Church Fathers is a conventional name for influential early Christian teachers and writers. The Apostolic Fathers include works associated with the late first and second centuries, such as those of Clement of Rome and Ignatius. Later writers include Irenaeus, Origen, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, and Augustine. They wrote in different regions, languages, periods, and controversies; they were not one uniform voice.

Their works show how early Christians interpreted Scripture, worshiped, explained doctrine, and responded to disputes. They are historical witnesses rather than Scripture itself. Christian traditions differ in how they understand the Fathers' authority, and an individual writer's opinion should not be presented as the consensus of the whole early church.

1. Identify the author, work, date or approximate period, audience, and purpose. 2. Read a complete section around the quotation in a reliable edition or translation. Distinguish the author's words from an editor's heading or note. 3. Identify the biblical text and interpretive method being used. Compare the interpretation with the passage in context. 4. Cite the work and a stable locator such as book and chapter. Compare more than one witness before claiming agreement. Label paraphrases, and check authenticity when a popular quotation lacks a source.

For John 1:1–3, begin with the biblical paragraph, then read John Chrysostom's Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily II, which discusses John 1:1. Ask what textual features he notices and what doctrinal questions shape his reading. Compare his reasoning with the passage; do not treat his interpretation as an additional verse. Practice: record one observation and one question to investigate.

Quoting an attribution without checking the work; removing a sentence from a debate; confusing a later writer with an eyewitness to the apostles; treating one Father as representative of all Christians; overlooking differences between older English translations and the original text.