Глава III. «Я стал учить вас тому, чему и сам еще не научился»

(Ambrose. On the duties of clergy 1,1,4) Ambrose began his pastoral ministry when he had already passed the age of Christ. During these years, it was no longer easy to start a new life, especially since he was not internally ready for this, but became a bishop, as A. Jones aptly put it, out of a sense of duty. The newly-crowned bishop was a man of short stature (163 cm), but his proud, noble bearing did not allow him to notice this shortcoming. He had a narrow, elongated and very graceful face, framed by a black beard, which created a bright contrast to the light delicacy of his features. His large and expressive eyes made a strong impression on his interlocutors not only due to the depth and attractiveness of his gaze, capable of penetrating the innermost recesses of the human soul, but also due to its slight asymmetry: his right eye was located 3 mm lower than his left 21. His noble calm and self-confidence revealed him as a real Roman aristocrat, whose purpose was to control the destinies and souls of people. For the church, Ambrose turned out to be a most valuable acquisition. “He belonged to the class of great administrators of the empire, solid and sound minds, imbued with the principles of ancient law, respectful of authority, devoted to the maintenance of order. He brought to the management of the church the clarity of vision, determination, understanding of reality and life that he acquired while governing the provinces” 22. As can be seen from the biography of Ambrose before his episcopacy, he was not a Christian. There is a point of view in the literature that before the elections he was a catechumen, that is, he followed the custom of postponing baptism in order to prepare for this important act. However, there is no direct evidence of this opinion in the sources. On the contrary, in terms of position and education, Ambrose belonged rather to the pagan camp. True, the sources do not provide grounds to assert that he was an ardent and convinced supporter of the pagan cult. It seems most likely that before his episcopacy, Ambrose, like many other Romans of that difficult transitional era, was relatively indifferent to religion in general and had a purely practical inclination of character, fulfilling only those religious norms and customs that his duty as a citizen required. But, remaining ideologically and spiritually beyond Christianity, Ambrose, as a widely educated and progressive man of his time, could not help but see that it was this religion, and not paganism, that best suited the new historical conditions and that the post of bishop in the imperial capital opened up new prospects for his career. Undoubtedly, Ambrose's transition from the post of governor of the province to the post of bishop could not be completely painless for him and was accompanied by doubts, mental anguish and even a certain breakdown of consciousness. However, one can hardly doubt that Ambrose entered a new field consciously, albeit under the pressure of circumstances, but, nevertheless, feeling the necessity, and, perhaps, the prospects of this most important step in his life. In any case, there is no reason to claim that Ambrose had some kind of insight. The choice was made by him consciously, and the Christianization of his personality occurred after he was baptized and became a bishop. Ambrose's transformation into a Christian did not take one day, but rather a long period of time, perhaps several years. At the same time, even during the heyday of his Christian career, Ambrose remained primarily a politician and practitioner, and only secondarily a bishop and theoretician. Ambrose's assumption of a new position did not mean for him an instant break with the world in which he had lived his entire previous life. Being a very wealthy man, Ambrose first had to resolve the issue of his property. Having been ordained bishop, he made very significant donations to the poor and to the church. Renouncing his previous life, Ambrose hardly thought that his new ministry would require money from the governor of the province. In addition, he was strongly impressed by the aforementioned edict of Emperor Valentinian on the invalidity of the wills of widows and orphans in favor of the clergy, and Ambrose tried to demonstrate his unselfishness both before the emperor, who showed a clear interest in the prestige of his former official, and before the pagans, who used every reason to denigrate Christians, and before Christians, who were given a bright moral example that elevated episcopal authority, and before the clergy, whom this the gesture of the new leader was to discipline and moderate ambitions. However, Ambrose retained all the property and slaves, taking advantage of the fact that he owned his parental property inseparably with his brother Satyr, who still remained “in the world.” From the words of Ambrose himself, it is known that Satyr managed all the affairs of their domains and even made a voyage to distant Africa during Ambrose’s bishopric to collect arrears from the tenant of their land, a certain Prosper. In the midst of this hectic activity, Satyr died suddenly, 23 and Ambrose suffered another severe family loss, which alienated him even more from his former life. It was about this sad event that Ambrose wrote his first work as a Christian and bishop 24 - a funeral speech, which in further similar works developed into a new genre of literature - Christian consolations. There is still almost nothing Christian in the content of this speech. This is like a dialogue between Ambrose and his deceased brother, a remembrance of his virtues, an expression of brotherly love: “You were my judge in councils, my partner in labors, my intercessor in my affairs, the persecutor of my sorrow, the defender of my affairs and intentions. You alone bore the burden of domestic and social responsibilities. I call your holy soul to witness that during the establishment of the church I often feared your displeasure in something... You ruled your brother’s house without any vice and did honor to his priesthood” (On the Death of Brother Satyr, 20). Only later did Ambrose give this speech a Christian flavor, adding to it a short work “On Faith in the Resurrection,” which is a word spoken 7 days after the burial, about the resurrection of the dead and the final destinies of man. After the death of his brother, Ambrose transfers his estates to the church, but still leaves some part of his former possessions to his sister Marcellina. The latter, however, was a Christian virgin, and therefore we can assume that now no household, family or property affairs connected Ambrose with the world. Around this time, another crack appeared in Ambrose’s relationship with the old world: on November 17, 375, Emperor Valentinian died of a stroke that occurred in a fit of rage. Of all the sources, only the historian Theodoret testifies to the presence of Valentinian at the ordination ceremony of Ambrose and that a few days after his election as bishop, Ambrose boldly spoke with the emperor and condemned the illegal actions of the authorities, while Valentinian took such behavior of the newly made priest for granted and even encouraged him to act boldly and in accordance with divine law in the future (Ecclesiastical History IV, 7). Following many researchers, the reliability of this message can rightfully be questioned. The end of the reign of Valentinian was too turbulent a time for the Roman Empire for the emperor, who was almost constantly on the Danube border, tormented by barbarians, to find time for the ceremony of ordaining even a favorite official as a bishop. And the silence of other sources on this matter seems strange, to say the least. And it seems completely incredible that yesterday’s governor of the province could speak to the all-powerful emperor in such a tone. Ambrose could afford such treatment of those in power only at the zenith of his episcopal career. Having accepted the rank of bishop, Ambrose nevertheless maintained friendly and business ties with representatives of the pagan intelligentsia and maintained constant personal contacts with them, often beyond the competence of the head of the Mediolan Church. In one of his letters, Ambrose even sets as an example for Christians the pagans who returned after ruling the provinces with an ax not stained with blood (Letter 25, 3). Evidence of Ambrose's connections with the pagan aristocracy is his correspondence. Among the bishop's correspondents are senators Nonnius Atticus Maximus, Flavius ​​Pisidius Romulus and a number of other persons who were not Christians. But the most revealing fact is the 8 letters that have reached us, addressed to Ambrose by Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, the bishop’s main opponent in the dispute over the Altar of Victory 25, in which the fate of paganism and Christianity as the state religions of the Roman Empire was decided. Moreover, all these letters were written after the dispute, which ended in the defeat of Symmachus. Here is one such letter, the style and tone of which clearly indicate that in the relationship between the head of the church and the leader of the pagans there was not even a shadow of the hostility that is often characteristic of people holding opposing beliefs: These praiseworthy men, my brothers Dorotheus and Septimius 26 arrived with a letter from you 27 . I felt it my sacred duty to take a double advantage out of it, so that you may feel yourself more generously endowed by their doubling the duty, and they both may benefit as individuals from the difference in letters of recommendation which they deserve. Although our brother Dorotheus has already enjoyed your confidence, yet I desire that the preference shown to him by my high opinion of him may raise him still higher in your favor, which will no doubt be the main circumstance, since the love of a noble heart is always apt to become stronger when stimulated by kindness.” (Symmachus. Letters III, 32). This and other letters from Symmachus, Ambrose himself and his correspondents indicate that there was no gap between paganism and Christianity, but rather, between pagans and Christians who came from the same aristocratic environment and received the same education. These people were bound by close ties of ancient culture and ancient Roman traditions, their nobility did not allow them to transfer ideological and religious differences into the sphere of personal relationships, and differences in faith did not overshadow their selfless friendship, the basis of which was their honesty and sincerity. Having been baptized and assumed the office of bishop, Ambrose first of all took up the study of Christian teaching - the Holy Scriptures and the works of church leaders. Serious study undoubtedly occupied the greater part of his day, and perhaps his night. Ambrose's mentor was the priest Simplicius, who held the position of catechist 28 in the Roman church. He had a magnificent gift of speech and the ability to present a particular teaching in a lively, vivid and interesting way. Probably, the acquaintance of Ambrose and Simplicius took place during the future bishop’s stay in Rome, and Simplicius, having learned about the election of Ambrose, himself volunteered to help him understand the intricacies of Christian doctrine. In any case, Simplicius can be considered the spiritual father of Ambrose, and the latter had the most sincere feelings and ardent affection for his mentor, never ceasing to call him father even in the heyday of his episcopal career, and before his death he chose him as his successor in the See of Milan. Having studied the Bible in the first reading, to which he constantly turned to as an inexhaustible source throughout his life and on the books of which he compiled dozens of commentaries, Ambrose began to study the works of Christian writers. Western theology at that time was much inferior to the East in terms of the level of presentation, coverage of theological problems, and depth of thought, but Ambrose, thanks to his brilliant knowledge of the Greek language, did not have much difficulty reading the works of the most famous Christian authors, such as Hippolytus, Origen, Didymus, Clement of Alexandria, Basil the Great. It should be noted that Christian education did not mean for Ambrose a renunciation of the knowledge acquired in a pagan school. Like many other Romans of that time, Ambrose perfectly combined Christian and pagan education, without at all violating the integrity of his personality and exposing the Holy Scripture as the source of truth. Already as a bishop, Ambrose understood that it was impossible to influence the enlightened Romans by nakedly denying Christian truths all the achievements of ancient culture, and he persistently pursued the idea that the pagan authors were not endowed with true wisdom, but drew it from the Old Testament. After all, the biblical authors lived before the famous pagan writers and, according to Ambrose, provided food for the ideas of the best pagan thinkers. In his works, the bishop found it possible to prove borrowings from the Bible from such luminaries of ancient wisdom as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Zeno, Cicero. He derived the doctrine of the Stoics from the Book of Genesis, and contrasted the simplicity of Holy Scripture with the pompous style of Aristotle and the Peripatetics. But it can hardly be argued that Ambrose himself was firmly convinced of the correctness of his evidence. He was too well educated and very smart for this. Behind all this cunning verbal balancing act, it seems, there was another goal, which Ambrose talks about in some of his works, although he does not consciously focus on it. This goal is to introduce Christians to the best values ​​of the ancient genius, to stop the process of destruction, sometimes intentional, of ancient culture, and to preserve the continuity of ancient pagan and new Christian culture. That is why Ambrose says that a Christian who uses the ideas of the best pagan thinkers does not borrow someone else’s, but only returns his own property, since the main source is the Holy Scripture, and the wisdom of the ancient authors is just a by-product of Christian wisdom. Or maybe Ambrose and other progressive, thoughtful figures of the Christian Church should be given credit for the fact that thanks to their efforts, which have not yet been fully appreciated, much of the priceless ancient heritage was preserved, and not everything was destroyed by insane Christian fanatics, who in a frantic frenzy destroyed the greatest creations of world culture? Ambrose's intensive primary Christian education lasted about two years, since in the third year of his bishopric he finally decided to publish his first Christian work, “On Virgins,” in three books. It is dedicated to his sister Marcellina, who took the veil of virginity while Ambrose lived in Rome. The brother and sister maintained family ties and spiritual contacts throughout their lives, and Ambrose's dedication of his first Christian work to his sister was a tribute of brotherly gratitude for the fact that she replaced his mother. The essay “On Virgins” consists of three sermons addressed not only to virgins, but also to their parents. It glorifies the virgin life as a special virtue, includes instructive examples of famous virgins, and contains a variety of moral instructions. “Where are you going in such a hurry, Priscilla?” – a plump, blooming matron, clearly trying to look younger than her age, asked a neighbor passing by. - Don't you know? “Today, Father Ambrose, in honor of the feast of St. Agnes, will read a sermon on the virgin life,” answered, barely out of breath, a not flashily dressed, but stately woman, who retained a reflection of her former beauty, which had already faded under the burden of years and grief, which was revealed by gray hair escaping from under the dark veil, and a tired, gloomy look. “I’ve never heard of women who have been married becoming virgins again.” Or is your Ambrose such a master that he is able to do this? After all, you buried your husband, I remember, about five years ago. “Six,” Priscilla clarified and continued with undisguised indignation: But how can you blaspheme, because you, a pagan, cannot even imagine the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we are not talking at all about regaining virginity. For Christ, the main thing is to lead a virgin life, to be virtuous, honest, and temperate. In our community, both virgins—the brides of Christ—and widows who have vowed not to remarry and to abstain from carnal intercourse with men enjoy equal honor. Both will enjoy bliss in the afterlife and the grace of Christ. - Well, no, I don’t need your grace and bliss. I feel blissful at night when a strong centurion warms me or a visiting merchant showers me with grace. I'm nothing yet, right? – the plump pagan said playfully wiggling her hips, to which Priscilla, wincing in disgust, exclaimed instead of the expected approval: “Shame on you, Livia!” After all, you are also a widow, and your husband was a respected man in the city, a member of the council of decurions. And if you don’t honor his good memory, at least your daughter would be ashamed. She is already quite an adult and understands everything. - That's right, an adult. So let him learn from his mother how to seduce men, and not hang around churches and listen to the tales of your priests about bliss in heaven. We must be blissful here on earth. Otherwise, he will listen to all sorts of nonsense and will then hang on his mother’s neck for the rest of his life. Realizing that her arguments had no effect on the dissolute and impudent Livia, Priscilla only waved her hand irritably and, stopping the useless conversation, hurried to the church. When she entered the church, Ambrose's sermon was in full swing. Priscilla noticed how attentively the audience listened to the bishop, among whom one could see representatives of both sexes and a wide range of ages. What Ambrose spoke about was in tune with their thoughts and moods, and a lively, genuine interest in the content of the sermon could be read on their spiritualized and pale faces, as if radiating light in the twilight. Ambrose’s quiet, soulful voice sounded softly under the arches of the church: “Someone will say: you sing the praises of virgins before us every day.” And what good will it do me if I chant the same thing every day and have no success? But it's not my fault. And so the virgins from Placentia 29 come to take initiation, they come from Bononia 30, they come from Mauritania, they come here to take the veil of virginity. You see a great thing. Here I act, and in another place I convince... What does it mean that even those who have not heard me follow me; so will not those who listen follow me? So I learned that many virgins want to follow my advice, but their mothers prevent them from even going to church to listen to the sermon... (Ambrose. About virgins 1, 11, 57–58). Thus, Ambrose showed his extraordinary qualities from the very beginning of his episcopal service. Realizing that he could not yet teach what “what he himself had not yet learned,” that is, Christian doctrine, he found a very important and relevant point of application of his talent. The new Bishop of Mediolan directed all his oratory and writing abilities, his gift of persuasion, his former authority to glorify the virgin life, which was one of the most pressing problems of the corrupted Roman society, the task of moral improvement of which Christianity was trying to solve, not unsuccessfully, at that time. We know absolutely nothing about whether Ambrose, before becoming a bishop, was married or at least intimate with any women other than his mother, sister and their friends - Christian virgins. Peacock's mention that Ambrose, in order to evade the episcopate, brought harlots into his house against his custom, indicates that in his pre-Christian life he was not at all distinguished by licentiousness. And the fact that within two years his sermons on the virgin life gained extraordinary popularity and became known even in Africa clearly indicates that the one who delivered these sermons had to be a model of virtue himself, otherwise no one would have believed his words. It can be suggested that in his youth or childhood Ambrose suffered some kind of illness or injury, which involuntarily made him holy and chaste. And now Ambrose consciously began to preach what he was predisposed to by nature itself. The popularity of his sermons was so great that he continues to write on this topic. From his style in subsequent years came a whole series of treatises on virgin life, which brought him fame both during his life and enjoyed authority after his death. Immediately after the work “On Virgins,” Ambrose writes a treatise “On Widows,” which contains a description of the advantages of widowhood compared to remarriage. The initial period of the bishop’s work is crowned by the work “On Virginity,” composed of sermons delivered during the feast of St. Peter and Paul. Here Ambrose responds to attacks on the appearance of the first two books and his apology for the virgin life. Most likely, all three works were created by Ambrose within a few months of 377. And although after this Ambrose devoted special works to this topic only at the end of his life, the problem of virgin life worried him constantly, and he repeatedly addressed it in letters and works on other topics. The duties of a bishop in the 4th century. was very broad, and its functions in the church were universal. The bishop managed all the affairs of the church, elevated other representatives of the clergy to positions, was the highest authority in the analysis of cases related to deviations from the Christian faith and morals, was the main figure in the performance of religious activities and the highest authority in matters of doctrine, managed the material resources of the church and, finally, carried out the connection between the church and state power. It is difficult to judge from the sources which of the listed functions occupied the Bishop of Milan to a greater extent in the first years of his ministry, but as a church politician, Ambrose first appeared in the field of intra-church struggle. Such an accurate description of Ambrose’s appearance allows us to make a study of his remains conducted at the end of the 19th century. after the bishop's tomb was opened in the basilica that bears his name. Boissier G. The Fall of Paganism. Study of the last religious struggle in the West in the 4th century. – M., 1892. -P.429. The death of Satyr is dated by various researchers from 375 to 379, there are more reasons in favor of an earlier dating. We know nothing about the work of Ambrose before his episcopate. For this dispute, see Chapter X1.. Nothing is known about these people. This letter from Ambrose has not reached us. The duty of the catechist was to prepare catechumens for baptism and teach them the basics of Christian doctrine.