Fathers

in ecclesiastical history, the bishops of the early churches, whose writings are regarded as authoritative. First of all are the apostles. Athanasius, Basil, Gregory, and Chrysostom are considered fathers of the Greek Church; Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, and Gregory the Great, fathers of the Roman Church. Other early writers, as Origen, have scarcely less influence. In a general sense, the term father or fathers is used to indicate the original promoter or promoters of an enterprise. Thus the early settlers of Plymouth are called the Pilgrim Fathers. Douglas was considered the Father of Squatter Sovereignty. Well known titles of this sort are: