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doctor of the Church

{{Short description|Title given by the Catholic Church to saints}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

File:Isidor von Sevilla.jpeg, a seventh-century Doctor of the Church, depicted by Murillo ({{circa|1628}}) with a book, which is a common iconographical attribute for a doctor]]

File:Hildegard von Bingen. Line engraving by W. Marshall. Wellcome V0002761.jpg was an eleventh-century Doctor of the Church, depicted here by Marshall with a book, the common iconographical attribute for a doctor]]

Doctor of the Church (Latin: doctor "teacher"), also referred to as Doctor of the Universal Church (Latin: Doctor Ecclesiae Universalis), is a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribution to theology or doctrine through their research, study, or writing.{{cite web | last = Rice | first = Fr. Larry | title = Doctors of the Church? | website = usccb.org | publisher = United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | date = 2015 | url = http://www.usccb.org/myusccb/upload/twim-33-fact-of-faith.pdf | access-date = 9 October 2018}}

{{As of|2025}}, the Catholic Church has named 37 Doctors of the Church. Of these, the 18 who died before the Great Schism of 1054 are also held in high esteem by the Eastern Orthodox Church, although it does not use the formal title Doctor of the Church.

Among the 37 recognised Doctors, 28 are from the West and nine from the East; four are women and thirty-three are men; one is an abbess, three are nuns, and one is a tertiary associated with a religious order; two are popes, 19 are bishops, twelve are priests, and one is a deacon; and 27 are from Europe, three are from Africa, and seven are from Asia. More Doctors (twelve) lived in the fourth century than any other; eminent Christian writers of the first, second, and third centuries are usually referred to as the Ante-Nicene Fathers. The shortest period between death and nomination was that of Alphonsus Liguori, who died in 1787 and was named a Doctor in 1871 – a period of 84 years; the longest was that of Irenaeus, which took more than eighteen centuries.

Some other churches have similar categories with various names.

Before the 16th century

In the Western church four outstanding "Fathers of the Church" attained this honour in the early Middle Ages: Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome. The "four Doctors" became a commonplace notion among scholastic theologians, and a decree of Boniface VIII (1298) ordering their feasts to be kept as doubles throughout the Latin Church is contained in his sixth book of Decretals (cap. "Gloriosus", de relique. et vener. sanctorum, in Sexto, III, 22).{{Cite CE1913 | wstitle = Doctors of the Church | author = John Chapman | author-link = John Chapman (priest)}}

In the Byzantine Church, three Doctors were pre-eminent: John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus. The feasts of these three saints were made obligatory throughout the Eastern Empire by Leo VI the Wise. A common feast was later instituted in their honour on 30 January, called "the feast of the three Hierarchs". In the Menaea for that day it is related that the three Doctors appeared in a dream to John Mauropous, Bishop of Euchaita, and commanded him to institute a festival in their honour, in order to put a stop to the rivalries of their votaries and panegyrists.

This was under Alexius Comnenus (1081–1118; see "Acta SS.", 14 June, under St. Basil, c. xxxviii). But sermons for the feast are attributed in manuscripts to Cosmas Vestitor, who flourished in the tenth century. The three are as common in Eastern art as the four are in Western. Durandus (i, 3) remarks that Doctors should be represented with books in their hands. In the West analogy led to the veneration of four Eastern Doctors, Athanasius of Alexandria being added to the three hierarchs.

Catholic Church

File:Pier Francesco Sacchi - Dottori della Chiesa - ca. 1516.jpg, {{Circa|1516|lk=no}}. From the left: Saint Augustine, Pope Gregory I, Saint Jerome, and Saint Ambrose, with their attributes.]]

The details of the title Doctor of the Church vary from one autonomous ritual church to another.

= Latin Church =

In the Latin Church, the four Latin Doctors (Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory) had been given a special pre-eminence since the eighth century, but in 1298 Pope Boniface VIII declared them Doctors of the Church.{{cite book |last1=Bardenhewer |first1=Otto |author1-link=Otto Bardenhewer |translator-last=Shahan |translator-first=Thomas J. |translator-link=Thomas Joseph Shahan |title=Patrology: The Lives and Works of the Fathers of the Church |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOgGAQAAIAAJ |date=1908 |publisher=B. Herder |location=St. Louis, Missouri |page=3|isbn=978-1-4699-8884-9 }} Pope Pius V recognized the four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church (John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Athanasius of Alexandria) in 1568.{{cite book |last1=Geanakoplos |first1=Deno |author1-link=Deno Geanakoplos |title=Constantinople and the West |date=1989 |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |location=Madison, Wisconsin |isbn=978-0-299-11884-6 |page=293 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_6PYWPWWhrUC}}

To these names others have subsequently been added. The requisite conditions are enumerated as three: eminens doctrina, insignis vitae sanctitas, Ecclesiae declaratio (i.e. eminent learning, a high degree of sanctity, and proclamation by the church). Benedict XIV explains the third as a declaration by the supreme pontiff or by a general council.

The decree is issued by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints and approved by the pope, after a careful examination, if necessary, of the saint's writings. It is not an ex cathedra decision, nor does it amount to a declaration that no error is to be found in the teaching of the Doctor. Doctors of the Church are not considered wholly immune from error. Previously, no martyrs were on the list, since the Office and the Mass had been for Confessors. Hence, as Benedict XIV pointed out during his pontificate, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, and Cyprian of Carthage were not called Doctors of the Church. This changed in 2022 when Pope Francis declared Irenaeus of Lyons the first martyred Doctor.

The Doctors' works vary greatly in subject and form. Augustine of Hippo was one of the most prolific writers in Christian antiquity and wrote in almost every genre. Some, such as Pope Gregory the Great and Ambrose of Milan, were prominent writers of letters. Pope Leo the Great, Pope Gregory the Great, Peter Chrysologus, Bernard of Clairvaux, Anthony of Padua and Lawrence of Brindisi left many homilies. Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux wrote works of mystical theology. Athanasius of Alexandria and Robert Bellarmine defended the church against heresy. Bede the Venerable wrote biblical commentaries and theological treatises. Systematic theologians include the Scholastic philosophers Anselm of Canterbury, Albert the Great, and Thomas Aquinas.

In the 1920 encyclical Spiritus Paraclitus, Pope Benedict XV refers to Jerome as the church's "Greatest Doctor".{{Cite web|title=Spiritus Paraclitus (September 15, 1920) {{!}} BENEDICT XV|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xv/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xv_enc_15091920_spiritus-paraclitus.html|access-date=28 April 2021|website=www.vatican.va}}

Until 1970, no woman had been named a Doctor of the Church. Since then four additions to the list have been women: Teresa of Ávila (also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus) and Catherine of Siena by Pope Paul VI; Therese of Lisieux{{cite web|url=http://www.thereseoflisieux.org/doctor-of-the-universal-church/|title=St. Therese, Doctor of the Universal Church – Saint Therese of Lisieux|work=thereseoflisieux.org}} by Pope John Paul II; and Hildegard of Bingen by Benedict XVI. Teresa and Thérèse were both Discalced Carmelites, Catherine was a Dominican, and Hildegard was a Benedictine nun.

Traditionally, in the Liturgy, the Office of Doctors was distinguished from that of Confessors by two changes: the Gospel reading Vos estis sal terrae ("You are the salt of the earth"), Matthew 5:13–19, and the eighth Respond at Matins, from Ecclesiasticus 15:5, In medio Ecclesiae aperuit os ejus, * Et implevit eum Deus spiritu sapientiae et intellectus. * Jucunditatem et exsultationem thesaurizavit super eum. ("In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, * And God filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding. * He heaped upon him a treasure of joy and gladness.") The Nicene Creed was also recited at Mass, which is normally not said except on Sundays and the highest-ranking feast days. The 1962 revisions to the Missal dropped the Creed from feasts of Doctors and abolished the title and the Common of Confessors, instituting a distinct Common of Doctors.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

On 20 August 2011, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would soon declare John of Ávila a Doctor of the Church.{{cite web|title=Pope to proclaim St John of Avila Doctor of the Universal Church|url=http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-proclaims-st-john-of-Ávila-doctor-of-the-univ|work=News.va|publisher=Holy See|access-date=21 August 2011|date=20 August 2011}} It was also reported in December 2011 that Pope Benedict intended to declare Hildegard of Bingen as a Doctor of the Church, though she had not yet been canonized.{{cite web|title=Pope to Canonize and Name Hildegard of Bingen as Doctor of the Church|url=http://www.romereports.com/palio/pope-to-canonize-and-name-hildegard-of-bingen-as-doctor-of-the-church-english-5666.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107171906/http://www.romereports.com/palio/pope-to-canonize-and-name-hildegard-of-bingen-as-doctor-of-the-church-english-5666.html|archive-date=7 January 2012}} Pope Benedict XVI declared Hildegard of Bingen a saint on 10 May 2012, clearing the way for her to be named a Doctor of the Church,{{cite web|url=http://www.romereports.com/palio/benedict-xvi-officially-declares-hildegard-of-bingen-a-saint-english-6759.html|title=ROME REPORTS TV News Agency|work=www.romereports.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512215802/http://www.romereports.com/palio/benedict-xvi-officially-declares-hildegard-of-bingen-a-saint-english-6759.html|archive-date=12 May 2012}} then declared both John of Ávila and Hildegard of Bingen Doctors of the Church on 7 October 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-two-new-doctors-of-the-church|title=Pope : Two new Doctors of the Church|work=news.va|access-date=7 October 2012|archive-date=25 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625150605/http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-two-new-doctors-of-the-church|url-status=dead}}

Pope Francis declared the 10th-century Armenian monk Gregory of Narek the 36th Doctor of the Church on 21 February 2015.{{cite web|title=San Gregorio di Narek Dottore della Chiesa Universale, 23.02.2015|url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2015/02/23/0143/00314.html|publisher=Holy See Press Office|language=it|date=23 February 2015}} The decision was somewhat controversial, as Gregory was a monk of the Armenian Apostolic Church, a non-Chalcedonian church that was not in communion with the Catholic Church during Gregory's life and has sometimes been described as monophysite. However, the Armenian Apostolic Church does not accept monophysitism, and in 1996, Pope John Paul II and Catholicos Karekin I, patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church, signed a joint declaration which said that the division between the two churches was due to historical misunderstandings, not a real difference in Christology. Further, Gregory had been recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church since it received the Armenian Catholic Church into full communion.{{cite web |last1=Movsesian |first1=Mark |title=The Newest Doctor of the Church |url=https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2015/02/the-newest-doctor-of-the-church |website=First Things |access-date=16 January 2024 |date=26 February 2015}}

== List of Doctors ==

(For earlier authorities on Christian doctrine, see Church Fathers and Ante-Nicene Fathers)

* indicates a saint who is also held in high esteem by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

{{sticky header}}

class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"

! No. !! Image !! scope="col" style="width: 200px;"|Name !! Titles !!scope="col" style="width: 50px;"|Born !!scope="col" style="width: 50px;"|Died !!scope="col" style="width: 50px;"| Promoted !! Activity !! Notable writings

!Pope

1.80pxGregory the Great*One of the four Great Latin Fathers{{dts|540}} (c.){{dts|604}}{{dts|1298}}Pope, OSBDialogues, Libellus responsionum, Pastoral Care, Moralia in Job

| rowspan="4" |Pope Boniface VIII

2.80pxAmbrose*One of the four Great Latin Fathers{{dts|340}} (c.){{dts|397}}{{dts|1298}}Bishop of MilanAmbrosian hymns, Exameron, De obitu Theodosii
3.80pxAugustine of Hippo*One of the four Great Latin Fathers; Doctor gratiae
(Doctor of Grace)		{{dts|354}}{{dts|430}}{{dts|1298}}Bishop of Hippo (now Annaba)De doctrina Christiana, Confessions, The City of God, On the Trinity
4.80pxJerome*One of the four Great Latin Fathers{{dts|347}} (c.){{dts|420}}{{dts|1298}}Priest, monkVulgate, De Viris Illustribus
5.80pxThomas AquinasDoctor angelicus
(Angelic Doctor);
Doctor communis
(Common Doctor)		{{dts|1225}}{{dts|1274}}{{dts|1567}}Priest, Theologian, OPSumma Theologiae, Summa contra Gentiles

| rowspan="5" |Pope Pius V

6.80pxJohn Chrysostom*One of the four Great Greek Fathers{{dts|347}}{{dts|407}}{{dts|1568}}Archbishop of ConstantinoplePaschal Homily, Adversus Judaeos
7.80pxBasil the Great*One of the four Great Greek Fathers{{dts|330}}{{dts|379}}{{dts|1568}}Bishop of CaesareaAddress to Young Men on Greek Literature, On the Holy Spirit
8.80pxGregory of Nazianzus*One of the four Great Greek Fathers{{dts|329}}{{dts|389}}{{dts|1568}}Archbishop of ConstantinopleOn God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius
9.80pxAthanasius*One of the four Great Greek Fathers{{dts|298}}{{dts|373}}{{dts|1568}}Archbishop of AlexandriaOn the Incarnation, The Life of Antony, Letters to Serapion
10.75pxBonaventureDoctor seraphicus
(Seraphic Doctor)		{{dts|1221}}{{dts|1274}}{{dts|1588}}Cardinal Bishop of Albano, Theologian, Minister General, OFMCommentary on the Sentences of Lombard, The Mind's Road to God, Collationes in Hexaemeron

|Pope Sixtus V

11.80pxAnselm of CanterburyDoctor magnificus
(Magnificent Doctor);
Doctor Marianus
(Marian Doctor)		{{dts|1033}} or 1034{{dts|1109}}{{dts|1720}}Archbishop of Canterbury, OSBProslogion, Cur Deus Homo

|Pope Clement XI

12.80pxIsidore of Seville*{{dts|560}}{{dts|636}}{{dts|1722}}Archbishop of SevilleEtymologiae, On the Catholic Faith against the Jews

|Pope Innocent XIII

13.80pxPeter Chrysologus*{{dts|406}}{{dts|450}}{{dts|1729}}Bishop of RavennaHomilies

|Pope Benedict XIII

14.80pxLeo the Great*[https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/11/10/st--leo-the-great--pope-and-doctor-of-the-church.html St. Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the church] vaticannews.va.Doctor unitatis Ecclesiae
(Doctor of the Church's Unity)		{{dts|400}}{{dts|461}}{{dts|1754}}PopeLeo's Tome

|Pope Benedict XIV

15.80pxPeter Damian{{dts|1007}}{{dts|1072}}{{dts|1828}}Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, monk, OSBDe Divina Omnipotentia, Liber Gomorrhianus

|Pope Leo XII

16.80pxBernard of ClairvauxDoctor mellifluus
(Mellifluous Doctor)		{{dts|1090}}{{dts|1153}}{{dts|1830}}Priest, OCistSermones super Cantica Canticorum, Apologia ad Guillelmum, Liber ad milites templi de laude novae militiae

|Pope Pius VIII

17.80pxHilary of Poitiers*{{dts|300}}{{dts|367}}{{dts|1851}}Bishop of PoitiersCommentarius in Evangelium Matthaei

| rowspan="3" |Pope Pius IX

18.80pxAlphonsus LiguoriDoctor zelantissimus
(Most Zealous Doctor)		{{dts|1696}}{{dts|1787}}{{dts|1871}}Bishop of Sant'Agata de' Goti, CSsR (Founder)The Glories of Mary,

Dogmatic Works: Moral Theology, The Council of Trent, The Histories of Heresies and their Refutation, Truth of the Faith

19.80pxFrancis de SalesDoctor caritatis
(Doctor of Charity)		{{dts|1567}}{{dts|1622}}{{dts|1877}}Bishop of Geneva, COIntroduction to the Devout Life, Letters of Spiritual Direction
20.80pxCyril of Alexandria*Doctor Incarnationis
(Doctor of the Incarnation)		{{dts|376}}{{dts|444}}{{dts|1883}}Archbishop of AlexandriaCommentaries on the Old Testament, Thesaurus, Discourse Against Arians, Dialogues on the Trinity

| rowspan="4" |Pope Leo XIII

21.80pxCyril of Jerusalem*{{dts|315}}{{dts|386}}{{dts|1883}}Archbishop of JerusalemCatechetical Lectures, Summa doctrinae christianae
22.80pxJohn Damascene*{{dts|676}}{{dts|749}}{{dts|1890}}Priest, monkFountain of Knowledge, Octoechos
23.80pxBede the Venerable*Anglorum doctor
(Doctor of the English)William of Malmesbury, Gesta pontificum Anglorum 1.29 {{cite book |last1=Hamilton |first1=N.E.S.A. |title=Willelmi Malmesbiriensis Monachi De Gestis Pontificum Anglorum libri quinque |date=1870 |publisher=Longman |location=London |page=44 |language=la}}		{{dts|672}}{{dts|735}}{{dts|1899}}Priest, monk, OSBEcclesiastical History of the English People, The Reckoning of Time, Liber epigrammatum, Paenitentiale Bedae
24.80pxEphrem*{{cite web|title=Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV on St. Ephrem the Syrian|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xv/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xv_enc_05101920_principi-apostolorum-petro.html|date=5 October 1920|access-date=16 March 2016}}{{dts|306}}{{dts|373}}{{dts|1920}}DeaconCommentary on the Diatessaron, Prayer of Saint Ephrem, Hymns Against Heresies

|Pope Benedict XV

25.80pxPeter Canisius{{dts|1521}}{{dts|1597}}{{dts|1925}}Priest, SJA Summary of Christian Teachings

| rowspan="4" |Pope Pius XI

26.80pxJohn of the CrossDoctor mysticus
(Mystical Doctor)		{{dts|1542}}{{dts|1591}}{{dts|1926}}Priest, mystic, OCD (Reformer)Spiritual Canticle, Dark Night of the Soul, Ascent of Mount Carmel
27.80pxRobert Bellarmine{{dts|1542}}{{dts|1621}}{{dts|1931}}Archbishop of Capua, Cardinal, Theologian, SJDisputationes de Controversiis
28.80pxAlbertus Magnus{{cite web|url=http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2014/entries/albert-great/|title=Albert the Great (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)|date=20 March 2006|access-date=16 March 2016|last1=Führer|first1=Markus}}Doctor universalis
(Universal Doctor)		{{dts|1193}}{{dts|1280}}{{dts|1931}}Bishop of Regensburg, Theologian, OPOn Cleaving to God, On Fate
29.80pxAnthony of PaduaDoctor evangelicus
(Evangelical Doctor)		{{dts|1195}}{{dts|1231}}{{dts|1946}}Priest, OFMSermons for Feast Days

|Pope Pius XII

30.80pxLawrence of BrindisiDoctor apostolicus
(Apostolic Doctor)		{{dts|1559}}{{dts|1619}}{{dts|1959}}Priest, Diplomat, OFMCapMariale

|Pope John XXIII

31.80pxTeresa of Ávila{{cite web|title=Proclamation of Saint Teresa of Avila Doctor of the Church|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/it/homilies/1970/documents/hf_p-vi_hom_19700927.html|date=27 September 1970|access-date=15 March 2016}}Doctor orationis
(Doctor of Prayer)		{{dts|1515}}{{dts|1582}}{{dts|1970}}Mystic, OCD (Reformer)La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús, The Way of Perfection, The Interior Castle

| rowspan="2" |Pope Paul VI

32.80pxCatherine of Siena{{dts|1347}}{{dts|1380}}{{dts|1970}}Mystic, TOSDThe Dialogue of Divine Providence
33.80pxThérèse of LisieuxDoctor amoris
(Doctor of love); Doctor synthesis (Doctor of synthesis){{Cite web |title="C'est la confiance": Apostolic Exhortation of the Holy Father on confidence in the merciful love of God for the 150th anniversary of the birth of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (15 October 2023) {{!}} Francis |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231015-santateresa-delbambinogesu.html |access-date=2024-05-19 |website=www.vatican.va}}		{{dts|1873}}{{dts|1897}}{{dts|1997}}OCDThe Story of a Soul, Letters of Saint Therese

|Pope John Paul II

34.80pxJohn of Ávila{{dts|1500}}{{dts|1569}}{{dts|2012}}Priest, MysticAudi, filia; Spiritual Letters

| rowspan="2" |Pope Benedict XVI

35.80pxHildegard of Bingen{{dts|1098}}{{dts|1179}}{{dts|2012}}Visionary, theologian, polymath, composer, abbess OSB, physician, philosopherScivias, Liber vitae meritorum, Liber divinorum operum, Ordo virtutum,
36.80pxGregory of Narek{{cite web|url=http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/02/23/pope_francis_declares_armenian_saint_doctor_of_the_church/1125062|title=Pope Francis declares Armenian saint Doctor of the Church|last=McCarthy|first=Emer|publisher=Vatican Radio|access-date=23 February 2015}}{{dts|951}}{{dts|1003}}{{dts|2015}}Monk, poet, mystical philosopher, theologianBook of Lamentations

| rowspan="2" |Pope Francis

37.80pxIrenaeus of Lyon*{{Cite web|last=CNA|title=Pope Francis to declare St. Irenaeus a Doctor of the Church|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249215/pope-francis-to-declare-st-irenaeus-a-doctor-of-the-church-with-title-doctor-of-unity|access-date=7 October 2021|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en}}

|Doctor unitatis
(Doctor of Unity){{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Pope |title=Decree of the Holy Father for the conferral of the title of Doctor of the Church on Saint Irenaeus of Lyon |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/01/21/220121b.html |publisher=The Vatican Press Agency |access-date=21 January 2022 |date=21 January 2022}}

|130

|202

|2022

|Bishop, theologian, Martyr

|Proof of the Apostolic Preaching, Against Heresies

== Proposed Doctors ==

In October 2018, on the occasion of the canonization of Oscar Romero, martyred Archbishop of San Salvador, José Luis Escobar Alas, the current Archbishop of San Salvador, petitioned Pope Francis to name Romero a Doctor of the Church.{{Cite web |author-last1=Arocho Esteves |author-first1=Junno |author-last2=Vida |author-first2=Melissa | url=https://angelusnews.com/faith/salvadoran-archbishop-asks-pope-to-make-romero-doctor-of-the-church/ | title=Salvadoran archbishop asks pope to make Romero 'doctor of the church' | date=15 October 2018 | access-date=15 January 2024 | website = Angelus}}

In October 2019, the Polish Catholic Bishops Conference formally petitioned Pope Francis to consider making Pope John Paul II a Doctor of the Church in an official proclamation, in recognition of his contributions to theology, philosophy, and Catholic literature, as well as the formal documents of his papacy.{{Cite web | url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/42606/polish-bishops-call-for-john-paul-ii-to-be-named-a-doctor-of-the-church | title=Polish bishops call for John Paul II to be named a doctor of the Church}}

In January 2023, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco proposed that Pope Benedict XVI be declared a doctor of the Church "as soon as possible", in view of his theological intelligence and contribution to the formation of current doctrine of the Catholic Church, such as the new catechism.{{cite news|language=it |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/it/vaticano/news/2023-01/cardinale-bagnasco-intervista-benedetto-xvi-dottore-chiesa.html|title=Benedetto XVI, Bagnasco: spero sia proclamato "dottore della Chiesa"|work=Vatican News|date=5 January 2023|access-date=25 January 2024}}{{cite news|language=it |url=https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/vaticano/sia-dottore-chiesa-richiesta-dei-cardinali-benedetto-xvi-2102113.html|title="Sia dottore della Chiesa". Che titolo può avere ora Benedetto XVI|work=ilGiornale|date=5 January 2023|access-date=25 January 2024}} In January 2024, Archbishop Georg Gänswein also spoke in favor of the pontiff's canonization and his elevation to the status of doctor of the church.{{cite news|language=it |url=https://www.laregione.ch/estero/estero/1723856/benedetto-xvi-ganswein-papa-segretario-georg|title=Faccia a faccia tra il papa e Georg Gänswein|work=laRegione|date=3 January 2024|access-date=25 January 2024}}

In November 2023, the USCCB voted to support a petition by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales for the Vatican to name John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church.{{cite web |last1=McKeown |first1=Jonah |title=U.S. bishops express strong support for proposal to name Newman a doctor of the Church |date=16 November 2023 |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256035/us-bishops-express-strong-support-for-proposal-to-name-newman-doctor-of-the-church |website=Catholic News Agency |access-date=14 January 2024}} The epithet Doctor amicitiae (Doctor of Friendship) has been suggested for St. John Henry Newman.{{cite book |last=Morgan |first=Stephen |date=2015 |editor-last1=Grogan |editor-first1=Paul |editor-last2=Kim |editor-first2=Kirsteen |editor-link2=Kirsteen Kim |title=The New Evangelization: Faith, People, Context and Practice |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |pages=227 |chapter=John Henry Newman and the New Evangelization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fe1wBgAAQBAJ |isbn=9780567657381}}

In April 2024, during a private audience Pope Francis received a formal request from the superior general of the Discalced Carmelites, Miguel Márquez Calle, to declare Teresa Benedicta of the Cross a Doctor of the Church. The Discalced Carmelites first launched an international commission to gather the necessary documentation required for the declaration in 2022, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of her conversion to Catholicism and the 80th anniversary of her martyrdom.{{cite web |last1=Mares |first1=Courtney|title=Could Edith Stein be declared the next doctor of the Church? |date=6 May 2024 |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257587/could-edith-stein-be-declared-the-next-doctor-of-the-church |website=Catholic News Agency |access-date=19 June 2024}}

== Other recognised Doctors ==

In addition, parts of the Catholic Church have recognised other individuals with this title. In Spain, Fulgentius of Cartagena,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-odYAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Fulgentius%22++%22doctor+of+the+church%22&pg=PR15|title=THROUGH THE HEAVENLY GATES: THE NEW REVISED EDITION: BIOGRAPHIES OF THE SAINTS BOOK 2 OF 3: THE PATH OF SERVICE: CLERGY SAINTS|first1=DOMINICK|last1=PEPITO|first2=CATHOLIC LIFE|last2=INTERNATIONAL|date=10 October 2013|publisher=Catholic Life International|via=Google Books|isbn=9781618636768}} Ildephonsus of Toledo{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fU1J4So7OL8C&q=%22Ildephonsus%22++%22doctor+of+the+church%22&pg=PT111|title=Sacred Blood, Sacred Image: The Sudarium of Oviedo : New Evidence for the Authenticity of the Shroud of Turin|first=Janice|last=Bennett|date=1 June 2005|publisher=Ignatius Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9781586171117}} and Leander of Seville have been recognized with this title. In 2007 Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical Spe Salvi, called Maximus the Confessor "the great Greek Doctor of the Church",{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html|title=Spe Salvi|last=Benedict XVI|author-link=Benedict XVI|date=2007|website=The Holy See}} though the Congregation for the Causes of Saints considers this declaration an informal one.Prot. Num. VAR. 7479/14.

== Scholastic epithets ==

{{Main|Scholastic accolades}}

Though not named Doctors of the Church or even canonized, many of the more celebrated doctors of theology and law of the Middle Ages were given an epithet which expressed the nature of their expertise. Among these are Bl. John Duns Scotus, Doctor subtilis ("subtle doctor"); Alexander of Hales, Doctor irrefragabilis ("unanswerable doctor"); Roger Bacon, Doctor mirabilis ("wondrous doctor"); William of Ockham, Doctor singularis et invincibilis ("valuable and invincible doctor"); Jean Gerson, Doctor christianissimus ("most Christian doctor"); and Francisco Suárez, Doctor eximius ("exceptional doctor").{{Cite CE1913 | wstitle = Surnames of Famous Doctors | author = Edward Aloysius Pace | author-link = Edward A. Pace}}

=Syro-Malabar Catholic Church=

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church recognises Ambrose, Jerome, Gregory, Augustine, Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, as well as Ephrem the Syrian, Isaac the Elder, Pope Leo I, John of Damascus, Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius of Salamis and Gregory of Nyssa.{{cite web|url=http://hagiomajor.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-12-feast-of-saints-epiphanius-and.html|title=Major's Saint of the Day: May 12 – Feast of Saints Epiphanius and Dominic de la Calzada|first=Tom|last=Major|date=12 May 2012}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fw5NAwAAQBAJ&q=Syro-Malabar+%22doctors+of+the+Church%22&pg=PA6|title=Praying—with the Saints—to God Our Mother|first=Daniel F.|last=Stramara|date=1 April 2012|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|via=Google Books|isbn=9781610974912}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ad2000.com.au/the_33_doctors_of_the_church_by_fr_christopher_rengers_august_2015|title=THE 33 DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH, by Fr Christopher Rengers|website=AD2000}}

= Chaldean Catholic Church =

The Chaldean Catholic Church honours as doctor Polycarp, Eustathius of Antioch, Meletius, Alexander of Jerusalem, Athanasius, Basil, Cyril of Alexandria, Gregory Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Fravitta of Constantinople, Ephrem the Syrian, Jacob of Nisibis, Jacob of Serugh, Isaac of Armenia, Isaac of Nineveh, and Maruthas of Martyropolis.{{cite web |title=Marutha of Maypherqat – ܡܪܘܬܐ ܕܡܝܦܪܩܛ (d. 420 or 421) |url=http://syriaca.org/person/25 |website=The Syriac Biographical Dictionary |access-date=18 March 2021}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dV9JAwAAQBAJ&q=chaldean+%22+Doctor+of+the+Church%22&pg=PA6|title=Praying—with the Saints—to God Our Mother|first=Daniel F.|last=Stramara|date=1 April 2012|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|via=Google Books|isbn=9781621893653}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xp8rDwAAQBAJ&q=chaldean+%22+Doctor+of+the+Church%22&pg=PA122|title=The Church in Iraq|first=Fernando|last=Filoni|date=7 June 2019|publisher=CUA Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9780813229652}}{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0aNWAAAAMAAJ&q=chaldean+%22+Doctor+of+the+Church%22|title=Ramsa: An Analysis and Interpretation of the Chaldean Vespers|first=A. Sylvester|last=Pudichery|date=7 June 1972|publisher=Dharmaram College|via=Google Books}}

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church honors many of the pre-schism saints as well, but the term Doctor of the Church is not applied in the same way. One consistent use of the category is the trio of Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, recognized as universal teachers and known as the Three Holy Hierarchs.{{cite web|title=Feast of the Three Holy Fathers, Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom|url=http://www.goarch.org/special/threehierarchs/|website=Greek Orthodox Archiocese of America|access-date=20 May 2016}} The church also recognizes three saints with the title Theologos (Theologian): John the Evangelist, Gregory of Nazianzus and Symeon the New Theologian.{{cite book|last1=Casiday|first1=Augustine|title=The Orthodox Christian world|date=2012|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn=978-0-203-11938-9|page=6|url=http://samples.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/9781136314858_sample_500790.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924140911/http://samples.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/9781136314858_sample_500790.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2016|access-date=20 May 2016}}

= Russian Orthodox Church =

The Russian Orthodox Church commemorates on 19 July the feast of Three Holy Russian Hierarchs: Demetrius of Rostov, Mitrophan of Voronezh and Tikhon of Zadonsk.{{Cite web |title=СОБОР ТРЕХ РУССКИХ СВЯТИТЕЛЕЙ – Древо |url=http://drevo-info.ru/articles/21511.html |access-date=19 May 2023 |website=drevo-info.ru |language=ru}}

Armenian Church

The Armenian Apostolic Church recognizes the Twelve Holy Teachers (Vardapets) of the Church

They also recognize their own saints Mesrob, Yeghishe, Movses Khorenatsi, David the Invincible, Gregory of Narek,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yzqOCgAAQBAJ&q=%22Doctors+of+the+armenian+church%22&pg=PT483|title=The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary|first=Basil|last=Watkins|date=19 November 2015|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|via=Google Books|isbn=9780567664150}} Nerses III the Builder, and Nerses of Lambron as "Doctors of the Armenian Church" or the "Armenian Doctors".{{cite web|url=http://www.attalus.org/armenian/md5.htm|title=Movses Dasxurants'i, History of the Aghuans, Armenian History, Caucasus History, Aghuan History, Iranian History, Atrpatakan, Azerbaijan, Dasxurantsi, Caucasian Albania, Ancient, Medieval, Armenia, Persia, Iran|website=www.attalus.org}}[https://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2006/november/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20061130_patriarch-mesrob-ii.pdf Visit to the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate and meeting with His Beatitude Patriarch Mesrob II, Greeting of the Holy Father] Address of Pope Benedict XVI.,30 November 2006, on the website vatican.va (pdf). Access date 18 March 2021.

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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UhiWDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Theodore+of+Mopsuestia%22++%5B%5BNestorius%5D%5D+%22+Doctor+of+the+Church%22&pg=PA116|title=The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity|first=Christoph|last=Baumer|date=5 September 2016|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|via=Google Books|isbn=9781838609344}}

Anglicanism

The churches of the Anglican Communion tend not to use the term Doctor of the Church in their calendars of saints, preferring expressions such as "Teacher of the Faith". Those thus recognized include figures from before and after the Reformation, most of whom are chosen among those already recognized as in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Those designated as Teachers of the Faith in the Church of England's calendar of saints are as follows:

Since all of the above appear in the calendar at the level of Lesser Festival or Commemoration, their celebration is optional. Similarly, because "In the Calendar of the Saints, diocesan and other local provision may be made to supplement the national Calendar",Common Worship (Main Volume), p. 530. those Doctors of the Church recognized by the Catholic Church may also be celebrated in the Church of England.

Lutheranism

The Lutheran calendar of saints generally does not use the term Doctor of the Church. Instead, it uses the term Confessor to commemorate individuals who made important theological contributions to the faith through their writing or teaching, as well as those who publicly defended and promoted the faith. The calendar of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod lists the following figures as Confessors:{{Cite book |title=Lutheran Service Book |publisher=Concordia Publishing House |year=2006 |pages=xii-xiii}}

The LCMS calendar of saints also commemorates the following individuals as Theologians:

See also

{{Portal|Christianity}}

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References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

External links

{{Commons category|Doctors of the Church}}

{{Wikisource portal|Doctors of the Church}}

  • {{cite web| url = http://www.doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com/ | title = Doctors of the Catholic Church| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050518074233/http://www.doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com/| archive-date = 18 May 2005}}
  • {{cite web | url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05075a.htm | title = 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia: Doctor of the Church | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20000202104228/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05075a.htm | archive-date = 2 February 2000 | url-status = live}}
  • {{cite web | editor-first = Ft. Charles P. |editor-last = Connor |url = http://catholic-doctors.excerptsofinri.com | title = Doctors of the Church|publisher = EWTN|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080915192154/http://catholic-doctors.excerptsofinri.com |archive-date = 15 September 2008 }}
  • {{cite web | url = http://www.monasterovirtuale.it/chi-sono-i-dottori-della-chiesa.html | title = Selected writings of the Doctors of the Church | language = en, de, it, es | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180701145857/http://www.monasterovirtuale.it/chi-sono-i-dottori-della-chiesa.html | archive-date = 1 July 2018 | url-status = live}}

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