Ambrose of Milan

## Who Was Ambrose of Milan?

Ambrose of Milan was bishop of Milan from 374 until his death in 397. He was born around 339 in Trier, in modern Germany, where his father served as a high Roman official. He trained as a lawyer and became governor of the province around Milan.

In 374 the bishop of Milan died, and the church split over who should replace him. Ambrose came to keep order. His biographer Paulinus says a child cried out, “Ambrose bishop!” and the crowd took it up. Ambrose was not yet baptized. Within about a week he was baptized, ordained, and consecrated bishop.

## Major Works

On the Holy Spirit, three books written in 381 for Emperor Gratian.

On the Duties of the Clergy, three books on Christian ethics for church leaders.

Hymns, several of which the church still sings.

Sermons, letters, and commentaries, many on Genesis and Luke.

## On the Holy Spirit

Ambrose defended the full deity of the Spirit against Arian teaching. He drew heavily on Greek writers, especially Basil the Great and Didymus the Blind. His work brought Eastern teaching on the Trinity to the Latin church.

## On the Duties of the Clergy

Ambrose modeled this book on Cicero’s work On Duties, a Roman classic on ethics. He kept Cicero’s structure but rebuilt the content on Scripture. His examples come from Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David rather than Roman heroes.

The book covers modesty, justice, generosity, and courage. In book 2 he defends melting down church vessels to ransom captives. The church, he argues, has gold to spend it, not to store it.

## Church and State

Ambrose challenged emperors directly. In 386 the empress Justina demanded a church in Milan for Arian worship. Ambrose refused and stayed inside with his congregation for days. He taught them hymns to sing through the standoff. He stated the principle plainly: the emperor is within the church, not above it.

In 390 soldiers of Emperor Theodosius massacred thousands in Thessalonica. Ambrose barred Theodosius from communion until he did public penance. The emperor submitted.

## Christian Morality and Pastoral Leadership

Ambrose preached often against greed and the abuse of the poor. He also gave his own wealth to the church and the needy when he became bishop.

His preaching reached a young teacher of rhetoric named Augustine. In the Confessions Augustine describes how Ambrose’s sermons answered his objections to the Old Testament. Ambrose baptized Augustine at Easter in 387.

## How to Read Ambrose Today

Read Augustine’s Confessions book 5, chapters 13 and 14, and book 6, chapter 3, to see Ambrose as a pastor.

Read On the Duties of the Clergy book 2, chapter 28, on ransoming captives.

Read his letters on the Thessalonica affair to see church discipline applied to an emperor.

His works are free in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, volume 10.

## About the Author

CK Quarterman is a USAF veteran, independent author, and publisher at CKQbooks. He writes the Malaterrestrials nonfiction series, which examines evil earthbound non-human intelligences through Scripture and history, along with the Watchers’ Universe and Sons of the Flood fiction series. Find his books at ckqbooks.com.

Truth · History · Scripture