Life of St. Ambrose in Old Church Slavonic

Contents Preface by the translator Life of St. Ambrose The text was translated into Russian from the first, lengthy, Slavic version of the anonymous so-called pre-Metaphrastic life of an unknown author, written, judging by the linguistic features of the monument, in the Balkans. It did not make sense to translate the second version of the Slavic life separately, since it is very close to the first and differs from it mainly in linguistic (mainly graphic and orthographic) features, which are the subject of a separate study and during the translation work turned out to be insignificant, except for a few semantic discrepancies: these discrepancies were taken into account during the translation and are reflected in the footnotes. Also, in some cases, the footnotes reflect discrepancies within the first version of the Life, if they turned out to be important for conveying nuances of meaning or for alternative readings. We also considered it necessary to unify the spellings of the proper names of historical persons mentioned in the lives, in accordance with our historiographical tradition. This mainly concerns the name of Emperor Valentinian. In the case of a different spelling of the proper name, we placed the missing part in square brackets. In addition, words that are not in the Slavic text, but are necessary either to convey the meaning or to bring the text into compliance with Russian syntactic norms, are placed in square brackets in the translation text. The main task of the translation was to preserve, as far as possible, the solemn and sublime style characteristic of the Slavic and Russian hagiographic tradition. For the Russian reader of the works of St. Ambrose of Milan, this life will be interesting primarily for its vivid apologetic character: St. Ambrose of Milan is presented here as a zealot of Orthodox piety and a champion of truth, who tirelessly and successfully fought against Arianism. The second feature of the life is that another key figure is the Emperor Theodosius the Great, whom the author describes as a man who, although he sinned and stumbled, was pious and faithful to the traditions of the Church, and the true Saint Ambrose instructs him on the path. This is how the idea of ​​a symphony of imperial and archbishop power, important for medieval Slavia Orthodoxa, is manifested. The translation was made from an Old Church Slavonic text published by the Bulgarian researcher Vasya Velinova, director of the Center for Slavic-Byzantine Studies. Ivan Duychev at Sofia University. Kliment Ohridski (Bulgaria) 1, in Ambrosiana Slavica. The Old Church Slavonic text is published with the kind permission of the researcher and the editors of the journal; during publication, only readings that were important from the point of view of translation from other manuscripts were left. The translation of the Slavic Life could not have been successfully carried out and completed without verification with the Greek text of the Life; in this we received comprehensive assistance and support from Natalya Alekseevna Kulkova, candidate of philological sciences, deputy. Head of the Department of Ancient Languages ​​and Ancient Christian Literature of PSTGU, to whom we express our most sincere gratitude. The editing of the translation, together with Natalya Alekseevna, was carried out by Elizaveta Yuryevna Terentyeva, candidate of philological sciences, teacher of the department of theory and history of language at PSTGU, to whom we also express our most sincere gratitude. Chlud = Khludov manuscript (Chlud. 195, XIV century). Kept in the State Historical Museum in Moscow, the Menaion for December, several lives and sermons for February have been added to it. Chii = Hilandar (Khil. 442, 17th century, [1625]). Manuscript from the collection of the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos, Chetya-Mineaion for December. Rs = Rs 59 (XVII century). Stored in the People's Library in Belgrade, published every September–December. On the seventh day [of December] the memory of our venerable father Ambrose. Father, bless! You encourage [me], Augustine, an honest father, like blessed Athanasius the bishop, and Jerome 2nd presbyter, to set out in a book the lives of Saints Paul and Anthony, who lived in the desert, saying how God’s saint Sevier added to them [the life] of the Monk Martin, bishop of the Roman Church. So I [here] related in my work the life of Blessed Ambrose, bishop of the Church of Milan. I relied [in this matter] on the blessing and on the testimonies of holy men, who were the stronghold of our Church. The words of their conversations appeared [to me] as evidence, and in order not to deviate anywhere from this evidence, I asked noble men [about Ambrose] who knew Ambrose before me and studied with him, and I learned even more from his sister Marcellina. [I also testify to] what I saw myself, standing before Ambrose, and what I learned from others who saw him in different places and told about him everything that is written here, in the year of his death, which was previously hidden from us; and the prayers of this worthy man helped me in this matter. I intend to write not eloquently, but briefly and simply, so that the speech does not touch the soul of the reader, but so that simplicity encourages him to read; I will not surround my presentation with pretentious words, so that the reader does not miss such virtues that should be understood not by the beauty of expression or the splendor of things, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Here is the life of Saint Ambrose. The holy and blessed Ambrose, a highly praised Roman nobleman, held many positions before he was entrusted with the leadership of all Italy by the pious kings Constantine [and Constans], the son of the great Constantine 3 . And [Ambrose] did not yet know divine baptism, but led a pure and pious life. Thanks to divine wisdom and intelligence, he was versed in both worldly writings and the Holy Scriptures. When he was a ruler, 4 he administered a fair and unhypocritical judgment, denouncing lawlessness and atrocities, and then, by God’s will, he was elevated to the rank of bishop. 1. After the death of Valentinian 5, Jovian took over the royal scepter. He brought his brother [Valens] from Aleupinia 6 and made him co-ruler, giving him the scepter over Asia, leaving Egypt and European lands for himself. Arriving in Rome, he [Jovian] again turned the entire West to the pious commandments [of Christianity]. 2. Auxentius 7, to whom the Milan church was entrusted, became an adherent of the Arian heresy and was excommunicated at many councils. When he died, King Valentinian called to himself everyone who was in the bishopric and said to them: “You have grown in the Holy Scriptures and therefore know well who should receive the rank of bishop - one who [can] not only cleanse and heal with words, but also serves as an example of all good endeavors and virtues with his life. Make such a righteous man a bishop, so that we, reigning righteously, bow our heads before him, and if he denounces us, we will accept the reproof, just as we accept medicine from a doctor, since we are human and sin.” 3. And when the pious king Valentinian said this, the council decided to elect [bishop of Milan] a man wise and adorned with piety. The king said: “It will be better if you decide for yourself who will become the bishop, because you are filled with divine verbs; and call whomever you want [bishop].” They went out and consulted among themselves. And discord reigned among the inhabitants of the city [Mediolanus], they did not agree on whom to appoint as bishop: some wanted one thing, others another, and there was discord between them. The adherents of the evil Auxentius called their [person] bishop, and the Orthodox named and asked for their own [to be bishop]. 4. Having learned about the dispute, honest Ambrose, being the ruler over the inhabitants of that city, fearing that some evil might happen, immediately came to the church and reconciled both sides. The quarrels fell silent, and everyone unanimously began to ask to make Ambrose their shepherd. Ambrose had not yet been baptized, and the king, having learned about this, ordered to baptize him and appoint this worthy man as a bishop, for [the king] saw that this man was superior to everyone in reason, since his thought was clearer than any rule, and he thought that he was naming him a bishop by God's providence, by mutual agreement of the evil believers [and the Orthodox]. 5. When Ambrose accepted the divine gift of holy Baptism, the valiant king elevated him to the rank of bishop. They say that the emperor sang a prayer of thanks to our Savior and Master, saying: “I thank you, Lord and Almighty and our Savior, because to that person to whom I entrusted the bodily life of [my subjects], you, Lord, entrusted their souls and thereby showed that my judgment about him was fair.” 6. After several days, blessed Ambrose, in a bold conversation with the king, reproached some nobles for unrighteousness. The king answered him: “I saw your boldness and not only did not oppose you, but appointed you as a bishop, so heal our sinful souls according to God’s law.” 7. All this happened in Mediolan. Valentinian was a Christ-loving king, ruled justly and, having become enlightened in Orthodoxy 8, died. He reigned for sixteen years and left his sons Gratian and Valentinian the Younger as successors. In the eastern part of the [empire] Valens 9, brother of Valens 10 the Great, ruled. Valens, who adhered to the Arian faith, fought with the Goths, and his army was defeated, and Valens himself was burned in a village house. And Valentinian’s son Gratian took over the Roman region: first of all, he took over his father’s scepter over Europe, over the entire West, as well as over Asia and part of Libya, since Valens was childless when he was killed. Gratian, pious like his father, returned all the bishops who had been expelled by his heretic uncle. Having learned that the pagans were going to war against Thrace and had burned the Emperor Val[ent]a, Gratian left Italy and came to Opia 11. 8. At the same time, Theodosius the Elder, 12, famous for his valor, which made his comrades [in arms] jealous of him, was in Spain, where he was born and raised. King Gratian did not know what to do with the pagans, for, having won the victory, they imagined that they had become invincible and became exalted. And then Gratian remembered Theodosius, who could defeat the pagans, and, immediately calling him, appointed him commander and sent him with selected warriors [to battle]. Theodosius, protecting himself with faith and trusting in God, went [on a campaign] and, having come to Thrace, entered into battle with the pagans, and defeated them, and trampled them, and killed many. Many pagans fell, and not only those who were killed by the Romans, but also others [invisible enemies] were killed. 9. So, all the pagans were defeated, and those few who escaped went beyond the Danube. And the king realized that he had done the right thing by making Theodosius a commander, and made him king, and gave him the scepter of Valentinian, and he himself, giving [Theodosius] the kingdom and releasing him, went to Italy. And he, having accepted the kingdom, first of all began to work for church unity and ordered the bishops of his lands to gather in Constantinople, since it was the only city filled with heretical destruction. For the entire West was free from this heresy. Constantine and Constantine 13, sons of Constantine the Great, preserved their fatherly faith, and Valentinian also preserved piety intact, and the eastern countries in many places accepted this evil faith, since it began with Alexandria. That is why Theodosius ordered the convening of a council of bishops of his kingdom in Constantinople. 10. While Gratian was still at war and distinguished himself [there] for his valor, he died at the hands of a murderer, and left no children, heirs to the kingdom. He left as his successor his young brother, whose name was the same as his father's 14. And someone named Maximus, having [meanly] deceived the young Valentinian, seized power throughout the West. 11. At this time, Justina, the wife of Valentinian the Great and the mother of young Valentinian, who had long adhered to the Arian teachings 15, revealed [it] to her son, but tried to hide [it] from everyone in those years, knowing about the ardent faith of her husband. But seeing that [her son], the youth Valentinian, was pliable in mind, she seduced him with all this deception. And he, considering his mother’s faith to be true, accepted this destructive faith. The great Ambrose, who had already expelled the Arian deception from all of Italy, having learned that the young Valens[inian] had also succumbed to this destruction, began to consider him his opponent. 12. Blessed Ambrose reminded [Valentinian] of his father’s love for God and asked him to keep [the love of God] intact. He taught him, based on various statutes of the holy fathers, and told him that true faith was accepted from the Lord and the Apostolic commandments, [and how] evil faith was rejected. But the young [Valentinian], like any young man loved by his mother and seduced by [her], not only did not accept anything that the bishop told him, but was also filled with rage and placed armed soldiers around the church. 13. But nothing frightened the valiant Ambrose, for everything that was a child’s game seemed to him. And then the king became angry and ordered [Ambrose] to be expelled from the church. Ambrose answered him: “I will not do this of my own free will [I will not leave the church], and I will not give the 16 sheep of the church to the wolves; I will not give God’s church to blasphemers, and if you want to kill me, then put a sword to my neck [here], inside the church, and I will gladly accept death.” This is what righteous Ambrose said. 14. Much time passed, and Maxim learned about [Ambrose] as a true preacher. And he sent a bold message to Valentinian, telling him to renounce evil faith and accept the true faith, and added that if Valentinian does not listen, he will go to war against him. The word was immediately followed by deed: Valentinian did not listen to Maxim, and then Maxim gathered a large army and headed for Mediolan, where Valentinian was staying. And Valentinian, having learned that Maxim was going to war against him, hid in Illyria. 15. Having learned about what had happened, King Theodosius sent the following words to the young [Valentinian], who had fled [from Maximus], to convey the following words: “It is not fitting for a king to fear, nor for a tyrant Maximus to have power, because you, who do not know piety, are naked, and, being defeated, you run away; and he who is clothed in the vestments of piety overcomes everything and defeats every wicked tyrant.” 16. And, having sent far away to tell him [all this], Theodosius, leaving his kingdom, himself went to his aid. And first, Theodosius brought [Valentinian] healing of the soul, expelled [from him] the illness [of evil] and returned him to paternal piety and encouraged him to boldly [go] against the tyrant Maximus, and they came together to fight 17. Theodosius and Valentinian were victorious, and Maximus the tyrant was killed, and Theodosius transferred the kingdom of his father to the young [Valentinian]. This same faithful and Christ-loving Theodosius the Tsar took every possible care to [eradicate] Hellenic deception, ordering to punish [the pagans] and destroy the pagan temples. 17. And the first of all the righteous kings worthy of praise, who adorned the empire with piety, was Constantine. He stopped the offering of demonic sacrifices, and ordered the pagan sanctuaries to be closed and not destroyed. And the sons of Constantine did the same as their father. And the wicked Julian, having accepted the kingdom, returned to the veneration of paganism, again kindled the flames of old false beliefs and ordered the pagan temples to be erected again. For Valentinian the Elder kept the law and ruled piously, and Julian 18 commanded all [pagan gods] to build altars, persecuted those who adhered to the apostolic commandments, and during all the years of his reign sacrificial fire was kindled [in pagan temples], and sacrifices were made in them, and many other evils and other abominations were done. 18. And Theodosius the Tsar, who inherited all this, tore out [the pagan deception] by the roots, and trampled it, and consigned it to oblivion, and greatly contributed to the dispensation of Christian life. However, the pious Tsar Theodosius fell into a different, very fierce passion, for it is difficult for people to escape the devil’s snares, and if someone runs away from one, then he will fall into another, thinking that he has successfully escaped the snares. 19. Thessaloniki 19 is a large and crowded city. And there was sedition and a great rebellion in that city, and during the rebellion several city rulers were killed. The king, having learned about this, flared up with anger 20 and could not control his rage. He sent [soldiers] there and ordered the rebels to be cut down with a sword, and together with the lawless seditionists, many innocent people were killed, numbering seven thousand, because they did not ask who dared to commit this crime [to start a rebellion], but they cut off everyone’s heads like ears of corn in a field. 20. Having learned about this disastrous misfortune, full of grief and crying, blessed Ambrose, a champion of the truth, a righteous man, was filled with great sorrow. The king came to Milan and wanted, as usual, to enter the holy church, but the righteous Ambrose met him at the outer doors and prevented him from entering the church, saying: “Don’t you, king, feel and understand how many people you killed, unable to control your rage, and didn’t you recognize, when your rage subsided, your shameless thoughts? Or do you think that royal power knows no sin? If you have such thoughts, remember human nature: it is dead and will disintegrate. We were taken from the earthly dust of our forefather and will be returned to dust. Do not be deceived, O king, by the power with which your scarlet robe invests you, over your thoughts and over military deeds 21: there is One Lord and King for all. With what eyes will you look at the Church of the Lord of All? With what feet will you step on the holy floor? How will you raise your hands to the sky, from which the blood of the innocently killed is still dripping? How will you accept the Holy Body of our Lord with these hands? How will you bring the Most Pure Blood of our Lord to your lips, having shed so much blood out of your anger? Move away from God’s church and do not try to enter, so that your iniquities do not increase, and accept this prohibition that God, the Lord of all, imposes on you, for it is healing and saving for your [spiritual] health.” 21. And the king obeyed these words, for he was nourished by divine words, and he clearly understood what was royal and what was saintly [power], and returned, weeping and groaning, to his royal chambers. Eight months later, the time for the holiday came - the Nativity of our God and Savior. The king sat in his chambers and wept bitterly, shedding rivers of tears. And Rufinus 22, who was then the master 23, seeing the king crying, dared to approach him, for the king loved him for his courage, and ask what the reason for his tears was. And the king, sobbing bitterly and shedding even more tears, said to Rufinus 24: “You are having fun, Rufinus, because you do not know about my misfortune, but I, thinking about it, cry and groan. For the doors of the church are open to both slaves and beggars, and they enter it without hesitation and pray to their Master, but I have no entry into the church, therefore heaven is closed to me, for I remember what the Lord says: whomever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven." 25 22. Rufinus said: “Sir, should I go to the bishop to beg or force him to remove the punishment from you?” The king replied: “You cannot beg him, for I know the righteousness of Ambrose: he will not be afraid of royal power and will not break the Divine law.” Rufinus promised to entreat the holy Bishop Ambrose. And the king ordered Rufinus to quickly go to Ambrose and he himself followed him, believing Rufinus’ promise and finding hope. The righteous Bishop Ambrose, seeing Rufinus, said to him: “And you, Rufinus, indulge in shamelessness? After all, you supported [the king in his decision] to kill so many people. You have erased shame from your face, you do not cry and are not ashamed, for this is how much you have trampled [in yourself] the image of God.” And Rufinus began to ask Ambrose, saying that the king was coming after him. Then blessed Ambrose was inflamed with Divine jealousy and said: “First I will tell you, Rufinus: I will forbid the king and will not allow him to enter the honest doors. And if he turns royal power into a [weapon of] murder, then I will gladly accept death.” 23. Rufinus, hearing this, sent to convey to the king the words of the bishop and [ask the king] not to leave the palace. And the king heard [about everything] while [already] in the square, and said: “I will go and joyfully accept the commands of the righteous Ambrose.” Arriving at the saint, he stood in front of the church and did not enter it, but went to where blessed Ambrose was sitting inside, and, falling to the saint, begged him to allow him to be freed from punishment. 24. Ambrose thought that the king had come angry, and looked at him [severely] as one who was opposing the will of God. But the king approached the doors of the church and, standing in front of them, humbly asked for release. Then the bishop said to him: “I cannot disobey the words of our Lord and Master and not close the door in front of you. How did you, king, repent after committing lawlessness? What herbs did you use to heal your incurable scabs?” The king replied: “It’s your job to show me and prepare the herbs.” Then blessed Ambrose said to him: “When you judge in anger, it is not reason that pronounces judgment, but rage. Write a law according to which decisions on executions shall remain on the books for thirty days; when thirty days have passed, let them show what was written again, and when the anger subsides, reason will look at its judgment and tell you whether the decision is fair or not. And if anyone turns out to be unrighteous, then in thirty days it will be confirmed, and the innocent will not perish.” 25. And the king accepted this command of the bishop, and, realizing that it was very good, he immediately ordered the law to be issued, and signed it with his own hand. And after that, blessed Ambrose absolved him of his sin. The God-loving king, hoping to enter God’s church, constantly begged the ruler, and not on his knees, but lying down, and, falling on his face and singing the psalm of David, “My soul is drawn to the earth: live me according to Your word,” 26 he tore out his hair with his hands and hit himself in the face, wetting the ground with tears, begging for forgiveness. But when the time came to bring the gifts to the most holy meal, the king stood up and entered the altar with tears, bringing the gifts, as usual, inside the altar. But Saint Ambrose asked the king what he needed. The king replied: “I want to wait for the communion of the Holy Mysteries.” But Ambrose, through the archdeacon, ordered that it be conveyed to him that only clergymen could enter the altar, and the rest could neither enter nor touch anything in the altar. “Go out,” Ambrose told him, “and stand with everyone, waiting for communion, for the king’s scarlet robe does not make him a priest.” 26. The God-loving King Theodosius obeyed this command and answered Ambrose in this way: “Father, it was not out of my insolence that I entered the altar, but according to the custom to which I was accustomed in Constantinople. I thank you for this gracious healing.” This is how both the bishop and the king shone with the light of piety. And I marvel at both of them, and I am amazed at the courage of the first and the humility of the second, the ardent jealousy of the first and the piety of the second, who learned the rule from the great bishop and followed this rule upon his return to Constantinople. 27. When there was a holiday [in Constantinople] in the church of God, [the king] brought gifts for the holy meal and immediately left [the altar]. And Patriarch Nektarios, who ruled at that time, asked him why he did not stay at the altar. The king replied: “I did not dare, because I had difficulty understanding the difference [of a priest and a layman]; The teacher Ambrose, the only [worthy to be called] bishop, revealed the truth to me.” This is the power of reproof brought by a man who glows with piety. 28. And the king had another [another] reason to benefit his soul. His wife 27 constantly reminded him of the divine commandments, which she herself was taught perfectly, for she was not exalted by royal power, but was flaming with divine love, since there is greater greatness in that. She cared for the blind and the paralytic, serving everyone [herself], without slaves and without servants 28 . She also went to the church shelter for pilgrims, she herself treated those lying on sick beds and she herself touched clay vessels, and she brewed and tasted drinks, and prepared food, and divided and distributed bread, and washed vessels, and did many other jobs befitting slaves and slaves. And to those who tried to perform the same service, she said that the king’s business is to distribute gold [money], and [she said about herself] that she brings service to the One who gave her the kingdom. To the king, her husband, she constantly said: “O my husband, it behooves you to constantly think about what you were before and what you have become now; always remember this so as not to cease to be beneficent, and rule the kingdom which you have accepted by the will of God according to the law, and thereby please Him who gave you power.” 29. Thus she spoke, and her words were life-giving moisture for the king, watering the seeds of goodness in his soul. [She] died before her husband, and some time after her death something happened that made the king’s love for her obvious. Due to frequent wars, the royal treasury was empty, and the king, in need of funds, imposed a new tribute on all cities. The inhabitants of Antioch could not tolerate [this] and refused to pay tribute and, oppressed by oppression, began to do what the people love to do as a reason for outrage: they overturned the statue of the glorious Plaquilla 29 - that was the name of the queen - and dragged it throughout the city. 30. Hearing about this, the king, as befits, became terribly angry with that city because of [its] disobedience [and deprived Antioch of the right to be called a city], giving this right to a neighboring city, especially since, as it seems to me, the Geland city 30 had long been jealous [of Antioch]. In addition, [the king] threatened to destroy [Antioch] with fire, and those of the city leaders who agreed to this insolence [not paying tribute], and [Theodosius] did not know what they were doing before, killed. And the king commanded this, and there was no end to the threats, although he established the law, which the great Ambrose ordered to be adopted. And Alvikh, who was then a commander, and Caesarea the Master came [to the city], bearing a threat. And all the inhabitants were in great fear, afraid of that threat. The monks who lived in the mountains at that time - for there were many monks at that time - when they learned about the misfortune [that befell the city], they grieved a lot and prayed with all zeal for those who were being tortured. 31. And one of them, a holy man, shone with every virtue, and offered honest prayers to the Savior day and night. He was not afraid of either the anger of the king or those sent by him and, standing in the middle of the city, grabbed both leaders by the hems of their clothes and ordered them both to get off their horses. And they, seeing the old man dressed in torn sackcloth, at first became angry, but a certain abbot told them about the virtues of this man, and they immediately jumped off their horses and fell at his feet, begging for forgiveness. And this reverend man, filled with divine wisdom, said to them: “O dear men! Tell your king this: although you are called a king, you are a man, and you must think not only about your imperial dignity and power, but also about human nature. For you are also a man, like your fellow tribesmen, over whom you reign, and human nature was created in the image and likeness of God, and do not kill this image so cruelly and inhumanly; for you will anger the Creator by subjecting His image to torment. For look: you are doing all this, having become enraged at the desecration of the copper statue, which is so different from the one who has a soul, and the gift of speech, and reason, and feelings. Consider also that we can easily make many copper statues instead of one, but no one can create even one hair from [all] those killed.” 32. Both leaders, having heard all this from the amazing husband, conveyed his words to the king and extinguished the flame of rage, and instead of a threat, he wrote to that city [message] and announced the reason for the anger: “It was not fitting for me to sin when my wife was worthy of all praise, so that after her death she would accept such a reproach - it was I who was worthy of being angry with me.” And [to this] he added that he was very sad, for several people were killed by the rulers. For this reason, I included [here] the life of the glorious monk and his coming to the city, thinking that it would be wrong to remain silent about the law that the great Ambrose ordered to be written and which brought such benefits. 33. For he shone in the Church of Christ and in the fulfillment of the Divine commandments, being a zealot and champion of the truth, and brought into the apostolic and prophetic treasury the words of Orthodoxy and expelled all evil faith of Apollinaris and Arius. And he lived to a ripe old age and, having arranged all church affairs, died in peace, and was buried in the Mediolan Church, having lived his life worthily and leaving behind a good memory, and now prays for us in heaven, so that God may vouchsafe us to be disciples and imitators of his faith, good deeds and piety and to acquire eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Translation from Old Church Slavonic by F.B. Albrecht Velinova V. Le vite estese di Sant Ambrogio nella tradizione slava ortodossa // Ambrosiana Slavica 2, 2011 (Milano). P. 7–38. In the Slavic text: Jerovoum. There is no mention of Constant in the main text, it is contained in a discrepancy in the text of the life (And Kostya, the dream of the great Constantine), however, the form of the virtuous king in the main text is in the genitive case of the dual number. Most likely, this refers to the time when St. Ambrose was consular prefect of Liguria and Emily; in the Slavic text it stands for the power of hemons / hegemons. Obviously, there is an error in the Slavic text: we are talking about Julian the Apostate. In the Greek text Pannonia. Auxentius I, Bishop of Milan, predecessor of St. Ambrose, Arian. We considered it possible to translate the Slavic phrase right faith or the complex word orthodoxy into Russian Orthodoxy, since the apologetic idea that St. Ambrose fought for the correct profession of faith. In this sense, the word Orthodoxy is more understandable to the modern reader. In the Slavic text Oual. In the future, if part of the name -ent is in square brackets in the translation, in the Slavic text it is Oual. There is a serious inconsistency in the spelling of the name of Emperor Valentinian in the Slavic text: there are variants Oualent, Aulentian, Avalentian, Avlentian, Oualentian, Avlentius. We considered it necessary to unify the spelling. In the Slavic text of letters. Theodosius the parent was the name of the father of Theodosius the Great, who was executed by order of Gratian several years before Gratian called Theodosius the son and made him co-ruler. In the Slavic text Costa. That is, Valentinian (the Younger). In the Slavic text, this phrase contains a typical metaphor: “from ancient times having accepted the seeds of the Arian teaching.” There are two readings of this phrase in the Slavic text. The first option is not to betray the sheep church, which is located in the main text. This refers to the biblical metaphor of Christians as sheep and God as the shepherd. The second option, found in a footnote, is that instead of the word ovchskaago there is otchskago, and then the phrase takes on a different meaning: “I will not give the church of [our] Father to the wolves.” In the second version of the life, this discrepancy is completely absent: I will not betray God’s church. In the Slavic text there is an infinitive of the verb biti, but there is a discrepancy - aorist 3 l. pl. h. bishe (se), and then the whole phrase can be translated as: They came together and entered into battle. In the Slavic text here stands OUal. In the life there is an inconsistency in the spelling of the name Julian: Uliyan, Ioulian, Oualean. In a number of cases, the author of the life confuses Julian with Val (Valens), see also note. to § 7. Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, now Thessaloniki in Greece. In different interpretations there is a typical tautological combination of anger and anger. This is a difficult passage to translate due to the substantivized Slavic adjectives, with which no nouns are associated. In the main text there is an expression of fiery vladaeshi about tsrow, and also military ones, but in different readings the version of tribes (vladaeshi) is given, which significantly changes the meaning, and the whole phrase can be translated as follows: Do not be deceived, king, that your crimson robe invests you with power over your peoples [and over their lives], as well as over military affairs. In the second version of the Slavic life we ​​find a third option: whether you are also passionate about the king, and also hard-working, which, obviously, can be translated approximately like this: You, king, have power over your daring thoughts and actions. However, when offering such translations, we proceed from a broad context and are aware of their possible inaccuracy. Flavius ​​Rufinus, consul of the Eastern Roman Empire, then praetorian prefect of Theodosius the Great in Constantinople. Obviously, this refers to the highest military position in the era of the late Roman Empire (magister militum), introduced as a result of the military reforms of Constantine the Great. In the Slavic text there are spelling options Roufim, Roufin, Rofin. See: Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:18. Ps.119:25: My soul is cast into the dust, revive me according to Your word. Aelia Flavia Flacilla (or Flacilla, Flacilla, Placilla, Placilla) was the first wife of Emperor Theodosius the Great. In the footnote to the Slavic text, the version is that she herself works with her roukama and goes to those dwellings, and gives whatever she needs, in translation: she herself does everything with her own hands and visits the houses of servants and slaves, serving each according to his needs. In the Slavic text Plakyla.