Ambrose of Milan is a revered early Christian leader who never expected to lead a church in the first place. These articles look at the important events in his life, from his leadership appointment to his major accomplishments.
Ambrose
The proper relationship between Christianity and government had been an item of controversy since the earliest days of the church. In the fourth century, the controversy was inflamed by government attempting to force Arian beliefs on the church. Arianism was the teaching that Jesus was not fully God but was a creature of the Father. Justina, mother of the Roman Emperor Valentinian II was a strong Arian, and she sought to increase the Arian influence in the empire. She met her match, however, in Ambrose, the bishop of Milan.
Ambrose was born in 339, the son of the Roman praetorian prefect of Gaul (which then included Britain, France, and parts of Africa). He received a good Roman education and at the age of 34 became the governor of Northern Italy. This was the period of the barbarian invasions of the empire, and the emperor for a time moved his imperial seat to Milan to better resist the invaders. Ambrose's position as governor was an important one. Soon, however, he received an even more important post.
We Want Ambrose!
In 374, the Archbishop of Milan died. The people at that time elected the bishops, but there was a great division among them as to who the new bishop should be. The crowd became disorderly, and it appeared riots were about to break out. Governor Ambrose came to encourage the people to conduct themselves in an orderly and Christian manner. A little child cried out, "Let Ambrose be our bishop," and the crowd picked up the cry. Ambrose was chosen. Up to this point in his life, Ambrose was only a nominal Christian, but he was obviously changed after his election. In a little more than a week he was baptized, taken into Christian ministry, and made a bishop.
Selling the Church's Treasure
Once Ambrose took office, he parted with all of his fortune and distributed it to the poor. This was in keeping with the ideal of practical Christianity of that time—unbounded charity and personal poverty. Throughout his life, Ambrose was known for his charity, justice, and humanity. When a man left a large legacy to the church while leaving his sister poor and penniless, Ambrose gave the legacy to the poor woman. On several occasions he refused money which had been given to the church grudgingly or for wrong reasons. Once he took the valuable communion vessels of the cathedral and converted them into money to redeem some Illyrian captives. When he was criticized for this he asked: Is it better to preserve our gold or the souls of men? Has the Church no higher mission to fulfill than to guard the ornaments made by men's hands, while the faithful are suffering in exile? Ambrose knew the Church had a spiritual mission and it was not to be tied down by the things of this world. Such was the man the Roman Empress soon found herself up against.
Empress Battles Bishop
In order to spread her Arian views, the emperor's mother wanted Ambrose to debate the topic of Arianism in the palace. Ambrose refused to debate. He said that the spiritual authority did not lie with the state and that religious controversy should be kept within the church. So, she sent soldiers to eject Ambrose from the city. Though Ambrose could have encouraged his supporters to resist, he knew that he was fighting a spiritual war which should be waged with spiritual weapons. Ambrose went to his church and prayed. His people went with him, and the soldiers would not enter the church. Ambrose and his people stayed in the church for days, surrounded by the soldiers. They prayed, sang psalms, and listened to Ambrose preach. During this time Ambrose developed an antiphonal chant which was to be used in the church for centuries. It was a form of congregational singing in which two groups of the congregation sang alternately. When Ambrose would not compromise Christian truth, the Empress ordered the soldiers to seize Ambrose and the church. The soldiers refused; there was disorder in the city; and the Emperor stepped in to recall the soldiers. Ambrose had won the spiritual battle by using spiritual weapons, especially Christian hymns.
His Best Hymn
Ambrose's hymn on the birth of Christ, "Veni, Redemptor Gentium," is often considered his best hymn. It is a strong statement of Ambrose's orthodoxy against the Arianism of his day: Here's part of it:
From God the Father He proceeds,
To God the Father back He speeds:
Proceeds—as far as very hell:
Speeds back—to light ineffable.O equal to the Father, Thou!
Gird on Thy fleshly mantle now
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.
Beautiful Baptismal Duet
Ambrose's personal, private ministry to individuals was probably more important than his public bouts with the emperor. When Augustine was stumbling in darkness, he was drawn to Ambrose by his life and character. Ambrose spent time with the unconverted Augustine. Augustine loved Ambrose's eloquence and came to embrace the truth he taught. Ambrose baptized Augustine in Milan in 387. One story says the two spontaneously composed and sang the Te Deum Laudamus ("We Praise Thee O God") at the baptism.
("Ambrose" by Diane Severance, Ph.D. was first published on Christianity.com on April 28, 2010)
Rioters Demanded Ambrose as Pastor
Let us say you belong to a big church in an important city like Chicago or London. Your pastor has just died. He taught a heretical doctrine—that Jesus wasn't really divine. Would your church riot over who to have as its next leader? Would it choose as its compromise candidate a lawyer who had never even been baptized?
That is just what happened in Milan, Italy, in 374. The bishop of Milan had supported the Arian heresy, which denied Christ was fully God. When he died, the Milanese rioted. Some wanted an Arian bishop. Others wanted an orthodox teacher.
Ambrose was a 35-year-old lawyer in town, the son of a nobleman, and so skilled in oratory that the governor of Northern Italy had designated him as his successor. This intelligent young man pushed his way through the seething crowd and pleaded with them to maintain the peace. His arguments must have been persuasive: Someone shouted, "Ambrose for bishop!" and soon everyone had picked up the chant.
Ambrose protested. This was the furthest thing from his mind. Why, he hadn't even been baptized! But his protests were of no use. The people wanted him. When Emperor Valentinian approved the selection of Ambrose and threatened severe penalties against anyone who helped hide the lawyer, Ambrose gave in and was baptized.
Eight days later, on this day, December 7, 374, Ambrose was consecrated bishop of Milan. He took his new responsibilities seriously. He gave all his possessions to the poor and boned up on theology. With his legal skills and Greek learning, he defended the church and its people.
The oratorical skills of the lawyer did not desert him when he took the pulpit. He spoke ad lib, not writing out his sermons. These were so good that the great Augustine of Hippo was won to Christ through listening to him. Ambrose was a defender of orthodoxy against Arianism. He kept up a frequent correspondence with Basil the Great, a famed bishop of the Middle East. Because of Ambrose's writings, he is classed with Jerome, Augustine and Gregory the Great as one of the four Latin church fathers.
Bold where the church was concerned, Ambrose even barred Emperor Theodosius from entering the sanctuary until the ruler publicly repented of a massacre he had perpetrated in Thessalonica. One stipulation he placed on the emperor was that he must allow thirty days to elapse between ordering any death sentence and carrying it out, so that he would have time to cool down and change his mind if necessary.
He counseled gentleness rather than harshness with those who had betrayed the faith under torture. "Therefore the Lord Jesus had compassion upon us in order to call us to Himself, not frighten us away. He came in meekness, He came in humility, and so He said: 'Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.' So, then, the Lord Jesus refreshes, and does not shut out nor east off, and fitly chose such disciples as should be interpreters of the Lord's will, as should gather together and not drive away the people of God."
Ambrose died on Good Friday in 397. As he lay dying he extended his arms like Christ on the cross. Christ appeared to him in his last agony. His death made such an impression on the public that five bishops could hardly cope with all the people who requested to be baptized the next day.
Bibliography:
1. "Ambrose, Saint, of Milan." New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1954.
2. "Ambrose, St." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
3. Baring-Gould, S. Lives of the Saints. Edinburgh: John Grant, 1914.
4. Bell, Mrs. Arthur. Saints in Christian Art. London: George Bell, 1901 - 1904. Source of the image.
5. Butler, Alban. Lives of the Saints. Westminster, Maryland: Christian Classics, 1981, 1956.
6. Durant, Will. The Age of Faith: A History of Medieval civilization—Christian, Islamic and Judaic—from Constantine to Dante: AD 325 - 1300. The Story of Civilization, Part IV. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950.
7. Loughlin, James F. "St. Ambrose." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton, 1914.
8. Wand, J. W. C. The Latin Doctors. London: Faith Press; New York: Morehouse-Gorham, 1948.
9. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.
("Rioters Demanded Ambrose as Pastor" by Dan Graves, MSL, was first published on Christianity.com on April 28, 2010)
Death of Stalwart Bishop Ambrose
Milan's bishop was dying. Whether consciously or unconsciously, he extended his arms like Christ on the cross. Christ Jesus appeared to him in a vision. People were awed.
Popular singers today have a tremendous influence on our culture. Presidents cultivate their friendships, postage stamps honor their talents, and fans worship their every move. However, when Ambrose of Milan died on this date, April 4, 397, his popularity and influence were as great as anything we see today. The day was a Good Friday. His death made such an impression on the public that five bishops could hardly cope with all the people who requested to be baptized the next day.
Ambrose had been a governor of Northern Italy back in the day when the barbarians were invading the Roman Empire. At that time it was still the custom for the people to elect their bishops, and in 374 the people of Milan could not agree who their new bishop should be. Some wanted an Arian to lead them. Arians denied the full divinity of Christ. Others wanted a bishop who would teach that Christ was the son of God.
When it appeared that a riot was about to break out over the election, governor Ambrose stepped forward and encouraged the people to conduct themselves in an orderly and Christian manner. A child cried out, "Let Ambrose be bishop!" The crowd took up the cry and elected him.
Ambrose tried to duck his new responsibility. He had been a ho-hum Christian up to this point and was not even baptized yet. However, he could not escape his obligation. And so he dedicated himself fully to Christ and His Church. He gave all of his money to the poor and strongly defended Christian truth.
Justina, mother of the Roman Emperor, was an Arian. She demanded Ambrose give up a church for her followers. Despite intense pressure, Ambrose refused. The empress sent soldiers to take Ambrose's own church. Ambrose and his supporters recognized a spiritual battle when they saw one. They chose to fight with spiritual weapons, not swords, rocks and sticks, entering the building and praying. With imperial soldiers surrounding the church, the people stayed inside for several days, praying, singing psalms, and listening to Ambrose preach. During this time Ambrose developed a form of congregational singing in which two groups of the congregation sang alternately.
Fortified by message and song, the people held out against the soldiers. Finally, Justina recalled her troops. Ambrose and his people had won the spiritual battle using spiritual weapons, especially Christian hymns. In his life, he wrote many other hymns. The type of congregational singing Ambrose began in Milan became popular and was used in the church for centuries.
Bibliography:
1. Adapted from an earlier Christian History Institute story.
2. "Ambrose of Milan." http://www.cyberhymnal.org
3. McGuire, M. R. P. "Ambrose, St." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 1967.
4. Greenslade, S. L. Early Latin Theology. (Westminster Press, 1956).
("Death of Stalwart Bishop Ambrose" by Diane Severance Ph.D. and Dan Graves, MSL, first published on Christianity.com on April 28, 2010).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/wynnter
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
How Did the Apostle Paul Die?
Who are the Nicolaitans in Revelation?
Who Was Deborah in the Bible?
Who Was Moses in the Bible?
King Solomon's Story in the Bible
Who Was Lot's Wife in the Bible?
Who Was Jezebel in the Bible?
Who Was the Prodigal Son?
