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Glite Dictionary
Fatherhood

Fatherhood

1 9.1
Christians think of God as a father
  • noun
  • /ˈfɑːðərhʊd/
  • Formal
: paternidad
  • Dante uses the idea of fatherhood poetically as a central principle of order.
  • the fatherhood of God
  • Fatherhood in America

He was teaching for Grace College and we're having lunch and he was talking about fatherhood and the difficulty in talking about God as the Father.

Examples

  • In Christian belief, the concept of fatherhood illustrates God's loving and protective nature as the first person of the Trinity.

  • Here it does not mean the Fatherhood or the Sonship; it means the community within the Trinity.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Was the fatherhood of God a new idea with Jesus?

    Academic text (1992)

  • Bishops have indeed denied their "Fatherhood" role; but God is my Father and in His hands I feel safe.

    Blog text (16)

  • To understand the fatherhood of God, Cyril asks his elect successively to listen to Jesus, Isaiah, and Paul.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Many theologians emphasize that experiencing fatherhood through God's love can transform a person's understanding of family.

  • The prayer highlighted the significance of fatherhood in Christianity, focusing on God's role as a caring father figure.

Synonyms

Father
vsFatherhood
279 7.1

God seen as the first person of the Trinity

describes the quality of being a parent rather than identifying the person
God the Father
vsFatherhood
19 5.4

The first person of the Trinity seen as creator and parent of all

focuses on the parental aspect without stressing the creator role
Father-God
vsFatherhood
  • Formal
5 7.9

A name for God thought of as a father who created and cares for people

emphasizes the aspect of being a parent rather than the person

Surface Forms

Fatherhood singular
Fatherhoods plural

Morphology

Fatherhood = father (transparent) = father + hood

The formation father + -hood straightforwardly denotes the state/quality of being a father; the theological application to God is an extended, but predictable, use.

Etymology

Fatherhood comes from the simple word father plus the ending -hood, which means 'state' or 'quality', just like in childhood or brotherhood. So fatherhood is the 'state' or 'role' of being a father, and in Christianity it can mean God's role as a father.