of or relating to the writings of the early church fathers

with reference to the early fathers of the church

referring to the early fathers of the Christian church, the commentators of the early centuries AD

of (the study of the writings of) the Fathers of the Church

An adjective used to refer to the first centuries in the history of the church, following the writing of the New Testament (the " patristic period"), or thinkers writing during this period (the " patristic writers"). For many writers, the period thus designated seems to be c. 100-451 (in other words, the period between the completion of the last of the New Testament writings and the landmark Council of Chalcedon).