Paterology, or patriology, in

Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

, refers to the study of

God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first Person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, Jesus Christ the Son, and the third person, God th ...

. Both terms are derived from two

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

words: πατήρ (''patḗr'', father) and λογος (''logos'', teaching). As a distinctive theological discipline, within Theology proper, Paterology is closely related to

Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...

(study of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

God the Son God the Son (, ; ) is the second Person of the Trinity in Christian theology. According to Christian doctrine, God the Son, in the form of Jesus Christ, is the incarnation of the eternal, pre-existent divine ''Logos'' (Koine Greek for "word") ...

) and

Pneumatology Pneumatology refers to a particular discipline within Christian theology that focuses on the study of the Holy Spirit in Christianity, Holy Spirit. The term is derived from the Greek language, Greek word ''Pneuma'' (wikt:πνεῦμα, πνε� ...

(study of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

as God the Spirit).

Studies of God the Father

Christian Paterology is primarily based on the study and interpretation of

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

verses that refer to God as "Father". In the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

, God is called by the title "Father". God is seen as "Father" to all men because he created the world (and in that sense "fathered" the world). In the

Hebrew Scripture The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

Book of Isaiah The Book of Isaiah ( ) is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Major Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8th-century BC prophet Isaiah ben Amo ...

63:16 (JP) it reads: "For You are our father, for

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

did not know us, neither did

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

recognize us; You, O Lord, are our father; our redeemer of old is your name." According to

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, God is attributed with fatherly role of protector. He is titled the Father of the poor, of the widows and orphans. He is also titled the Father of the king, as the teacher and helper over the judge of Israel. There are three basic forms of the name of

in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

: ''Theos'' (θεός the Greek word for God), ''

Kyrios ''Kyrios'' or ''kurios'' () is a Greek word that is usually translated as "lord" or "master". It is used in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) about 7000 times, in particular translating the name YHWH (t ...

'' (i.e. Lord in Greek) and ''Patḗr'' (Πατήρ i.e. Father in Greek). Also, the Aramaic word "Abba" (אבא; Father), is used in Mark 14:36 and in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6. The word for ''Father'' was chosen to coin the name of the discipline because Paterology involves particular studies of the person of God the Father, and the works of the Father. In both the Old Testament and New Testament the term "Father" when used for God is a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

. It is not a proper name for God, but just one of many titles by which

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

speak of and to God. In Christian theology, fatherhood of God is seen in a more substantive sense, centered around

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of h ...

rather than metaphorical interpretations of various questions about relations between the Father and the Son. Christian sense of participation in the eternal relationship of Father and Son, through Jesus Christ, is symbolically represented by the notion that Christians are ''adopted'' children of God: In Christianity, the concept of God as the Father of Jesus differs from the concept of God as the Creator and Father of all people. At the end of the first century,

Clement of Rome Clement of Rome (; ; died ), also known as Pope Clement I, was the Pope, Bishop of Rome in the Christianity in the 1st century, late first century AD. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church. Little is known about ...

was referring to the Father regarding creation, 1 Clement 19.2 stating: "let us look steadfastly to the Father and Creator of the universe". Around AD 213 in ''Adversus Praxeas'' ( chapter 3)

Tertullian Tertullian (; ; 155 – 220 AD) was a prolific Early Christianity, early Christian author from Roman Carthage, Carthage in the Africa (Roman province), Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive co ...

was developing a formal representation of the concept of the

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

, meaning that God exists as one "substance" but three "Persons": The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and with God the Father being the Head. This, however, is disputed by other scholars, according to whom Tertullian taught only the Father is truly God, as only he is eternal and not derived from any other substance, as the Son and Holy Spirit are. Tertullian was also discussing the relations of Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son. including the notion of procession "from the Father through the Son". Different

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...

s have different theological approaches to various ''paterological'' or ''patriological'' issues, concerning the person and works of God the Father. Early

creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...

s in the

Western Church Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic C ...

were affirming the belief in "God the Father (Almighty)", the primary reference being to "God in his capacity as Father and creator of the universe". This did not exclude the fact that "eternal father of the universe was also the Father of Jesus the Christ" nor that he had even "vouchsafed to adopt he believeras his son by grace". Creeds in the

Eastern Church Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations further east, south or north. The term does not describe a ...

began with an affirmation of faith in "one God" and usually expanded this by adding "the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible" or similar words to that effect. The

Nicene Creed The Nicene Creed, also called the Creed of Constantinople, is the defining statement of belief of Nicene Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of N ...

, which dates to 325 and 381, states that the Son (Jesus Christ) is "eternally begotten of the Father", indicating that their ''divine'' Father-Son relationship is seen as not tied to an event within time or human history.

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Christian theology, state=uncollapsed Judeo-Christian topics Christian terminology Trinitarianism

Studies of God the Father

See also

References

Sources