Where does the title "father" come from?

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theCardinalbird

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You know how we address a priest as “father…” I was wondering where did this title come from? I never heard the Apostles be called father Peter or father John. I’m curious
 
Right from the New Testament.
“I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 4:14-15)
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The Apostle Paul considered himself to be the spiritual father of the Christians he taught.

This quickly caught on in the Early church. “Pope,” after all, comes from the Latin papa.
 
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Notice that in the Greek he doesn’t call himself father here but states that he has begotten them: ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα. This also applies to the Latin, i.e., nam in Christo Iesu per evangelium ego vos genui. He does however elsewhere call himself with others ἡμᾶς διακόνους, deacons, and he alone as the least of the apostles.

Update: It is worthy of mentioning that even the Douay Rheims doesn’t have Paul calling himself father strictly but goes by the Latin, and the NASB which is available on the vatican.va site shows him saying that they are his “begotten children,” very similar to the D.R. and Latin translations.
 
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The essential meaning is still present. The reason Christians call priests “father” is precisely through their spiritual fatherhood.
 
Not all Christians call priests father, as it’s not binding on the faithful to do so, but yes some English translators saw fit to do this.
 
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I won’t speak for schismatic denominations or various traditions, but to reiterate, it is not binding dogma nor teaching from catechism to require a presbyter or deacon to be given the title father in communication. Some have chosen to exclusively utilize this title to God the Father, especially as it relates to Jesus’ admonition in the Gospel narratives. Of course the faithful are commanded to love the neighbor (and the alien), and that includes priests!
 
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From what I understand, it’s mostly an English speaking custom to call all priest father originating with the Irish, who expanded its use from primarily certain bishops and religious communities to calling all priests father all the time in the last few centuries. Other language groups use other titles.
 
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I thought it was more from the Desert Fathers (along with Desert Mothers), early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD.

 
I edited my post above since I realized it wasn’t clear. When I said it originated with the Irish, I meant the practice of calling all priests father originated with them. They expanded its usage compared the older customs.
 
The Jews referred to the patriarchs of old as “father” so-and-so. “Father Abraham”, etc. The Christian practice might be a continuation of this, even though we are not literal descendants of our “fathers”, but spiritual decendants.
 
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