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Ambrose (ca. 334/340-397) was the son of the praetorian prefect of Gaul, born in Trier, who was appointed governor of the province of Aemilia and Liguria, the capital of which is Milan. In 374 the see of Milan was vacant and Ambrose was chosen by acclamation of the people as bishop although at that time he was only an unbaptized catechumen. He tried to refuse the honor but eventually accepted it. Milan was a very important see and an administrative center for the western part of the Roman Empire. As bishop, Ambrose faced many problems such as Arianism and a Roman society in which Christianity was still a minority faith. He refused to hand over a building to Arians for worship as ordered by the empress-regent. When rioters killed a Roman governor at Salonika and Emperor Theodosius I ordered a savage massacre, Ambrose then ordered public penance by the emperor. He persuaded emperor Valentinian II to not restore the goddess of victory to the Senate House in Rome. Therefore, as bishop, Ambrose’s influence spread far beyond Milan and his archiepiscopal duties. Dawn Marie Beutner writes that Ambrose lived a simple life, celebrated Mass daily, avoided being caught up on controversy or daily politics, and made himself available to anyone in his Christian flock who wanted to talk to him. Ambrose is likely remembered as instrumental in converting Augustine of Hippo, who journeyed to Milan from Africa (Numidia), in 386. Suggestions that the Ambrosian Creed, Rite, and Chant can be directly traced to St. Ambrose are disputed. However, Ambrose was one of the first to make use of hymns both to praise and to foster belief, such as the Te Deum. His primary writings are as a catechist, such as instructions on baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist. Ambrose is one of the four early Doctors of the Church, along with Jerome, Gregory the Great, and Augustine. His relics were transferred to the Cathedral of Milan in 835 (Duomo di Milano dedicated to the Nativity of Mary). His symbols are vestments with the emblem of a scourge, representing the penance imposed on the emperor, suggesting the emperor is within the church and not above it. Another symbol is a beehive said to represent his eloquence as a speaker. References: • Donald Attwater and Catherine Rachel John, Penguin Dictionary of Saints • David Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints • Dawn Marie Beutner, Saints. Article Links: • Thomas I. Crimando,“New Issues: St. Ambrose” : Vatican Notes, Vol. 46, No. 4 p. 5 (1998) • Michael Siegfried,“Doctors of the Church” : Vatican Notes, Vol. 48, No. 6 p. 5-7 (2000) | |||||
