Q&A Home > E > Early Church Fathers

How does the Coptic Orthodox Church utilize the writings of the Early Church Fathers?

The Coptic Church does not utilize the writings of a single father as strictly authoritative in and of itself, because no one person can have "truth and knowledge" in its entirety. We only accept the opinion of an early Father, if it is in harmony with the Holy Bible and the Church Traditions.

It is not correct to single out a quotation from the acts attributed to any early Father and use it in isolation. Rather one must use that quotation within the context in which it is written. keeping in mind the circumstances, the church settings and the time  in which the quotation had been written.

The sociolinguistic and philosophical dimensions of the era of the early Father must also be placed in perspective.

The Coptic Church has no designated "official" list of saints or "accepted" Fathers. Whenever it deems it necessary, the church identifies heretical beliefs and writings. It takes measures by excommunicating the heretics until they return to the Truth, denying their heresies.