ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the consequences of the father's death in the life of his offspring. It focuses on late antique hagiographic narrations and on the families of the Cappadocian Fathers of the Church, whose lives are better documented. The chapter shows that the silence of the sources is not in proportion to the impact the death of the father had on his offspring. The death of the father emancipated his descendants and changed their financial situation dramatically. Thus fathers in hagiographic literature stood as symbols of the restrictions and the responsibilities towards one's family and community. The Cappadocians did not share the hagiographers' contempt for worldly life. Conversely, as they were self-conscious aristocrats, proud of their origin, they considered both their childhood and their upbringing to be of great importance. It is not surprising therefore, that a wide variety of literary genres provide a plethora of information about their family and the role that each member played in it.
