| 1. | the fathers of the early Christian church whose lives overlapped those of any of the apostles. |
| 2. | the collection of works attributed to them. |
Ap·os·tol·ic Father  (āp'ə-stŏl'ĭk)  n. A church father of the first or second century A.D. who was believed to have received personal instruction from the 12 Apostles or from their disciples. |