The Department acts in the spirit of renewal of church studies, initiated by the Second Vatican Council by pointing out, among other things, that the study has to show “what the Fathers of the Eastern and Western Church have contributed to the faithful transmission and development of the individual truths of revelation” (Optatam totius, no. 16). Besides scientific-research work in the area of patrology, history of dogma, and history of theology of the Patristic period, the Department’s task is to maintain its teaching activities and, thus, to allow students to acquire knowledge in these theological disciplines. At the very beginning of theological studies, it offers an introduction to students in order to equip them for understanding the meaning and purpose of such a study. This introduction consists of a presentation of systematic and integral view of the Christian mystery. Patrology (in Greek pater means father) is a science that studies and systematically presents life, literary activity, and teachings of Church Fathers and other old church writers, i.e. writers that dealt with theological issues in the period of classical Antiquity, when Christianity emerged. The term Church Fathers indicates those church writers who were characterised by orthodoxy of belief, holiness of life, Church’s approval, and antiquity.