What does "godfather" mean?

(1) Concept explanation: The term "father of the church" can be roughly defined as: early Christian church writers, all of whom are famous for their orthodox teachings and holy lives, and therefore praised by the church as witnesses of their beliefs.

(2) The godfather has four main characteristics, namely, antiquity, orthodoxy, holy life and church praise:

(1) The godfather era (as a literary stage) began with the first chapter after the classical literature of the Bible. According to historical research, the earliest extant works may be the letter written by Pope Anaclet Clement I (92- 10 1) to Grindo in about 96, or (Apostolic Instructions). What is more difficult to decide than the beginning of the godfather era is its end period. Generally speaking, John Damascus (about 650-750) is the last godfather of the East and isidore of Seville (about 560-636) is the last godfather of the West. However, some people think that this era ended as early as the reign of Justinian I (527-565) (527); But some people think it should last until 850. This is an inconclusive question, but it does not affect the focus of the times: The Godfather Literature is the earliest work after the Bible classical literature, which witnessed the theological views and development of Christians in the first few centuries (especially Christology, Trinity and Church Theory).

(2) the superiority of orthodoxy. This definition actually contains three main points:

1) "Doctrine" refers to the externalization of theological thoughts in words. Godfathers are all writers.

2) The "orthodox" doctrine does not mean that there are no mistakes, because the godfathers are not only witnesses of faith, but mostly theologians, trying to understand the message of revelation more deeply. Therefore, the so-called orthodox doctrine is to maintain doctrinal harmony with the Orthodox Church. Vincent of Lelins (about +450) once described the godfathers as follows: The teachers who were commended maintained the same faith and * * * harmony with the only public church in their respective time and place. "Later (decree of Galatia: this is an anthology of decrees, which fairly faithfully reflects the views of the Roman church in the sixth century) also focused on" communion ".

Finally, "Excellence" can refer to originality, profundity or perfection, as well as vitality, clarity or extraordinary. It doesn't necessarily mean comparison (superior to later generations), but it obviously contains a certain degree of immortality (relative to the author's local time).

At this point, it is necessary to add that in many studies of godfather theory or godfather theology, there are some "unorthodox" Christian writers whose orthodoxy may be questioned (such as Olkin, about 185-254), and they even left the church (such as Q.S.F Tertullianus, about 650). What's more, the godfather theory may even include some foreign teachers who attack faith (such as Celsus, 2nd century, porphyria, about 233-305). It can be said that they are among the godfathers, but they are not formal godfathers. It is understandable that the godfather's research involves their works: because only in this way can we show the development of doctrine and produce rich theological truth.

(3) Sacred command: It is undeniable that not all godfathers are among the sacred products. Some people are not even treated like saints worshipped by the early church. Therefore, the so-called "holy life" only refers to the minimum Christian virtue, which is often in harmony with the Lord, which is embodied in the harmony between life and theory, and the consistency between faith and morality. Because we should have a more accurate and profound understanding of the revelation of God and the inheritance of Christians.

(4) Church praise: Church praise can be formal, that is, an ancient author's teachings or ethical achievements can be announced through the Great Council or the Pope. But it can also be implied that the Great Council or the Pope even politely quoted an author. Finally, it can be substantial, that is, his theory is widely adopted by ordinary Christians.

Greek is the earliest language of godfather literature. But in Rome, North Africa and Gaul, Greek did not become popular until the third century. Gradually, in addition to Greek, it was replaced by local languages, especially Syrian, Coptic (an Egyptian dialect) and Armenian; In the west, Latin came from behind and became the common language of western godfathers.

As for the later period of godfather literature, almost everyone who studies godfather has his own point of view. This phenomenon not only points out the difficulties in the later period, but also implies its expedient measures. In fact, the torrent of history does not allow people to make a clean break. The dichotomy listed here is just one of many possible methods:

(1) Early Godfather (from the earliest Godfather to 3 13 (General Theory of Milan) or the first Nicaean Grand Council in 325): This period can be subdivided into three groups:

1) Godfather of the apostles, named after them because they may have been contacted or taught by apostles or disciples, such as Ignatius (about+1 17) and Polycarp (about+168/65438+) in Antioch. Although there are only a few characters, their works are full of pastoral tones, emphasizing the end of the day, and have a distinct nostalgia for Christ, which truly reflects the testimony of early Christians.

2) Patriarchy, because the church fought back against foreign beliefs and Judaism, the first batch of Christian writers came into contact with the outside world, such as martyrs Justin (about+165) and Athenagoras (in the second half of the second century). They used their own pens to fight against the king's sword, trying to express that the New Testament is the whole of the Old Testament and to fight against the myth of foreign teachers with the truth of Christians. Also belonging to this group are the church's responses to Meng Dan and Gnostics, the best of which should be Irene (about 140-202).

3) The first group of scholars who really devoted themselves to the study of theology as a whole. On the one hand, their efforts were stimulated by arguments, but more importantly, their beliefs promoted the intellectuality of Christians. At that time, the main centers of theological activities were Alexandria in the East and Carthage in the West. The most important representatives are Clermont City in Alexandria, about 140-2L7 and Zhen Fang. In the west, there are Del Dou Liang and cyprien (about 200-258). Thanks to their efforts, the godfather era is ready for its golden age.

(2) the golden age (from the early godfather inheritance to the Cai Dongda Parliament in 45 1 year);

1) (general theory of Milan) (3 13) officially recognized the right of Christianity to exist, and also allowed Christians to participate in worship and salute completely freely, paving the way for the golden age of godfather literature. This is the era of the first four ecumenical meetings of the church, namely the first Nicaean meeting (325 years), the first Constantinople meeting (38 1 year), the Ershao meeting (43 1 year) and the Jiacaidong meeting (45 1 year). This is a constructive and creative era in Christian theology and an in-depth exploration of the basic theory of the church. However, this is also an era full of pain and disputes. Unfortunately, the church has been repeatedly advocated by Yalulism, Donatelism, Manichaeism, Blatche, theism and Nestorianism.

2) In this colorful literary and theological moment, there are first-rate writers everywhere. This paper only lists the most famous representatives: in Egypt, there are anti-Atlanticism Athanasius (295-373) and anti-Nestorianism Alexander Cyril (+444). Three Cappadocians reached the peak of theology in Asia Minor: Basil in Caesarea (about 329-379), Craigree in Nazianzus (about 329-390) and Gregory of Nyssa (about 335-394).

In Antioch School, the most famous representatives are Diodore Tarsus (+394) and John Chrysostom (about 344-407).

In the west, the leading figures are as follows: Hillary of poitiers (about 300-368), Ambrosius (about 339-397), geronimo (about 340 1420) and Augustine (about 354-430).

(3) Decline period (from the middle of the 5th century to the end of the 7th century): After the Ketterson Parliament, the works of godfathers declined to some extent, especially for the following two reasons:

1) The basic problem of faith seems to have been solved, and theology has reached its peak. It is an inevitable truth that extremes meet, and if you don't advance, you will retreat. When biblical interpretation and theoretical speculation are weakening, spirituality and worship have become the focus of attention. In this case, novel and creative ideas will inevitably decline; Traditionalism and attachment to the past are inevitable.

2) Political and cultural factors can't be ignored: the western nations are rampant, and the power of kings has invaded the Eastern Church; Coupled with the split between East and West and the continuous March of Muslim culture, godfather literature is not what it used to be. But then again, this period is not without its merits. The application of Aristotle's philosophy prepared for the scholasticism in the Middle Ages, even though the figures in this period were not all idle people, such as Poitius (480-525) who translated Aristotle, Egeus I (Cregory I, 590-604), and so on. However, in any case, the godfather era is finally over.

The word "godfather" originated in medieval Europe, and originally referred to people who played a vital and far-reaching role in the development of religious teachings, such as Augustine. Later, the godfather philosophy was replaced by scholasticism. Later generations call the authority of a certain industry or people with high attainments and achievements the godfather, such as the godfather of music/literature!

In addition:

Christian terminology. Generally, it has two meanings: ① The general name of authoritative theologians in ancient Christianity. English is a church priest. Later generations are classified according to the period when theologians lived, or the language they used, or according to their theological views and works, such as The Late Apostolic Fathers and The Father of Nicea. Greek godfather, Latin godfather; Patriarch godfather, philosophy godfather, etc. (2) together with the godmother, as a guarantor of baptized children in Christian etiquette. English is the father of God. Godfather (or godmother) can affirm the faith of the baptized person and educate children instead of incompetent parents. Godfather godmother system originated from a custom, that is, adults who are baptized should be accompanied by believers known by the bishop and vouch for them. The church has different requirements for godfathers and godmothers. Some only require a godfather or godmother, while others require a godfather and godmother.

Godfather (movie)

In the film Godfather, it refers to the person who laid the foundation for the establishment of the underworld (mafia) system. This paper expounds the personal ideas and philosophy of Anthony, a mafia family figure, in establishing the mafia organization, and how to use his ideas to establish a huge mafia.

Godfather is synonymous with a person, a family and a tight organization. He stood on his own feet in society, did not stick to the law, and paid more attention to justice and personal interests. He hopes to fully control his own destiny, but on the verge of life and death, sometimes he can only choose the road of self-help. "Those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me die." Although some of them assume the role of white, the society always defines the godfather as black, which is the sorrow of an era when black and white cannot be pure, and it is also the greatest misfortune for soft human beings to survive under rigid laws.