Ambrose

Contents The beginning of the journey Election as a bishop Preacher and theologian Poet - hymnographer The last years of his life Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was born around 333–334. presumably on the banks of the Moselle in the city of Trevir (now Trier, Germany). At that time, Trevira was the residence of the governors of Gaul, one of the provinces of the Roman Empire. According to researchers, the cities of Arles or Lyon may also be the birthplace of the saint. Ambrose was the third child in a noble and wealthy aristocratic family. The father of the future saint, also Ambrose, held one of the highest positions in the prefecture for many years; it is also likely that he himself was the Roman governor (praetorian prefect) of Gaul. There is reason to believe that his parents converted to Christianity in those years when St. was in exile in Trevira. Athanasius of Alexandria (335–337). By that time there was already a large Christian community here. Cousin of Ambrose St. Martyr Soteria (Sopheris), Virgin of Rome (October 17 according to the Julian calendar and February 10 according to the Gregorian calendar) suffered for the faith in 304, in the last year of the tyrannical reign of Emperor Diocletian. According to a pious legend, the future saint was already accompanied by miraculous omens of his great future from childhood. The biographer of St. Paulinus (Rai-lino) tells the following episode in “The Life of Ambrose.” One day, when Ambrose was sleeping in the garden, a swarm of bees flew onto his cradle from a flowering tree. The frightened nanny-slave called her masters for help, and they were surprised to see something unimaginable: bees covered the serene face of the sleeping baby, without causing him any harm; they flew away peacefully after leaving sweet honey (a symbol of eloquence) on his lips. When the bees disappeared, Ambrose's father exclaimed: “Something great is destined for my son!..” (61, p. 3). His words were destined to be justified, but in a different way, more pleasing to God: by the grace of God, this allegorical episode became a prologue to the ascetic life of the great Christian saint. The future saint was orphaned in adolescence. After the death of his father, presumably in 352, Ambrose's family moved to Rome. His sister Marcellina became a monk and, together with her mother, managed to adequately take care of the Christian upbringing of her brothers. The outstanding Roman catechist Simplicius, who used Socratic techniques in preparatory conversations, fell in love with Ambrose as his own son and had the most beneficial influence on him. Until the end of his days, Ambrose retained a grateful memory of him and never stopped calling him his father. Bishop of Rome St. Damasus I (366–384), having learned about the pious and exemplary life of the Ambrose family, visited them more than once. In the biography of Ambrose, a related legendary incident from his childhood is mentioned. When St. came to his parents' house. Damasus, the household members usually came up for the blessing and kissed his hand. The youth Ambrose liked this custom, and every time after the Pope left, he approached his family and offered them his hand with the words: “Kiss! This is so necessary. Don’t you know that I will also be a bishop?” (61, p. 4). These words, according to the writer Ambrose, were inspired in him by the Spirit of God, who was preparing him for shepherding. It is easy to imagine such an atmosphere if we remember that in those years monastic life began to flourish in the Western Roman Empire, as evidenced by Blessed Jerome around 365. Ambrose spent his adolescence and youth in the Eternal City. Here Ambrose and his brother Satyr received an excellent humanitarian education for those times, initially at home. Then they graduated from one of the best Roman schools (Ambrose's favorite classic was Cicero). Their house looked like a monastery in the midst of a crowded, noisy capital resplendent with wealth, which at that time was the scene of a fierce struggle between paganism and Christianity. In Rome, on July 17, 362, Ambrose became acquainted with the new decree on the school of Emperor Julian the Apostate (331–363), who proclaimed an open struggle against Christianity. During his student years, Ambrose, apparently, did not avoid the usual youthful hobbies, as evidenced indirectly by fragments of his writings. In the sermon “On the Education of Virgins,” for example, he writes: “But you, a man, say that a woman is a temptation for you. This is true, and if the woman is beautiful, then the temptation is even greater.” One way or another, the Arian Palladius reproached Ambrose for his youthful dissipation. It is indisputable, however, that a pious family upbringing saved Ambrose from many extremes. Ambrose successfully completed the course of science (grammar-rhetoric-jurisprudence) around 370, after which he began to work as a lawyer in the prefecture of Praetorium in the city of Sirmium (now the city of Horvatska Mitrovica in Yugoslavia). Ambrose already attracted attention with his brilliant eloquence. In his numerous writings (see, for example, “De officiis ministeriorum”) he reveals an excellent knowledge of Greek and Roman authors: Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Xenophon, Virgil, Tacitus, Plato, Seneca, Sallust and other writers and philosophers. Ambrose was, in all likelihood, familiar with the ideas of some of them, in particular the works of Sophocles and Euripides, through the mediation of Cicero and Philo of Alexandria. S.N. writes about Philo’s influence on Ambrose. Trubetskoy. Subsequently, Ambrose would subject the legacy of pagan thinkers to harsh, sometimes unfair criticism. Special mention must be made of Ambrose’s passion for music. He had an excellent knowledge of musical terminology and, apparently, received a special musical education, thanks to which he was subsequently able to improve Christian liturgy. As a talented and promising, and most importantly, an honest lawyer, a fighter for justice, Ambrose attracted the attention of high patrons - the governor (prefect) of Italy and the eparch of Rome Probus (who was a Christian) and the pagan senator Symmachus. Probus brought Ambrose closer to him and gave him the position of adviser. The future bishop, a privileged scion of a noble family, had the widest opportunities for a civil career. This was greatly facilitated by his personal merits, in particular, administrative and legal abilities, and zealous performance of official duties. After some time, the prefect Probus recommended Ambrose to Emperor Valentinian I (364–375). In 373, the emperor appointed Ambrose to the vacant position of governor (consular prefect or consular) of two provinces of northern Italy - Liguria and Emilia (modern Piedmont and Lombardy). The center of these provinces was Mediolan (Milan) - the site of the imperial residence (since the time of Emperor Diocletian) and the second most important city at that time (after Rome) of the Western Roman Empire. From here, in 313, Emperor Constantine the Great proclaimed his famous edict of toleration (“Edict of Milan”). Thus, by the age of 35, Ambrose had gone from lawyer to governor; in accordance with his high position, he became a member of the Roman Senate and received the title of Serenity (the third rank in the civil hierarchy at that time). Ambrose’s motto at his new place of service was the parting words of his patron Probus: “Go and act not as a judge, but as a bishop.” These words turned out to be truly prophetic. Honesty, justice and zeal for God's truth earned Governor Ambrose love and recognition among the people, and high spiritual authority among the inhabitants of Mediolan. Meanwhile, in this city the struggle between orthodox Christians who professed the Nicene Creed and the Arians intensified noticeably. The Arius heresy was actually a compromise with paganism, since the Arians did not consider Jesus Christ to be consubstantial with God the Father. That is why the emperors, whose power, due to historical inertia, was connected with centuries-old pagan tradition, tended to patronize the Arians. Often things even went so far as to remove Orthodox bishops who were undesirable to the authorities. The episcopal see in Mediolan was occupied for some time by the Arian Auxentius. After the death of Auxentius in 374, the question of his successor caused a strong quarrel between the Orthodox and Arians: each side naturally wanted to elect its own protege. Finally, the clergy and people gathered in the church to elect a new bishop. Mayor Ambrose went there to ensure the maintenance of order. Wanting to prevent clashes between Arians and Orthodox Christians, he appealed for calm. As he spoke from the pulpit, suddenly a childish cry was heard from the crowd: “Ambrose is a bishop!” The cry was taken up by the people, and the voice of the people was God’s voice. The existence of this proverb probably predetermined the further course of events: they saw a sign from above in the child’s words. Moreover, this turn of events suited the clear majority of those gathered. Forty-year-old Ambrose at this time was not yet baptized, being among the catechumens. It must be said that in the high-ranking society of that time, the influence of paganism was supported by peculiar arguments: it was generally accepted that the performance of state duties was hardly compatible with the observance of baptismal vows; children were brought to the temple for the rite of announcement to be performed on them, but baptism itself was usually postponed until they reached conscious age. And often officials who remained in the public service remained catechumens (katechhu menami) until their very old years. Not being baptized, that is, not being formally a Christian, Ambrose considered himself unworthy to occupy the bishop's chair. Therefore, at first he resisted his high lot: Ambrose even tried to incriminate himself and tried to escape from Mediolan, but to no avail. In the end, he had no choice but to heed the general persuasion. Moreover, the matter came to Emperor Valentinian I, whose orders Ambrose could not ignore. Apparently, he also realized that the Providence of God, through such an election, gives him a responsible and unique opportunity to faithfully serve not only the state, but also the Church, helping to strengthen its comprehensive influence on the life of society. The obstacles to episcopal service were quickly overcome: Ambrose received holy baptism on Sunday, November 30, 374, and in seven days he passed through all the necessary levels of the church hierarchy. After his ordination as a priest, he was consecrated to the rank of Bishop of Milan the following Sunday, December 7, in all likelihood by Bishop Limenius of Vercelle. A congratulatory letter to the newly elected Ambrose has been preserved from St. Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea (elected bishop in the same year 370), in which he thanks God for choosing as archpastor of the Church “a man experienced in administration, outstanding in his wisdom, noble in origin, known throughout the world for the power of eloquence” (PG 32, 709; cited from 123, p. 85). Ambrose's brother Satyr (378) sacrificed his career out of love for his brother and, leaving his high position (he was also the governor of one of the provinces), moved to Milan. He took over the management of the bishop's house, freeing Ambrose from many routine duties. This help was relatively short-lived, but extremely important for Ambrose. ARCHIPASTORAL MINISTRY. ATTITUDE TO THE STATE The new bishop immediately donated all his enormous wealth to the Church - “all the gold and silver... and even estates” (“aurum opte atque argentum... praedia etiam” b1, p. 38); and distributed the rest of the property to the poor, orphans and widows. “The example that Ambrose set with his action,” emphasizes the modern Italian researcher Angelo Paredi, “was worth incomparably more than many beautiful speeches. Having agreed to accept the election of the people of Milan, he decided to be a true Christian, moreover, an example for Christians” (123, p. 83). From the moment of his election to the episcopal see until the end of his days, Saint Ambrose strictly observed the vow of non-covetousness, was faithful to monastic asceticism and led the most strict ascetic lifestyle. He used to stay awake at night as much as possible, devoting the night hours to prayer and contemplation of God. Ambrose was able to charismatically combine detachment from earthly things, severe abstinence and daily fasting, long prayer vigils and scholarly works with service to the world and neighbors, with the calling of a confessor and the service of an archpastor, with the activities of a theologian and preacher. In one of the letters of 379 to a certain Constantius (in all likelihood, the bishop of Claterna), Ambrose instructs him in pastoral activities: “We are always in the face of the Judge, Whom no one can deceive... The riches of this world should serve us in order to save the soul, and not in order to lose it. You, bishop, must be a model for everyone” (30, II, pp. 10–11; pp. 27–28). Ambrose was such a model for everyone. He fully justified the trust placed in him, gaining the deepest respect and love not only from the believing people, but also from the emperor. Valentinian I treated him with confidence and benevolent tolerance. Ambrose more than once pointed out to Caesar the injustices that occurred in the courts. “Correct our mistakes, as the Divine Law teaches, and heal the iniquities of our souls,” the emperor answered him. Valentinian I's successor, Gratian (375–383), also treated Ambrose with due respect. Heeding the advice of the saint, he issued several decrees that contributed to the establishment of Christianity in the empire. In particular, in 379, Emperor Gratian decreed that heresies should be put an end to. Presiding at the Church Council in Aquileia (in September 381), Bishop Ambrose not only condemned two Arian bishops, but also achieved their excommunication from the Church, acting in accordance with Pope St. Damasus I (366–384). Having received from Ambrose the Statement of the Orthodox Faith, Emperor Gratian, at the insistence of the saint, removed from the hall of the Roman Senate the altar of the Goddess of Victory (Victoria), before which pagan oaths were taken. The pagans, represented by their famous orator Symmachus, a Roman senator, demanded in 382 that the statue be placed in its original place. But Emperor Gratian heeded Ambrose’s convincing arguments and refused this claim. In the same year, he ordered the funds annually spent on pagan festivals to be transferred to the treasury, and also sequestered the lands of the priests. Such a strong influence of Ambrose on the emperor is largely explained by his blessed gifts, especially the gift of miracles. It is known, for example, that in the same year 382, ​​while in Rome, St. Ambrose healed a noble matron from paralysis in her house on Trastevere: the sick woman was healed by touching the saint’s clothes during the Eucharistic prayer. Ambrose, however, had a conflict with the emperor's mother Justina, who shared the misconceptions of the Arians. Justina especially disliked Ambrose after he prevented the appointment of an Arian bishop, her protege, to a vacant position in the city of Sirmium. In revenge on Ambrose, Justina in 38S ordered the main basilica of Mediolan to be given to the Arians (it was built by St. Ambrose on the site of the pagan shrine of Aesculapius and was initially consecrated by him in the name of the holy martyrs Chrysanthos and Daria, and then in the name of the holy martyrs Gervasius and Protasius, whose relics were miraculously found by Ambrose in 380; – see 132, p. 98). Saint Ambrose resolutely opposed this: “I am ready to give the emperor everything that belongs to me and lay down my very life for him, but I cannot give what belongs to God. The church of God cannot be abandoned by His priest,” he answered. Christians faithful to the Church, led by Ambrose, withstood a real siege in the cathedral for three days, singing psalms. When the soldiers burst into the church and saw the saint, who continued to calmly perform divine services, they fell at the feet of Ambrose and announced that they had come here to pray, and not to fight. In January of the following year, 386, Justina obtained from the emperor the publication of a decree that granted the Arians complete freedom of religious meetings in churches, and threatened the death penalty for any opposition to them. Saint Ambrose called this decree a “bloody edict” and again rejected the order to hand over the Milan basilica to heretics. He also refused to comply with Justina's order to leave Milan. To prevent possible reprisals by the authorities against the beloved bishop, the people, for his safety, were constantly with him in the basilica. Saint Ambrose edified the believers with his teachings, prayed and chanted prayers with them. It was then that he organized alternating (antiphonal) singing in the church, which soon spread widely in the Church and began to be used everywhere. Defending the independence of the Church from the state and protecting its autonomous rights in the face of secular power - all this continued to remain an important aspect in the activities of St. Ambrose. He managed to begin and complete the construction of two large basilicas in Mediolan - Ambrosian (which was mentioned above) and Apostolic (now the Church of St. Nazarius the Roman, commemorated October 14). Not only his spiritual height, but also his extraordinary administrative and diplomatic abilities, integrity, firmness and courage helped him achieve significant influence on the religious policies of the emperors. For the history of the 4th century, an important documentary source is the correspondence of St. Ambrose, dating from a wide range of 379–396. She gives extremely interesting information about the era. Particularly valuable is the letter in which the saint imposed penance on Emperor Theodosius I (379–395). Due to the fault of the emperor, who took revenge on his rebellious subjects for the murder of his military leader in Thessalonica, many people died in the local circus. Filled with pastoral boldness, the saint wrote an indignant letter to the emperor. He did not allow the emperor into the church, inviting him to publicly repent, and imposed penance on him. Feodosia obeyed. For eight months he did not attend services in the church, staying with the penitents, and only then, after public repentance (on Christmas 390), was accepted into church communion by Ambrose. For the saint there was no difference between the king and the commoner. And even after freeing Theodosius from penance, the saint did not allow the emperor to take communion with the clergy: when the emperor wanted to take his usual place in the altar during the service in the Milan Cathedral, Ambrose ordered him to leave and forced him to stand with the entire flock. Until that time, Caesar in the imagination of his subjects seemed to be a being of a higher order, standing above any laws. Ambrose's position, far beyond the usual, greatly influenced the change in such ideas. According to a figurative comparison of a modern researcher, “in the imagination of the people, the image of Ambrose acquired the scale of John the Baptist before Herod, the prophet Nathan denouncing David” (123, p. 237). The saint also managed to insist that Emperor Theodosius I issue a decree prohibiting executions. sentence within thirty days after conviction, in order to avoid miscarriages of justice. And on other occasions, Saint Ambrose invariably reminded the emperors that they, like other Christians, were obliged to recognize the indisputable supremacy of the Church in matters of religion and morality. Ambrose's letter to Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (who was consul) is also a historical document of paramount importance. Let's look at it in more detail. In 384, Symmachus handed Emperor Valentinian II a note on behalf of the “pagan lobby” in the Senate, demanding the rehabilitation of gods from the Roman pantheon. He put the credo of the pagan party into the mouth of the patron goddess of Rome herself: “I want to live according to my customs, for I am free. This [pagan] cult conquered the entire globe to my power, these shrines forced Hannibal to move away from my walls, the Gauls from the Capitol... We look at the same stars, the same sky above us, the same world surrounds us. Is it so important on what paths everyone seeks the truth? The mystery is too great for one road to lead to it.” These excited words, which evoke involuntary sympathy, were remembered by Dante and Cola di Rienzo; they made a strong impression on Ambrose's contemporaries. Ambrose considered it his pastoral duty to answer. “The truth that the pagans grope for,” he emphasized, “is clearly proclaimed by Revelation. The idols and superstitious customs of the pagans have long been ridiculed by their own philosophers. Symmachus and others like him demand the return of the money to the Vestals because they do not believe that there is free innocence in the world” (“Against Symmachus”). The saint’s famous work “On the Duties of the Clergy” testifies to his deep awareness of his pastoral duty; it contains instructions not only for the conduct of church services, but also moral instructions to ministers of the Church, who must not forget about the Gospel commandment: “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” It is remarkable that these words of the Savior are quoted word for word by three evangelists: Matthew (22:2), Mark (12:17) and Luke (20:25). The main duty of a clergyman is to support Christian love in the hearts of his flock, which is a sign of true faith. This idea is repeatedly emphasized by Saint Ambrose: “It is better to preserve living cups of souls than metal cups” (20, 2, p. 138). Having ascended the episcopal see, Ambrose immediately began a thorough study of theology, based on the authority of Holy Scripture. According to St. Augustine, he zealously studied the works of the Greek fathers, especially Origen and St. Hippolytus of Rome (Greek by origin), as well as his contemporaries - Didymus and St. Basil the Great. “I do not seek to appropriate to myself,” he writes, “the glory of the apostle, for who would dare to do this except those chosen by God Himself; - also the grace of the prophet, the strength of the virtue of evangelists, the prudence of shepherds; I wish to achieve only one thing: that diligence and that diligence in the study of the Holy Scriptures, which the Apostle indicated as the main duty among the duties of the saints, so that through this diligence I could learn to teach” (De off. ministr. I, 3, 13; quoted from: 77, p. 5). Ambrose's sermons were not distinguished by any exceptional originality of thought; but they were filled with the depth and strength of faith, the passion of its confession, and therefore had a very significant influence on the listeners. Most of them were written in the silence of the night (since the author was too busy with archpastoral duties during the day), and then pronounced during the service in the church. Ambrose spoke in his sermons in defense of the apostolic ideal, against various vices, denouncing the sins, especially pride, violence, luxury and debauchery of the great of this world. In this respect, it seems to us, he anticipated Savonarola (1452–1498). Like the great Dominican, Ambrose addressed himself primarily not to the privileged classes, not to philosophers from high society, but to the broad masses of the demos. Roman law, which protected the privileges of the rich, was for him a relic of paganism. Many centuries before the social utopians, Ambrose taught the primacy of the common good, that the land belonged to all people and that it was the only natural right, while private property arose from violence. He denounced not only large landowners, but also rich merchants, whom he called a robber tribe: “You rich people are not so worried about your benefit as about your privileges... The rubbish of the poor enriches you more than all your other earnings” (114, p. 77). As a preacher, Ambrose is also known for his funeral orations dedicated to his brother Satyr, the emperors Valentinian II and Theodosius I. In the person of St. Ambrose, the Church of Christ in the West gave the greatest preacher and apologist, equal to St. John Chrysostom in the East. It can be considered that it was his works that built a bridge between the carefully developed theology of the Greek Fathers of the Church (whose works Ambrose, who spoke Greek perfectly, knew perfectly well) and subsequent Latin-speaking theologians. “Excellent knowledge of Greek allowed Ambrose to read all the works of Philo, Origen, Basil, Josephus, Hippolytus of Rome, Eusebius of Caesarea, Didymus, and Athanasius. Although he rarely directly refers to Philo and Origen, when commenting on Scripture he is usually guided by their writings. He drew so much from them that it was sometimes possible to reconstruct the text of Philo thanks to the Latin text of Ambrose. His subtle instinct in matters of Orthodox doctrine allowed him to easily make amendments to those interpretations of Philo in which the influence of Judaism was felt, or to too allegorical interpretations of Origen” (123, p. 88). Along with the method of symbolic exegesis, Ambrose obviously borrowed a number of substantive ideas from the Greeks. The Greeks tended to interpret the Bible in Neoplatonist terms, and some of these speculations passed on to Ambrose. He, for example, denied the positivity of evil: evil is non-existence (De Is. 60–61); argued that the soul is immortal, for it is life (De bon. mort. IX 42); that man is a soul that owns a body (Ibid. VII 27), etc. Hence the idea of ​​God as an absolute being, “always existing” (De fid. Ill 15). “Thus, it can be assumed that Ambrose was precisely that mediator between Greek and Latin Christian thought, without whose existence it would have been very difficult to explain the striking coincidences in the views of the Cappadocians and Augustine, who had never read and hardly knew them” (116, pp. 179–180). This circumstance to some extent explains the secret of Ambrose’s influence on Augustine. About the very successful catechetical mission of St. The latter testifies to Ambrose in his “Confession”. Ambrose's outstanding catechetical work is his book “On the Sacraments.” It contains sermons for newly baptized Christians; it is one of four sets of catechetical discourses written in the 4th century by famous bishops and saints. Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem and Theodore of Mopsuestia. “When comparing these four works,” notes Archpriest. John Meyendorff, - one is struck by the amazing uniformity of the tradition. All four describe the same ritual structure: threefold immersion, threefold confession of faith, anointing before and after immersion. The rite of baptism is understood as death, abolishing all previous life, and resurrection together with Christ to new life in Him. The entry into this new life is marked by the first communion” (120, p.228) Pastoral counseling was the main task that Ambrose consciously set for himself as a church writer. It is no coincidence that almost all of his writings are sermons delivered in the church. In his sermons (homilies), Ambrose focuses on issues of morality. It is remarkable how skillfully he reproduces some of the ideas of Cicero and the ancient Stoics acceptable to Christianity. But many fundamentally new things are introduced into their understanding. So, for example, the concept of moral duty acquires a purely Christian justification from Ambrose, arising from the doctrine of God, who rewards everyone according to their deserts in eternal life. Ambrose also deeply rethinks the traditional teaching about virtues from a Christian point of view. Worried about the decline of morals in Roman society, especially in the sphere of relationships between men and women, St. Ambrose extolled the ideal of chastity and virginity. At the same time, he was fully aware that the path of abstinence is intended for a select few - but through them the whole Church is sanctified! And this objectively contributes to the improvement of morals. It is also worthy of praise that St. Ambrose does not detract from the dignity of marriage and its pleasingness to God, being very concerned about the strength and indissolubility of the family union, about its high purpose for procreation. While many Romans preferred temporary relationships with slaves instead of legal marriage, which imposed strict obligations, St. Ambrose admonishes us not to despise marriage and not to humiliate ourselves as slaves. In discussing the advantages of virginity, he, however, involuntarily falls into a kind of pathetic rigorism when, for example, he sternly and without a shadow of condescension condemns a virgin who has violated the vow of chastity: “The father is angry with his womb, from which you were conceived; and the mother curses her womb, from which you, unfortunately, were born” (“On Virginity and Marriage”; 55, p. 352). In real life, however, the saint combined inner severity towards himself and people with extraordinary outer kindness. He could not only sternly admonish sinners, but also cry with them during confession, lamenting human sinfulness. He was particularly compassionate about the fate of the unfortunate captives sold into captivity by the barbarians. It must be said that the Roman Empire was constantly subject to barbarian invasions, the sequence of which St. Ambrose wrote: “The Huns attacked the Alans, the Alans attacked the Goths, the Goths attacked the Taifals and Sarmatians; the Goths, expelled from their homeland, captured Illyria from us. And this is not the end! The saint did everything possible and impossible to ransom the captives - he gave not only all his own funds, but also church decorations: “The Church has gold,” he said, “not to hoard it, but to distribute it for the good of people.” A zealous preacher and courageous defender of the Christian faith, Saint Ambrose received particular fame as an outstanding Christian moralist. In his writings on morality, he argued and convincingly revealed the superiority of Christian moral teaching over the moral teaching of pagans. In the dogmatic works of St. Ambrose defended the Orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity, sacraments and repentance. The following works belong to his pen: “5 books about faith”; “Explanation of the Creed”; “On the Incarnation”; “Three books about the Holy Spirit”; “On the Sacraments”; “2 books on repentance” and others. Some of the works of St. Ambrose of Milan are devoted to the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, especially the Old Testament. The hermeneutics of St. Ambrose is characterized by the method of allegorical interpretation, with primary attention to the moral side of a particular problem. From a similar position, Ambrose is also interested in the natural world around us. In his “Six Days,” that is, a commentary on the first chapter of the book of Genesis, Saint Ambrose examines in detail the life and behavior of plants and animals. In a number of specific examples from the life of the plant and animal kingdom, he sees a providential meaning laid down by God during creation, instructive for man. In almost all cases, Ambrose’s exegesis is limited to moral commentary, as a number of Ambrose scholars believe (and not without reason). Indeed, he is of little interest in ontological or epistemological problems. Even in “Six Days” she is relegated to the background. The matter of primary importance for Ambrose the theologian was the defense of the Orthodox teaching about the Holy Trinity in general and about the divinity of the Son in particular, caused by the need for anti-Arian polemics. This topic requires our special attention. Ambrose's triadology appears to have been clearly influenced by Philo of Alexandria. In addition to the Logos, as the Firstborn Son of God, Philo also distinguished secondary logoi, subordinate to Him, through which God enters into communication with man. According to the researcher (100, p.6), we find something similar in St. Ambrose, who knows the human word (verbum est humanum), the heavenly word (verbum coeleste), the angelic word (verbum angelorum), the word of Dominions and Powers (verbum Dominationum et Potestatum), the word of truth (justitiae), purity (castitatis), wisdom (prudentiae), piety (pietatis), virtue (virtutis); Ambrose further calls the word apostolic (apostolicum), prophetic (propheticum), evangelical (evangelicum). In this aspect, Ambrose differs from Philo in that he more definitely states the unity and complete identity of the partial logoi (words) with the One Hypostasis Logos, the Son of God: “The one Word is many words and many form one Word” (35, ps. 118, III). The attitude of the Logos to the Divine nature is characterized by Ambrose with concepts that, although they were known in the West, were practically not used in solving the Trinitarian problem. In the East, they were used by Origen, again not without the influence of Philo and the Neoplatonists. Thus, the Divine Word in Ambrose is called God (Deus), Son (Filius), Wisdom (Sa-pientia). Strength (Virtus), Truth (Veritas), Life (Vita). The deepest of these concepts in Ambrose is the concept of the Son as the image (imago) of God the Father. The teaching about the third Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity is revealed by Ambrose in no less detail than the teaching about the Son. His essay “On the Holy Spirit” (“De Spiritu Sancto”) is important in the history of theological thought of the Western Church. Following Didymus, Ambrose exposes the main point of reasoning about the Holy Spirit as the service of the creature and the non-service of the Holy Spirit. His divinity seems undeniable to Ambrose, as well as the independence of His Hypostasis, as a result of which the Holy Spirit cannot be identified with the Father and the Son. According to the researcher (see 90, p.47), there are two points where Ambrose and the Cappadocians differ. This is, firstly, the question of the relationship of the hypostases with each other. While the Cappadocians did not completely manage to free themselves from traces of subordinationism, Ambrose (following Didymus) proceeds from the fact that all hypostases are equal; and he applies those passages of Scripture that directly relate to one Hypostasis to the entire Trinity (90, p. 51). Another question separating Ambrose and the Cappadocians is the question of the number of the Hypostases of the Holy Trinity. The Cappadocians, based on their idea of ​​the Father as the beginning of the Trinity, allowed a certain order in the number of Hypostases. Ambrose denies it, not at all allowing the application of numerical categories to the Trinity. “And with his teaching about the equality of the Hypostases and the denial of Their numerical order, Ambrose breaks ties with Tertullian’s teaching about different degrees within the Divine Monarchy” (90, p. 54). At the same time, he corrects it, developing the doctrine of the timeless Birth of the Son and thereby being one of the first to adapt the Trinitarian scheme to the creed of the First Ecumenical Council. “Of all the Latin Fathers of the Church, Ambrose,” emphasizes the outstanding modern theologian Olivier Clément, “is undoubtedly the most harmonious in his thinking. He managed to combine the virtue of a Roman citizen with deep faith, Greek knowledge of theology with Latin pastoral and moral feeling” (127, p. 305). Ambrose's literary talent found expression in his poetic work - he wrote many liturgical hymns. Some of them have survived centuries and reached us. These are a hymn for morning prayer (“Aeternum rerum conditor”), a hymn for evening prayer (“Deus creator omnium”), a hymn for chastity (“Praise of the Virgins”) and a hymn in honor of the holy martyr Agnes. The solemn hymn of thanksgiving “Te Deum laudamus” (“We praise You, God,” 386) is especially widely known, which is still performed in the Western and Eastern Churches (in particular, as a New Year’s prayer service): We confess You, Lord! To You all the angels, To You the heavens and all powers, To You the cherubim and seraphim Ceaselessly cry: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!.. The heavens and earth are full of the Greatness of Your Glory! And the wise apostolic face, And the wonderful prophetic host, And the bright army of martyrs Rejoice and glorify You! Creator of incomprehensible greatness and Your Only Begotten Son and the Good Comforter Spirit - You are confessed throughout the entire universe by the Holy Church! Christ, King of Glory, Eternal Son, for the sake of the redemption of man, You did not disdain to take on nature and became incarnate in the pure womb of the Virgin. You tore out the sting of death, trampled on Death and opened Heaven to the believers! In the Glory of the Father, at the Right Hand of God, You are the Judge coming into the world! We pray to You: Help us, sinners, Redeemed by Your Most Pure Blood! Cleanse us, make us like saints, and grant us the power to reign with the saints! Save Your people, All-merciful God, And bless Your heritage! Correct us and exalt us forever, And all the days we will bless You, We will always, forever glorify Your Name! Grant, O God, that on this day we may be preserved from sin. Have mercy on us, Lord, Have mercy on us: May Your mercy be constant; We trust in You, Lord, And, having trusted, let us not be ashamed. Amen.”(58) Outstanding researcher of Latin literature prof. I.N. Golenishchev-Kutuzov in his monograph “Medieval Latin Literature of Italy” (see 114) gives a very high assessment of St. Ambrose as a poet-hymnographer. The scientist considers him “the founder of rhythmic literary poetry” in Italy - it is him, and not Hilary of Poitiers (Hilary of Poitiers), who is generally considered the first author of liturgical hymns. It is difficult, however, to agree with the statement that Ambrose composed his church hymns for practical reasons in order to successfully resist his opponents - the Arians, as the researcher claims. Saint Ambrose, first of all, followed the voice from above, his inner calling and the Divine call. It was in this aspect that he anticipated the work of St. John of Damascus, Roman the Sweet Singer, Simeon the New Theologian and other great Christian hymnographers. “The merit of Ambrose is that he, even more than Hilary of Poitiers, transferred to the West the Eastern method of symbolic and allegorical exegesis. It was in this that he was Augustine’s teacher,” notes another modern researcher (116, p. 179). In this context, what deserves our attention, first of all, is the analysis of the versification of St. Ambrose. Without going into details, let's move on to the conclusion made by prof. I.N. Golenishchev-Kutuzov: “His versification is a combination of classical iambics with syllabic-tonic folk poetry, and he strives to ensure that the ictus coincide with the tonic stresses: Deus creator omnium polique rector, vestiens diem decoro lumine iioctem soporis gratia. Creator, creator of all things, ruling the firmament of heaven, clothing the day with light, night with a blissful dream.” (Translation by I.N. G.-K.) And further: “Thanks to his significant poetic talent, surpassing the talents of all his predecessors, Ambrose managed to create iambic verses with a dactylic ending, which were destined to resound for many centuries. Note that poetry in Italian, especially in eleven-syllables, has an iambic tendency; To be convinced of this, it is enough to analyze the beginning of the “Divine Comedy”. Ambrose's acatalectic (untruncated, full) iambic dimeter is divided into stanzas (usually eight in one poem). Ambrose did not invent his own meter. In folk Latin poetry, iambic meter was very common, but it gave it an unusual harmony. Ambrose was not only a poet, but also a composer. His poems were not read like the poems of Guy Juvencus (Roman poet from Spain), but they were sung” (114, p. 66). To this we add that it is Ambrose (and not the poet Sedulius) who can be considered the inventor of rhyme, since in Ambrose’s hymns full-sounding rhymes replace assonance for the first time (114, p. 65). In addition, it is worthy of mention that Ambrose (following Lactantius and Cicero) already used the system of clauses both as an orator and as a poet. Ambrose certainly had a strong poetic gift, which was evident not only in his liturgical hymns, but also in his sermons and theological writings. Many pages of his “Six Days” surprise us even today with expressive poetic metaphors, for example, in the famous description of the sea: “The sea is beautiful when the waves rise and crash on the shore, or when it irrigates the rocks with snow foam, or when the water surface is covered with swells under the blow of a light wind and purple distances are spread out in the midst of serene peace before the gaze... when it does not crash stormy waves onto the shores, but he caresses them and, as it were, greets them with friendly embraces: and how sweet the sound, how pleasant the noise, how harmoniously the waves roll in!” (-Exa-meron, 3, 5) Peru St. Ambrose owns 42 hexameters (21 distiches), which he ordered to be inscribed as signatures for the frescoes on the walls of the Ambrosian Basilica, which he built, illustrating the most significant stories from the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. These geskameters have partially reached us, published in the 16th century by Canon Francis Jure, but the frescoes themselves have not survived. However, even the mention of them is precious, the Italian researcher Angelo Paredi rightly believes: “it indicates that while the intellectual Augustine considered both sculpture and painting unnecessary, Ambrose, with his characteristic practical sense, was, on the contrary, confident that no one reads edifying books, while a beautiful painting, a beautiful statue are the most accessible and effective call and warning for people” (123, p. 236). From St. Augustine's Confessions we learn that as a musician St. Ambrose was influenced by Greek music. He, in turn, had many imitators. The “Confessions” of St. Augustine and some other sources make it possible to establish which hymns belong to the authorship of Ambrose himself. In this publication we publish the most famous of them (see Appendix). The list of the first hymns used in the early Church is preserved in the Alexandrian Codex of the 5th century (see 105, p. 29). It includes ten Old Testament songs. The Great Doxology, the song of Simeon the God-Receiver, the prayer of King Manasseh, etc. As for the so-called “spiritual songs” that are in the charter of the initial daily services, they, according to Egon Wellesch, belong to “melismatic” chants, the main type of which is “Alleluia”. And here, according to Rev. John Meyendorff, it is possible to establish a connection with the more ancient synagogue tradition: “it is indicated, for example, by the musical structure of the Alliluarii of the Ambrosian Liturgy, the most ancient example of them that has come down to us” (120, p. 174). As a transformer of church singing, St. Ambrose introduced antiphonal singing into the Western Church (according to the Eastern, Syrian model), known as the “Ambrosian chant”; this chant (from the Greek antifonon) is sung alternately by two choirs. Blessed Augustine (in his Confessions) and the biographer of St. Paulinus testify to this. Pope Celestine I (422–432), who later spread antiphonal singing in Rome, was a parishioner of St. Ambrose in Milan. Celestine I left the following testimony about this: “I remember how, on the day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ of blessed memory, Ambrose encouraged the people to sing in unison: “Come, Redeemer of the human race, show the Virgin giving birth, and all ages will be amazed: for this birth befits only God” (quoted from: 123, p. 230). Compared with the Gregorian chant, the Ambrosian chant singing seems simpler and more direct. Saint Ambrose composed 12 hymns, which were performed during the period of his bishopric. “A poet and composer, he is truly the creator of hymns of the Latin Church - hymns that united the entire church people in worship” (127, p. 306). Towards the end of his life, Saint Ambrose enjoyed fame and popular love, worthily bearing the difficult burden of his cross. Tradition has preserved many stories about the miracles performed by Ambrose during these years. They say, for example, that one day a certain Arian saw an angel in the church who spoke into Ambrose’s ear those words that the saint then conveyed to the people. Shocked by this, the Arian immediately brought repentance to the saint and was accepted into church communion. One way or another, there is no doubt that Ambrose was a great charismatic personality and was granted special spiritual gifts from the Lord, for example, the gift of healing from ailments and illnesses. The saint combined meekness and ardent love for his neighbors with unshakable firmness of spirit. Many Christians who resorted to his prayerful help during the saint’s lifetime received healing with his help. Once in Florence, while staying in the house of Decent, he resurrected a dead boy. The rumor about the ascetic deeds of Bishop Ambrose grew into great fame and attracted many followers to him. From distant Persia, learned sages came to him to find the Truth. Fritigilda, the queen of the warlike Germanic tribe of Marcomanni, who threatened Milan, asked the saint to instruct her in the Christian faith. Ambrose, in a letter to her (396), so convincingly set out the fundamental dogmas of the Church that not only Fritigilda herself believed in the Savior and was baptized, but she also converted her husband to Christianity and convinced him to conclude a peace treaty with the Roman Empire. The modern Italian researcher Giacomo Biffi (see 129) draws attention to one very significant episode in the last segment of the life of Saint Ambrose, which is dated November 4, 393. On this day in Bologna, at the invitation of the local bishop (most likely, he was Ambrose’s friend Eusebius), the discovery of the relics of the martyrs Agricola and Vitaly took place. This event took place at the Jewish cemetery of Bologna, with the participation of local Jews. This suggests that the martyrs themselves (or at least one of them, Agricola) were Jewish by origin. Which, in turn, explains the type of their execution: they were crucified, and the cross was intended for those who did not have Roman citizenship. Ambrose poetically describes the spiritual unity of the two Bolognese communities - Christian and Jewish, they seem to alternate in antiphonal singing, praising the slain: “The Jews, seeing the martyrs, said: “We saw flowers on the earth.” Christians exclaimed: “The time of harvest has come”; now the reaper “receives his reward; others have sowed, and we are gathering the fruits of martyrdom.” And again the Jews, hearing the voices of the jubilant Church, said to each other: “The cooing of the turtledove can be heard on our land” (“Admonition on Virginity”, 8; cited in: 129, p. 54). “This text stands out for its special warmth towards the Synagogue,” emphasizes Giacomo Biffi. – We quoted him with lively sympathy. We cherish the opportunity, when remembering what happened one thousand six hundred years ago, to express here our respect and affection for the Jewish community living in Bologna today” (ibid.). In the 90s, Ambrose founded a new monastery in Mediolan. At this time, he had to endure considerable grief caused by the fact that two monks left the monastery and retired into the world, beginning to lead a “bad life.” Before this wound had time to heal, Ambrose suffered a new loss - Emperor Theodosius the Great died in his arms (395), the same one whom he did not allow into the church (for beating the Thessalonian Christians) and thereby brought to his senses for the rest of his life. The funeral speech of the saint over the tomb of the deceased is striking in its emotion and simplicity: “I loved this man, who favored those who denounced more than the hangers-on..., who, with his last breath, sought me in spirit, who, parting with his body, cared more about the state of the churches than thought about his own dangers. I confess that I loved this husband and therefore I sympathize with him with all my heart, and for consolation I continue my speech. I loved him, and I hope that the Lord will accept the voice of my prayer for his pious soul. “Having buried the emperor, Saint Ambrose until the end of his days felt the irreplaceability of this loss. History has preserved little information about the last period of his life. In all likelihood, the saint could no longer exert such influence on state affairs as before. The new emperor Honorius (395–423) was influenced by his first minister Stilicho, who did not like Ambrose. There was even a clash between them over the issue of the right of church asylum. A certain man named Crescentius, persecuted by Stilicho, decided to take advantage of this right, and Saint Ambrose took him under his protection. But Stilicho sent soldiers who burst into the church and, trampling on the right of church refuge, took Crescentius by force. God was pleased to soon bring Stilicho to his senses: the leopards suddenly attacked those same soldiers in the amphitheater and killed them. Stilicho took this as a punishment from above, repented and allowed Crescentius to return to the church. His attitude towards Ambrose changed dramatically. When the saint fell ill and informed those close to him of his departure, Stilicho, learning about this, exclaimed: “This is a mortal blow for all of Italy!” He hastened to send people spiritually close to him to the bishop so that they would beg him to beg God for an extension of his life. “I did not live among you,” answered the saint, “so that I should be ashamed to live; but I am not afraid to die, since we have a merciful Lord.” By the grace of God, Ambrose foreknew of his imminent departure to another world. A few days before his death, Ambrose saw the Savior, who, smiling, called him to Himself. “I will be with you only until Easter,” Ambrose said to his entourage. On the eve of the lesson day, April 3, 397, Good Friday, Saint Ambrose lay with his arms outstretched in the shape of a cross from 5 o’clock until late evening. His lips moved silently, but no one could make out the words... Bishop Honorat of Vercelle, who was vigilantly on duty at the bed of the sick man, lay down to rest in the upper part of the house. At dawn on Holy Saturday, he heard a voice saying three times: “Get up, hurry, he is dying.” Bishop Honorat took the Holy Gifts and hurried to Ambrose. Having received the Holy Mysteries, the saint peacefully departed to the heavenly monasteries. His death was accompanied by a miraculous sign of God's mercy: he appeared in a vision to children being baptized on Easter night. His body was transferred to the church dedicated to the Milanese martyrs Gervasius and Protasius, and buried under the altar, between these saints. In 823, the relics of St. Ambrose were found by the Milanese bishop Angilbert II, who, according to the researchers’ description, “placed them in a porphyry sarcophagus” along with the relics of Saints Gervasius and Protasius. It was probably at that time that Saint Ambrose was glorified and canonized, since in the East his memory has been celebrated since the 9th century. This sarcophagus was found in 1864. In iconography, Saint Ambrose is usually depicted as a bishop with a club (a cloth rhombus, a symbol of spiritual weapons), a miter and a staff, and sometimes with a swarm of bees at his feet, reminiscent of an event in his childhood. There are other images in which Ambrose is represented with a scourge in his hand, as a sign of his victory over the Arians, or with two bones in his hand - as a sign of his discovery of the relics of the holy martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. The most famous pictorial representation of St. Ambrose is the painting by the great Flemish artist Peter Rubens in the Belvedere Gallery in Vienna: it depicts the meeting of Ambrose with the Emperor Theodosius in the portico of the Mediolan basilica. Throughout his long life, Ambrose of Milan worked hard, although he was a man of poor health - at first glance, too fragile, as we see him on the mosaic of the Church of St. Vittore (see frontispiece illustration). But in his frail body lived the great energy of his ancestors - the ancient Romans. And his dedication, selflessness and selfless love for his cross were already purely Christian virtues. Researchers of the spiritual heritage of St. Ambrose are unanimous in this. An ascetic life crowned with high virtues, brilliant eloquence and Christian courage, and finally, many of Ambrose’s works brought well-deserved fame not only in Gaul and Italy, but also in Greece, Asia Minor and Western Asia, Egypt and Libya. The memory of St. Ambrose of Milan is celebrated by the Church on December 7/20.