Father

St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr referred to the Jewish leaders as "my fathers."  St. Paul calls himself father to those to whom he preached the Gospel. This was the tradition of the first Christians. The successors of Peter were called "Papa," (Pope) the affectionate term for father. The first Christians understood Jesus's teaching that God was their only true supernatural "Father," but that did not inhibit them from using the tern in its normal, usual, natural meaning.