	1179	2012	Visionary, theologian, composer, abbess Benedictine	Scivias
36.		Gregory of Narek		951	1003	2015	Monk, poet, theologian	Book of Lamentations
37.		Irenaeus of Lyon*	Doctor of Unity	130	202	2022	Bishop, theologian, Martyr	Against Heresies

Other Recognized Doctors

Some parts of the Catholic Church also recognize other individuals with this title. For example, in Spain, Fulgentius of Cartagena, Ildephonsus of Toledo, and Leander of Seville are honored as Doctors. Pope Benedict XVI also informally called Maximus the Confessor "the great Greek Doctor of the Church."

Special Nicknames

Many important teachers and thinkers from the Middle Ages were given special nicknames, even if they weren't officially named Doctors of the Church. These nicknames described their unique skills. For example, John Duns Scotus was called the Subtle Doctor, and Roger Bacon was known as the Wondrous Doctor. These special names show how much their wisdom was admired.

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church honors many of the same Doctors as the Latin Church, including Ambrose, Jerome, Gregory, Augustine, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom. They also recognize others like Ephrem the Syrian and Isaac the Elder.

Chaldean Catholic Church

The Chaldean Catholic Church also honors many Doctors, including Polycarp, Ephrem the Syrian, and Isaac of Nineveh.

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church respects many of the saints from before the Great Schism. While they don't use the exact term "Doctor of the Church," they have their own ways of honoring great teachers. The trio of Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom are especially important and are known as the Three Holy Hierarchs or universal teachers. The Eastern Orthodox Church also calls three saints Theologos (meaning "Theologian"): John the Evangelist, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Symeon the New Theologian.

Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates a special feast day on July 19 for three important Russian Hierarchs: Demetrius of Rostov, Mitrophan of Voronezh, and Tikhon of Zadonsk.

Armenian Church

The Armenian Apostolic Church recognizes twelve "Holy Teachers" (called Vardapets). These include figures like Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, and John Chrysostom. They also honor their own Armenian saints, such as Gregory of Narek, as "Doctors of the Armenian Church."

Assyrian Church of the East

The Assyrian Church of the East recognizes Yeghishe, Diodorus of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and Nestorius as Doctors of the Church.

Anglicanism

Churches in the Anglican Communion usually don't use the term "Doctor of the Church." Instead, they prefer phrases like Teacher of the Faith. They recognize many important teachers from both before and after the Reformation. These include many saints also recognized by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, such as Basil the Great, Augustine of Hippo, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Ávila.

Lutheranism

The Lutheran calendar of saints does not use the term "Doctor of the Church." However, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod refers to Martin Luther as "Doctor" because he earned a Doctor of Theology degree in 1512.

See also

In Spanish: Doctor de la Iglesia para niños

• Fathers of the Church