Clement of Alexandria and the Term “Father”
The use of the term “father” for Christian mentors is quite ancient.
Here is a quote from Clement of Alexandria that indicates this: “Words are the progeny of the soul. Hence we call those that instructed us fathers” (Stromateis 1.1.2-2.1).
Of course, Paul uses it thus in 1 Thessalonians 2:11. Our Lord emphasizes, though, that the term cannot be used in such a way that it compromises the fact that God the Father alone is our true Father. Any other father in Christ is relative compared to Him (Matthew 23:9).
This entry was posted on Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 at 10:56 am and is filed under Ancient Church: 2nd & 3rd Centuries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 12th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Michael, I’ve also been struck by the fact that both Paul and Stephen referred to unbelieving antagonists as “brothers and fathers” (Acts 7:1, 22:1). CG
January 12th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Yes, very good Crawford. I have never noted that before. Excellent!