patrology

1 9.9

The study of the lives, writings, and teachings of early Christian leaders

noun
/pəˈtrɒlədʒi/

Specialized

: patrología

In his research, he focused on patrology to understand the teachings of early Christian theologians.

Examples

1. For a general overview, see Patrick J. Hamell, Handbook of Patrology (New York: Alba House, 1968).

Fiction book (1996)
He has drawn upon the language of his Mormon patrology to provide a sacralized version of his impeccable financial ethics.

Blog text (28)
The university offers a course on patrology, exploring the writings of the early Church Fathers.
Studying patrology helps scholars trace the development of Christian doctrine through historical texts.

Synonyms

patristics

vspatrology

Specialized

1 9.9

The study of the lives and writings of early Christian leaders called Church Fathers

is the more general scholarly study rather than a theological discipline

Surface Forms

patrology singular

patrologies plural

Morphology

patrology = patro + logy

Although the word is built from the classical combining form patro- and the suffix -logy, the specialized meaning 'study of the early Church Fathers' is not readily inferable for an average learner.

Etymology

Patrology comes from the Greek patēr 'father' and the ending -logy 'study', so it literally means 'study of the fathers'. Think of patriarch, which also uses the same 'father' root. That's why patrology is the study of the early Christian Church Fathers.