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70 (Maur. 56). Ambrose Theophilos 185 1. Evagrius has no reason to insist 186, but Flavian has reason to be afraid 187, which is why he avoids the trial. Let the brothers forgive us our just indignation, because because of them the whole world is in turmoil, but they do not at all sympathize with our pain. At the very least, let them calmly endure the censure of those who, as they see, have been suffering from their disagreement for so long. Indeed, because of these two, unable to come to the peace of Christ, grave discord spread throughout the world. 2. In this shipwreck of the good world, the holy Synod of Capua has at last offered a safe harbor, that throughout the East ecclesiastical unity may be granted to all who have the Catholic faith, and these two are to be tried in the presence of your holiness and our Egyptian brother bishops alike, because, in our opinion, it will be fair that no one should be given preference because of the existing ecclesiastical communion. We felt that this would be a fair trial where neither side would be given preference due to existing commonalities. 3. When we were already hoping to find a healing remedy and put an end to discord, thanks to the just decisions of the synod, your holiness reported that our brother Flavian again resorted to the help of petitions and the assistance of imperial rescripts. It turns out that the work of so many bishops was in vain and again we must turn to worldly courts, again to rescripts; The elder bishops will again be disturbed, crossing the seas, and, weak in body, they will exchange their homeland for a foreign land. Once again altars will be abandoned so that we can go on long journeys, again many poor bishops, for whom poverty was not previously a burden, needing help from outside, will be forced to complain about the lack of funds or, in any case, to spend on travel expenses what was intended to feed the poor! 4. Meanwhile, only Flavian, who, as it seems to him, is not subject to the law, does not appear at the trial, while we all appeared. The lender and the debtor meet each other, but they cannot meet each other. Flavian alone is excluded, at his own discretion, from the community of bishops, and neither imperial decrees nor the general will of the bishops can force him to appear. 5. However, although we are indignant because of this, we do not give preference to brother Evagrius, who feels more confident because Flavian avoids him and because, in his opinion, both of them are in an equal position. Each of them hopes more to discover errors in the other’s performance than in their own. However, we offer them a better way, since we prefer those who are protected by their own merits, and not by the vices of others. 6. Since you said in your letter that a way can be found to end the discord between the brothers if the Holy Synod gives the right of inquiry to you and our other Egyptian brother-bishops, you should once again turn to our brother Flavian. If he persists in his refusal to appear, you, without affecting universal peace, will turn to the saving decrees of the Council of Nicea, as well as the Synod of Capua, so that it does not look like we are destroying what has been built. If I destroy what I have built, I will make myself a hypocrite, even if I rebuild what I destroyed 188. Therefore, let the gracious peace between everyone remain intact, and the refusal of one of the parties will not render all efforts in vain. 7. We, of course, believe that it is necessary to turn to our holy brother, the bishop of the Roman Church, because we foresee that you will make a judgment that will not be displeasing to him. The decision of your court will be useful, ensuring peace and quiet, only if the decision of your court does not introduce discord into our fellowship, so that we, having received your decisions and knowing that the Roman Church has approved them without hesitation, will joyfully accept the fruits of this proceeding. 71 (Maur. 56a). About Bishop Bonosa 189 1. You have sent a letter in which, either for the sake of truth or out of humility, you wish to know our opinion about Bonose 190 . Since the Synod of Capua decided to appoint Bonosa and his accusers judges from among their neighbors, primarily the Macedonians, who, together with the Bishop of Thessaloniki 191, were to conduct an investigation into his affairs, we draw your attention to the fact that we cannot judge this matter. If the synod were still ongoing, then, of course, we would make a decision regarding everything that is stated in your letters. But since you agreed with the decision of the synod, therefore, it was up to you to pass judgment on everything and not give the opportunity to either the accusers or the accused to avoid or evade the trial. Chosen by the synod for the trial, you assumed the rights of the synod. 2. After your trial, Bishop Bonoz sent a letter to our brother Ambrose, asking for advice about his sentence: whether to break the ban and return to the affairs of the Church from which he was expelled. He was given the answer that there should be no violations, but everything must be done humbly, patiently, according to the rules and not do anything contrary to your verdict, since you carried out the judgment in accordance with your judgment of the truth, and this power was given to you by the synod. The most important thing is that those who are given the right to judge judge. As we have already written, you pass judgment on behalf of the entire synod, but it is not appropriate for us to judge on behalf of the synod. 3. Of course, the justice of the verdict cannot be denied, and the indignation of your holiness at the opinion that from the virgin womb from which Christ was born according to the flesh, another birth 192 took place is justified! The Lord Jesus would not have chosen to be born of a Virgin if He had believed that She would be so incontinent that she would defile the bridal chamber of the Body of the Lord, this palace of the eternal King, with human seed. And the one who proves this only repeats the wickedness of the Jews, who say that He could not be born of a Virgin. If the bishops assert this and consider that Mary gave birth many times, then the Jews will dispute the truth of the faith with even greater zeal. 4. But what about the words of the Lord to the Mother about the Evangelist John: Woman, behold, your son, - to John about Mary: Behold, your Mother! (John 19:27)? What does it mean when the Lord, crucified on the cross, having taken away the sin of the world 194, publicly declared the purity of the Mother? Why else is this said, if not to stop the lying lips of wickedness, so that the one who dares to bring accusations against the Mother of the Lord is speechless? Witness - He is both the Judge and the defender of maternal chastity, that She was only betrothed to Joseph, but did not know marital intercourse by the right of the marriage bed 195. If She were to have children with Joseph, the Lord would not want to separate Her from marital communion with her husband. 5. But, if this is not enough, the evangelist added another testimony: The disciple took Her to himself (John 19:27). Did he really cause a divorce, did he really kidnap his wife from her husband? So why does the one who reads this in the Gospel hesitate and stagger, as if suffering a shipwreck? 6. This is the testimony of the Son to the purity of the Mother, this is the legacy of Mary, abounding in immaculate modesty, this is the completion of the fulfillment. The Lord said this and gave up the spirit (John 19:20), crowning the sacrament with the good crown of filial love. 7. We also carefully read the entire letter: both that our brother Bishop Vassu 196 was given Senezion to help manage the church, and about the rest. So, we are waiting for your instructions and the decision of your court. 72 (Maur. 17). Bishop Ambrose to the Most Blessed Princeps. and to the most Christian Emperor Valentinian 197 1. Just as all people under the rule of Rome serve you, the lords of the lands and princeps, so you yourself are in the service of almighty God and the holy faith. Otherwise there can be no salvation unless everyone faithfully worships the true God, that is, the God of Christians, who rules over all. He alone is the true God, Who is revered with all the heart, for all the gods of the nations are idols (Ps. 96:5), says Scripture. 2. Everyone serves this true God, and whoever promises to honor Him sincerely from the depths of his soul does so sincerely, zealously, reverently and faithfully. Λ if this does not work out, then at least one should not participate in the veneration of idols and pagan rituals. No one will deceive God, to whom all the secrets of the heart are revealed 198. 3. When you, the most Christian emperor, must demonstrate faith in the true God, and in zeal for faith itself - prudence and devotion, I am surprised how anyone could have the hope that you, by your command, would restore the altars of the pagan gods and allocate funds for wicked sacrifices. These funds have been given to the state or imperial treasury for so long that it may seem that you are giving them what is yours rather than returning what belongs to them. 4. Those who never spared our blood, who tore down the church buildings themselves to the ground, are complaining about the lack of funds. They also demand that you give privileges to those who, in accordance with the last law of Julian, denied us the general right to speak and teach 199; Moreover, they want the same privileges with which they caught Christians: some through foolishness, while others themselves wanted to avoid the burden of public duties, and since not everyone turns out to be persistent enough, even under the rule of Christian princeps, many fell 200. 5. If these privileges had not already been abolished, I would approve if you abolished them by your decision. Almost all over the world, the majority of rulers have abolished and prohibited them, and in Rome it was your honor’s brother, Gratian of blessed memory, who abolished and prohibited them by his decrees, thinking about the true faith. I pray, do not destroy what was built with faith, and do not cancel the commands of your brother! No one will think of canceling his decisions regarding civil affairs; is it really possible to trample on those that relate to piety? 6. Let no one take advantage of your young age. And if a pagan is the one who seeks privileges, he should not bind your mind with the chains of his own superstition, but with his zeal he should show and remind how you should care about the true faith, if he so zealously defends vain things. I also advise giving credit to the merits of glorious men, but, of course, God should be given preference over everyone. 7. If you need to consult about military affairs, you should listen to the judgment of your husband, seasoned in battles, and agree with his opinion. If we are talking about piety, think about God. No one is offended when God is preferred to him. This person has his own point of view, you will not force him against his will to honor what he does not want. But you also have the same freedom, O Emperor! And everyone must humbly endure if he does not achieve something from the emperor, because he himself would be upset if the emperor began to achieve this from him. The pagans themselves usually do not like hypocrisy: everyone must openly defend the faith of their soul and preserve the most important thing. 8. If some people who call themselves Christians insist on making such a decision, do not let empty sounds deceive your mind, do not be deceived by meaningless words, the one who advises evil sacrifices to idols, and the one who makes such decisions, too. However, the idolatrous sacrifice of one is better than the fall of all. And so the entire Senate consisting of Christians is in danger. 9 . If today any emperor is a pagan 201 - let him not be! - would erect an altar to the fruits and command the Christians to gather to participate in the sacrifices, so that the ashes from the altar, the sacrificial ash and the smoke from the fire would fly into the faces and lungs of the faithful, and if he made decisions in the curia, where those who had sworn allegiance gathered at the altar of the idol to decide - for this is why they erect an altar, so that by the sacred rites performed before it, as they call it, every meeting was sanctified, although the majority in the curia were already Christians - a Christian who would be forced to appear in the Senate under such conditions decided that persecution had already begun. This often happens because they are forced to gather, even under pain of punishment 202 . But will Christians really be forced to swear allegiance at a pagan altar during your reign? What is an oath if not a confession of the divine power of the one whom you call as a witness of faith? And during your reign they ask and demand that you order the erection of an altar and provide funds for pagan sacrifices?! 10. But one cannot make such a decision without committing sacrilege. Therefore, I ask you not to make such a decision, not to issue or sign resolutions of this kind. I, Bishop of Christ, appeal to your faith. And all of us, bishops, would have gathered if the speech in your consistory or the appeal of the Senate had not turned out to be so unexpected and unforeseen for the ears of people. But let’s not say that the Senate demanded this: several pagans appropriate a common name for themselves. Two years ago, when they tried to achieve this, Saint Damasus, Bishop of the Roman Church, elected by the will of God, sent me a petition, which was signed by Christian senators - and by the way, in countless numbers - that they did not support this request for an altar, did not agree with the demands of the pagans, did not give their consent. They also stated publicly and privately that they would not join the Curia if such a decision was made. So is it worthy of your times, that is, Christian times, for the dignity of Christian senators to be belittled, and for pagan senators to be assisted in their wicked expression of will? I sent this petition to your honor's brother, since it is clear from it that the Senate did not give any instructions to the envoys regarding monetary support for superstitions. 11. But one might argue: why were there no Christian senators in the Senate when such demands were made? By their absence they explain quite clearly what they want; This was sufficiently explained by those who spoke with the emperor. And we are still surprised if in Rome the pagan senators deprive private citizens of the freedom to object, if they even deprive you of the freedom to renounce what you do not approve of, or to maintain what you agree with? 12. Remembering the commission recently entrusted to me 204, I again appeal to your faith, I appeal to your soul: do not agree to answer this kind of demand of the pagans and do not commit sacrilege by signing the answer! In any case, consult about him with the parent of your reverence, Prince Theodosius, 205 with whom you are in the habit of consulting on all important issues! There is nothing more important than piety, nothing is higher than faith. 13. If this were a civil question, the answer would depend on the other party. But this is a matter of piety, and I, bishop, appeal to you: give me a copy of the sent report so that I can answer more fully, and in any case be given the right to answer your grace 206. Of course, if the issue is resolved differently, we, the bishops, cannot be indifferent to this and ignore it; you will be able to come to church, but there you will not meet the bishop or you will face his rebuke. 14. What will you answer to the bishop when he tells you: “The Church does not need your offerings, for you have honored the temples of the pagans with offerings. The altar of Christ rejects your gifts because you have erected an altar to idols. Your voice, your hand and your signature are your act. The Lord Jesus does not accept your obedience because you obeyed idols. He told you: you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). The virgins consecrated to God do not have your privileges, but the virgins of Vesta demand them. What do you want from the priests of God, to whom you preferred the wicked petitions of the pagans? We cannot enter into communication with someone else’s delusion.” 15. How do you respond to these words? What are you doing wrong, boy? Every age is perfect with Christ, every age is mature with God. There is no childhood in faith, for even small children confessed Christ, fearlessly looking into the eyes of their persecutors. What will you answer to your brother 207? Will he not tell you: “I did not believe that I was defeated because I left you as emperor. I did not grieve that I died, because I had an heir in you. I was not upset that I parted with power, for I believed that my commands, especially regarding the worship of God, would endure forever. I have erected these monuments of pious valor, I have acquired these trophies of victory over the world, this armor torn from the devil, this booty captured from the enemy, I have sacrificed them all, in this is eternal victory. What could my enemy deprive me of? You have renounced my commands! Even the one who took up arms against me 208 did not do this! Now a much heavier spear has pierced my body: my brother condemns my laws. Through your fault, the best part of me is in danger, because it was the death of the body, this is the death of virtue. Now I am denied power, and, what is most difficult of all, denied by your supporters, denied by mine, denied that for which even my opponents glorified me. If you did this voluntarily, then you condemned my faith; if you gave in against your will, you betrayed your own. And what’s worse: because of you, I’m in danger!” 16. What will you answer to your father 209, who will turn to you with even greater sorrow, saying: “How poorly you thought of me, son, if you thought that I could make concessions to the pagans. No one reported to me that there was an altar in the Roman Curia. I never thought of such wickedness that in a general meeting of Christians and pagans pagans would perform sacrifices, pagans would insult the Christians present, and Christians would be forced against their will to participate in pagan sacred ceremonies. Many different crimes were committed during my reign, but everything that I discovered, I punished. And if someone disappeared then, will they really say that I approved of something that no one reported to me? How poorly do you think of me if you think that my power was preserved by alien superstition, and not by my faith.” 17. Therefore, think, Emperor, that you will offend first of all God, and then your father and brother, if you make such a decision; and I ask you, do what you see as beneficial for your own salvation! 72a (Maur. 17a). Report 210 of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus 211, prefect of the city of Rome 1. As soon as the most illustrious senate, unfailingly devoted to you, learned that violations were punishable by laws 212 and saw that the pious princeps were restoring the glory of recent times, then, following the custom of good times, he allowed the long-restrained grief to pour out and again 213 ordered me to become the confidant of his complaints. And here I am, whom unworthy people refused an audience with the divine princeps 214, for, had I received it, justice could not but have triumphed, I turn to you, dear sirs, emperors Valentinian, Theodosius and Arcadius, glorious victors and eternally honored Augustus triumphants. 2. I have a double duty: as your prefect, I report on public affairs, and as an ambassador of citizens, I bring their instructions to your attention. There is no contradiction in the expression of will, for people have already ceased to think that by differing opinions they can show zeal in the affairs of the court. To be loved, honored, respected is more power. Who will tell what troubles private feuds have brought to the state? It is no coincidence that the Senate condemns those who preferred their own power to the glory of the princeps. We are tirelessly vigilant in labor for the sake of your mercy. For what else are we concerned about when defending the institutions of our ancestors, the laws of our homeland and its destinies, if not about the glory of centuries? And then it becomes stronger when you understand that you cannot go against the customs of your fathers. 3. We demand the return of the state of religions under which the state prospered for a long time. Of course, it is possible to list 215 rulers who adhered to one and another teaching, one and another way of thinking. The first of them revered the rites of their fathers, the latter did not prohibit them. If the piety of the ancients does not serve as an example, then let the tolerance of recent rulers serve them. Who is so favorable to the barbarians as not to desire the return of the altar of Victory? When we think about the future, we are careful about such things and avoid showing them. So let at least the glory of the name be restored if it is denied to the deity. Your eternity 216 owes a great debt to Victory, and this debt will only increase with time; let those whom she has not helped in any way reject her power, but do not abandon the patroness who bestowed triumphs! Everyone desires this power; no one will refuse to honor what he recognizes as desirable. 4. Even if the desire to avoid this act 217 was unjust, then at least the decorations of the curia 218 should have been spared. Allow, I pray you, us old men to pass on to our descendants what we perceived as boys! The love for customs is great; it is no coincidence that the acts of the divine Constantius 219 were short-lived. You should avoid examples of things that you know will soon be rejected. We care about the eternity of your glory and your name, so that the future has nothing to correct in what you do. 5. Where will we swear allegiance to your laws and orders? What feeling of reverence will frighten an evil soul so that it does not bear false witness? Of course, everything is full of deity 220, and there is no place where a treacherous person would be safe, but the presence of a deity most of all inspires fear of treason. This altar cements the unity of all, this altar appeals to the faith of everyone, and nothing has greater power over our judgments than the consciousness that all decisions are made as if under oath. Therefore, the godless stronghold will be open to treachery. And this will be the decision of my glorious princeps, who are also protected by a common oath? 6. But they say that the divine Constantius did the same. However, it is better to imitate other actions of the same princeps, who would not have decided to do such an act if another had not deviated from the path before him. The fall of a predecessor admonishes those who follow, and from the condemnation of an earlier example, correction is born. It was natural that your honor’s predecessor could not escape reproaches in a matter previously unknown. But can we really resort to the same excuse if we imitate what, as we remember, did not deserve approval? 7. Let your eternity be jealous of other deeds of the same princeps, and perform them more worthily. He did not deprive the sacred virgins of privileges, he gave priestly positions to people of noble birth, he did not deny funds to the Roman rites and, following the jubilant Senate through the streets of the eternal City, with a calm face he looked at the sanctuaries, read the names of the gods inscribed on the pediments, asked about the foundation of the churches, admired their builders, and although he himself followed other beliefs, he retained these for the state. 8. After all, everyone has their own custom, everyone has their own ritual; various guardians were given to the cities by divine intelligence. Just as people are given souls at birth, so nations are given fateful geniuses. In deciding which gods a person chooses, considerations of benefit are also important. After all, although the secret plan is hidden, how better to know the deity than by memorable cases of divine intercession? If a belief is sanctified over a long period of time, then the belief must be preserved throughout all centuries, and we must follow our parents, who in turn safely followed their ancestors. 9 . Let’s imagine that now the goddess of Rome herself stands before you and addresses you with the following words: “Best princeps, fathers of the fatherland, respect my years, to which pious customs have led me. Let me follow my grandfather's rituals: I do not repent of anything, I will live the way I am used to, because I am free. These rituals subjugated the world to my laws, these shrines did not allow Hannibal to approach my walls, or the Senones to the Capitol 221. Was I preserved so that I could hear reproaches in my old age? 10. I will see what it is that is supposed to be established, but it is too late and shameful to correct old age.” So, we ask for peace for the gods of our fathers, for the gods of these places 222. It is fair to consider as one that which is revered by all 223. We look at the same stars, there is a common sky above us, we live in the same world. What difference does it make who knows the truth with their mind? It is impossible to arrive at such a great secret in one way. But this is idle reasoning. We have now come to beg, not to argue. 11. How much profit will your sacred treasury receive because the privileges of the Vestal Virgins have been taken away? Will the most generous of emperors deny what the most thrifty have given? This “salary of chastity” is merely honorable: just as sacred headbands adorn their heads, so freedom from duties is considered a distinction of the priesthood. They only ask for the names of benefits, because they are protected from spending by poverty. Those who take away something from them only increase their glory; sacred virginity, preserved for the common good, only increases in merit, deprived of monetary reward. 12. May the purity of your treasury not be polluted by such a profit! Let the well-being of good rulers increase not by taking away the funds of the priests, but by booty captured from their enemies. What benefit will compensate for deserved reproaches? Selfishness is not your quality! The deprivation of ancient payments looks all the more terrible because it is being undertaken under emperors who do not need anything that belongs to others and who are fighting greed. If the kidnapper is indifferent to the prey, his only goal is to humiliate the robbed. 13. The treasury also alienates the lands left to the Vestal Virgins and church servants in the wills of the dying. I pray to you, O priests of justice, may the right of private inheritance be restored to the sanctuaries of your City! Let people calmly dictate their wills and know that under unselfish rulers, what they write will remain unshakable. May you be pleased by such prosperity of the human race! Otherwise, such cases are already beginning to inspire anxiety in the dying. Doesn't Roman law extend to Roman beliefs? How to call this withdrawal of funds, which does not fall under any law or under any particular case? 14. Freedmen receive inheritance, slaves are not prohibited from accepting legal benefits due under a will - is it really only noble maidens and servants of fateful shrines who are denied the right to inherit land? What is the consolation: to devote bodily purity to the good of the state and beg for the eternity of the empire of heavenly protection, for your weapons, for your eagles - the friendly forces of heaven, to make effective vows for everyone - and not have equal rights with everyone? It turns out that slavery is better, which subjugates man to man. We are harming the state itself, which never benefits from ingratitude. 15. Let no one think that I only protect sacred objects - all the troubles of the Roman people stem from such abuses. The law of the fathers honored the Vestal Virgins and servants of the gods with modest maintenance for a lowly lifestyle and fair privileges. And these benefits remained inviolable until the low money changers came, who turned the costs of holy purity into paying despised gravediggers 224. This was followed by a general famine, and the meager harvest 225 disappointed the hopes of all the provinces. 16. The reason for the failure of the harvest is not the scarcity of the soil, we do not blame the southern winds, and it was not the rust that struck the crops, and it was not the weeds that drowned the shoots 226: the year was dried up from sacrilege. Everything that was denied to piety must perish. If there is another example of such evil, we will attribute such a famine to the alternation of years, but there was a good reason for such a great failure of the harvest. Forest shrubs became a means of supporting life, and need once again gathered the people around the Dodon oaks 227 . 17. Did the provinces undergo anything similar when the servants of the faith were nourished by state honor? When did people shake oaks for food 228, when did they pull out the roots of grass 229, when did fertility leave different areas at the same time in those days when the people and the sacred virgins had a common harvest? The food of the initiates blessed the harvest of the lands and served as a better means than the distribution of grain. Can there be any doubt that for the sake of the general well-being that which was now avenged by the general poverty was given away? 18. Someone will say: state aid is denied to someone else's faith. Even if the thought does not arise among good rulers, that what was once allocated to individuals from the common property is the property of the treasury! The state is made up of individuals; what comes from him again becomes the property of private individuals. You rule over everything, but keep your own for everyone; you are guided by justice, not arbitrariness. Question your generosity: Can what you give to others be considered common? Donations once given to the City as a sign of respect cease to belong to the donors, and what was originally a benefit, over time, through long use, becomes an obligation. 19. He is trying to sow empty fear in your divine soul who claims that you will be at one with the givers of privileges if you do not incur the same reproaches as their captors. May the invisible intercessors of all teachings favor your mercy, and especially those who once helped your ancestors. Let them protect you, and we will honor them. We ask for such a state of faith as will preserve the empire to your Majesty's divine father and give the happy ruler legitimate heirs. 20. The divine elder 230 looks from the heavenly stronghold 231 at the tears of the priests and sees an insult to himself in the violation of a custom that he himself willingly protected. Help your divine brother to correct what he did on someone else’s advice, make amends for his guilt, for he did this without knowing about the discontent of the Senate. After all, it is known that the embassy was not allowed in so that the popular opinion would not reach it. For the sake of the glorious past, without hesitation, cancel the act that did not deserve the approval of the princeps. 73 (Maur. 18). Bishop Ambrose to the Most Blessed Princeps and. to the most merciful Emperor Valentinian, August 232 1. When the most illustrious man, the prefect of the City of Symmachus, turned to your grace with a request to return to its original place, in the curia of the city of Rome, the altar that had once been removed from there, you, emperor, although you were still inexperienced in years and had only just entered a blooming age, showed yourself to be a veteran in faith and did not yield to the pleas of the pagans. Having learned about this, I sent you a letter, and although in it I expressed all the necessary objections, I nevertheless asked you to provide me with a copy of the report. 2. Without at all doubting your faith, but foreseeing all the difficulties and being confident in your favorable attention, I answer the arguments of this report with the following speech, asking only one thing: that you look in it not for verbal grace, but for convincing evidence. Divine Scripture teaches that the tongue of the wise and learned is made of gold 233: adorned with the brilliance of eloquence, it sparkles with the radiance of brilliant speech and the brilliance of jewels, captivating the eyes of the soul with a beautiful sight and captivating the gaze. However, if you touch gold with your hand, you will find that it is beautiful on the outside, but ordinary metal on the inside. I ask you: think and try the teachings of the pagans! Their speeches sound majestic and solemn, but they defend what has passed 234, unable to comprehend the truth. They talk about God, but they worship an idol. 3. In his report, this most illustrious man, the prefect of the City, gives three, as it seems to him, weighty arguments: that Rome supposedly wants a return to its old cults, that funds should be allocated to its priests and vestal virgins, and that famine occurs everywhere when the priests are denied food. 4. According to the first statement, the goddess Rome plaintively sheds bitter tears over ancient rites and shrines, wanting, according to the prefect, to return them. “These shrines,” he says, “drove away Hannibal from the walls of the City, and the Senones from the Capitol.” Thus declaring the strength of these shrines, he betrays their weakness. It turns out that Hannibal insulted the Roman shrines and the gods fighting with him for a long time, until he reached the walls of the City in a victorious procession. Why did those for whom their gods fought with weapons come under siege? 5. What can I say about the Senones, who would not have been prevented by the Roman shrines from penetrating into the very heart of the Capitol, if a goose had not betrayed them with a frightened cry? Well, the defenders at the Roman churches! Where was Jupiter then? Or was he speaking in the voice of a goose? 6. However, should I deny that the sacred rites fought in favor of the Romans? But Hannibal also worshiped the same gods. So whose side are they on? Let them choose: if the deities were victorious among the Romans, then among the Carthaginians they were defeated; if they celebrated a triumph with the Carthaginians, they did not help the Romans in any way. 7. Let this hate-filled “complaint of the Roman people” be silenced! The Goddess of Rome did not demand anything like that! She addresses them with different words: “Why do you stain me every day with the shed blood of innocent cattle? It is not the entrails of animals that win, but the strength of warriors. I conquered the world with other arts. Camillus 235 fought valiantly, who, having cut down the invaders of the Tarpeian Rock, returned the taken banners to the Capitol: valor defeated those whom the shrines could not cope with. What can we say about Atsilius 236, who even in death was faithful to his military duty? Scipio Africanus 237 won his triumph not among the altars of the Capitol, but while fighting in the ranks against Hannibal. Why do you give me the example of the ancients? The rites of the Neroes terrify me! What can we say about the emperors who lasted in power for two months, and about the kings whose beginning of their reign coincided with the end? Or perhaps it has never happened before that barbarians went beyond the borders of their lands? Were those emperors truly Christians, one of whom, setting a new and sad example, was captured 238 , and under the other the world was captured, and he, deceived in the promises of victory, proved the meaninglessness of his rites 239 . Was there really no altar of victory then? I repent of my error, for the gray hairs of my old age are stained with the color of shamefully shed blood. But I am not at all ashamed that, ancient for years, I, along with the whole world, turned to Christ. It's never too late to learn 240! Let that old age be ashamed that cannot correct itself. It is not the gray hair of old age that deserves praise, but the maturity of morals 241. There is no shame in moving on to better things. One thing previously united me with the barbarians - that I did not know God. The rites of your sacred rites consist of sprinkling the blood of animals. And do you want the voice of God from dead four-legged creatures? Come and learn heavenly service on earth! Here we live, there we fight. Let God Himself, Who created the sky, teach me the secret of heaven, and not a man who does not know himself. Who should I trust more when talking about God, if not God? How can I trust you when you yourself admit that you don’t know whom you honor?” 242 8. “It is impossible,” says the prefect, “to arrive at such a great secret in one way.” What you do not know, the voice of God has told us, and what you seek by guesswork, we know from the very Wisdom of God and the Truth. So your knowledge does not agree with ours: you ask peace for your gods from the emperors, but we ask peace from Christ for the emperors themselves: you honor the works of your hands 243, we believe that it is unfair to consider everything that can arise by chance to be a god. God does not wish to be worshiped in the form of stones: even your philosophers themselves have subjected this to ridicule 244 . 9 . But if you do not recognize Christ as God, not believing that He was dead - you do not know that His death was the death of the flesh, but not of divinity, and thanks to this death none of the believers dies 245 - is there greater recklessness than yours: you insult while giving honor, and praise while humiliating. And you consider a tree to be your god! O offensive reverence! You don't believe that Christ could die. O stubbornness that gives praise! 10. “But it is necessary,” says the prefect, “to return the ancient altars to the idols, the decorations to the sanctuaries.” Let him demand this from the superstition that shares him, but the Christian emperor is accustomed to honoring only the altar of the one Christ. Why do they force pious hands and faithful lips to serve their sacrilegious rites? Let the voice of our emperor proclaim about Christ and speak only about Him whom he knows, for the heart of the king is in the hand of God (Prov. 21:1). Did any pagan emperor erect an altar to Christ? Demanding the return of what was, they show by their own example with what reverence Christian emperors should treat the faith they profess, if the pagans are so zealous about their superstitions. 11. We have already come a long way, and they follow those we rejected. We are proud of the blood shed, they are worried about the losses. What we consider a victory, they consider injustice. They have never been more beneficial to us than when they ordered Christians to be scourged, deprived of their property and killed. Piety made a reward what unbelief considered a punishment. Look how noble it is! We have grown in persecution, in need, in executions, but they believe that their rituals cannot exist without financial assistance. “Let the Vestal Virgins,” he declares, “be exempt from duties.” Let those who are unable to believe that virginity can be disinterested say this, let them lure with benefits, since there is no trust in virtues! However, how many virgins were attracted to them by the promised rewards? They barely recruit seven Vestals! This is the total amount acquired by these sacred headbands, these purple garments 246, the procession with a palanquin, surrounded by a large retinue, the greatest privileges, enormous benefits, as well as the limitation of the period of chastity 247. 12. Let them lift up their eyes, smart and foolish, and see a whole tribe of the bashful, a people of the pure, a congregation of the virgins. Their heads are adorned not with bandages, but with a cheap veil, precious only for chastity; they strive not for exquisite tricks of beauty, but for the rejection of embellishment; they seek not exalting purple, not luxurious pleasures, but permanent posts, not privileges, not benefits. Their whole life is such that, in your opinion, when performing service it reduces zeal, but in reality, with such service, zeal awakens even more. Chastity only increases from deprivation. Virginity, which is acquired by money and not by the pursuit of virtue, is not real; chastity, which, as if at an auction, is bought for the price offered, and then only for a while, false. The first victory of purity is victory over the love of money, for the thirst for profit is an obstacle to modesty. However, let's say that virgins need generous donations: how many gifts will Christian women need? How much of the treasury will be enough for these expenses? And if it is believed that only the Vestals need donations, isn’t it a shame for those who under pagan emperors owned everything, also under Christian sovereigns, to think that they should have advantages over us? 13. They complain that their priests and servants have been denied government food distribution. What a verbal storm has arisen here! And we, in turn, are denied by recent laws 248 even the right of private inheritance, and no one complains: after all, we do not consider this an injustice, because we are not saddened by losses. If a clergyman seeks an opportunity to lay down the burden of the curial, he must renounce 249 the property, paternal and grandfather, and all property. What cry would the pagans raise if their priest had to buy free time for service at the cost of his property and, having lost all private property, acquired a public position? Since he displays his vigils in the name of the public good, let him be consoled by the reward of personal poverty: therefore, he did not trade his service, but acquired only grace. 14. Compare both cases. You want the decurion to be exempted from duties, while the Church cannot exempt the bishop from them. Wills are drawn up in favor of the ministers of pagan temples, there are no exceptions either for the uninitiated, or for people of lower status, or for those who have lost all respect - the clergyman, alone of all, is denied the common right, he, who, alone of all, prays for the common good, performs a public duty, cannot receive an inheritance from venerable widows, cannot receive a gift! And although there are no complaints about morality, many things are prohibited due to their ministry. The will of a Christian widow in favor of the servants of the pagan sanctuary will be valid, but in favor of the servants of God it will not! But I say this not to complain, but that they may know that I do not complain, for I prefer that we should suffer loss in money, but not in grace. 15. They say: what was given or left to the Church was not damaged. Let them answer for themselves: who stole gifts from pagan temples, as was done with Christians 250? If this were done to the pagans, it would be more retribution than injustice! And now they demand justice, seek the truth? Where was this sense of justice then, when, having deprived Christians of all their means, they were jealous that they still had breath left, and even the dead were ready to deny the last right to burial, which had never happened before? Which pagans, thrown into the sea, washed ashore 251? The fact that they themselves condemn the deeds of their predecessors is a victory of faith. But what other gifts do they want from those whose actions they condemn?! 16. No one refused gifts to pagan sanctuaries or bequests to garusniks; Only real estate was confiscated, which was protected by religious law, although it was not used for temple needs. Whoever refers to us, why doesn’t he act as we do? The Church owns nothing but faith. Here are her profits, here are her income! The property of the Church is expenses for those in need. Let them count how many captives the pagan temples ransomed, how much they collected to feed the poor, what exiles they gave a means of subsistence! It was the lands that were taken away, not the rights. 17. This is the atrocity, the punishment for which, as they say, was a general famine sent to atone for the grave sin of insulting the shrine 252: what was beneficial only to the priests began to benefit everyone. That is why, as they say, those dying of hunger, stripping the bark from the branches, licked the meager juice 253 with their tongues! That is why they replaced the Chaonian fruits with acorns: having again returned 254 to livestock feed and to the most wretched food, they satisfied their severe hunger by shaking the oak trees in the forests 255! It turns out that new signs appeared on earth, the likes of which had never happened before, when pagan superstition was raging throughout the world? Meanwhile, in fact, how many times before did the fields with empty tares disappoint the stingy farmer 256, and the rural people could only collect grass in the furrows instead of cereals 257. 18. The Greeks considered the saving aid of forest food to be a gift from heaven, which is why their oak trees had oracles. They believed that these were the gifts of their gods. Who revered the Dodon oaks if not a tribe of pagans who gave honor to the groves that replaced the meager fields? It does not seem that their gods would resort in indignation to a remedy which was always considered a reward. What justice is it if the gods, angry because a few priests were denied food, should deny food to everyone? Such vengeance is much more unjust than the offense itself. This reason is not enough for the lost world to be stricken with such a terrible disease, when, with the shoots already green, the hope for a harvest suddenly perishes. 19. Many years before, the privileges of pagan temples around the world were taken away, and only now did it occur to the pagan gods to take revenge for their grievances? Did the Nile only remain on its banks without overflowing 258 in order to avenge the losses of the priests of the City, while it did not avenge its own priests? 20. Let's say that last year, as they believe, their gods took revenge for grievances. But why did they find themselves neglected by the gods this year? After all, now rural people no longer eat plucked grass roots 259, and do not seek solace in wild berries, and do not pick food from thorn trees, but rejoice at successful labors and marvel at the abundance of harvests 260. The people are satisfied with the desired abundance, the earth returns our debts a hundredfold. 21. Who is so ignorant of everyday matters as to be surprised at the alternation of years? However, last year, we know, a bountiful harvest was harvested in many provinces. What can we say about Gaul, where the year was more fruitful? In Pannonia, the unsown grain was sold, and the Second Raetia was envied because of its fertility: the poverty of the soil usually preserves it, and the harvest year aroused enmity against it; in the fall there was plenty of bread in Liguria and Venice. This means that that year did not dry up from sacrilege, and this year flourished with the fruits of faith. Can anyone deny that the vineyards produced a bountiful harvest? Thus, we received the harvest with interest, and the grape harvest brought us rich gifts. 22. The last and most important question remains: do you, emperors, need to give away the funds that you received for your benefit? Symmachus says: “Let the gods protect you, and we will honor them.” Most noble princeps, this is precisely what we cannot tolerate: for the pagans to mock us, reproaching us with the fact that in your name they pray to their gods and, without your knowledge, commit immeasurable sacrilege, presenting your ignorance as sympathy for them. Let them keep their intercessors, let them protect them if they can! After all, if their gods cannot help those who worship them, then how can they help you, who do not worship them? 23. “But the rites of the ancestors,” he says, “should be preserved.” What if then everything changed for the better? From the beginning, the world itself, when the atoms of the elements united in the void, condensed like an unsolidified ball 261 and, being a creation not yet completed 262, was covered with disordered horror. Wasn’t it then, when the earth was separated from the sea and sky 263, that the world appeared beautiful in its completeness 264? Having lifted the damp twilight, the lands saw with amazement the new sun. When the day begins, the light is scanty, but as the day goes on it becomes more and more brilliant and radiates heat. 24. The moon itself, which in prophetic broadcasts prefigures the Church, 265 when it rises, renewing its monthly cycle, hides in the darkness of the night, then, little by little filling its horns, 266 receives the clear light from the circle of the sun and shines with brilliance. 25. The lands were previously uncultivated and did not bear fruit. When the careful farmer gained control of the fields 267 and began to cover the uncultivated soil with vineyards, the cultivated lands softened their wild nature 268 . 26. The first season of the year, like the beginning of our life, is devoid of plants, but gradually blossoms with flowers 269 that are destined to fall, and in the end bears ripe fruits. 27. And at an unreasonable age we feel like a child, 270 but, having changed over the years, we put aside the underdevelopment of the mind. 28. Let them say that everything should remain as before, as in the beginning: the world should be plunged into darkness, because they do not like the brilliance of sunlight. But how much better to leave the twilight of the mind than the twilight of the material, and how much brighter does the dawn of faith shine than the sun? Therefore, the initial age of the world was conveniently changed, so that venerable old age would be adorned with gray hairs of faith. Whoever is outraged by this, let him scold the harvest because it comes late, let him scold the grape harvest because it takes place at the end of the year, let him scold the olive tree because its fruit is the last to ripen. 29. So our harvest is faith in souls; The grace of the Church is the harvest of virtues. From the beginning of the world it grew green among the saints, but in recent times it has grown among the nations, so that everyone can see: the faith of Christ has not taken root in foolish souls, for there is no crown of glory if there is no adversary, 271 but with the overthrow of the conviction that previously prevailed, the truth has rightfully won preference. 30. But if the ancient customs were so good, why did Rome borrow foreign customs? I will keep silent about the land hidden from view for money 272 and about the shepherd's huts shining with false gold 273 . Is it worth answering their own complaints about idols taken from captured cities, defeated gods and foreign rituals that the Romans adopted in imitation of foreign superstition? Where did this story come from that Cybele supposedly washes her chariot in the Almon River 274? Where did the Phrygian soothsayers and the deities of hostile Carthage, always hated by the Romans, come from? She whom the Africans honor as the Heavenly Goddess, the Persians as Mithras, the majority as Venus 275 - all these are different names, but by no means different deities. So they believed that Victory was a goddess, although in fact it was a gift, not divine power: she was given into possession, but she herself did not rule, she was acquired by the forces of the legions, not by the violence of superstition. Is this goddess great, who is claimed by many warriors and who is granted the outcome of the battle? 31. It is her altar that they demand to be erected in the curia of the city of Rome, that is, where Christians mainly gather. All pagan temples have altars, and there is also an altar in the Temple of Victories. Since quantity is important to them, they perform their sacred rites everywhere. What, if not an insult to faith, is to demand this particular altar? Isn’t this done so that the pagan will perform sacrifices, and the Christian will participate in them? “Let them inhale,” he says, “let them inhale, even against their will, smoke with their eyes, harmonies with their ears, ashes with their throats, incense with their nostrils, even if they turn their faces away, let the ash rising from our altars settle on them!” Are they not enough baths, not enough porticos, not enough squares filled with statues? Really, even in the place of general meetings, we cannot be in equal, identical conditions, enjoy equal rights? Is the pious part of the Senate really obliged to listen against their will to the sounds of oaths and sacrificial formulas? If a person refuses [to take an oath], it will seem that he is lying; if he agrees, he will be guilty of blasphemy. 32. “Where,” says Symmachus, “will we swear allegiance to your laws and orders?” Therefore, your soul, following the laws, depends on pagan rites, seeks their approval, affirms its loyalty to them? Not only the faith of those present and absent in the Senate, but also, what is even worse, your faith, O emperors, is insulted. If you command, then you force, Constantius of blessed memory, having not yet begun the holy sacraments 276, considered himself desecrated when he saw this altar. He ordered it to be removed, not moved. That command has the force of a decree, but this does not. 33. Let no one justify himself by absence: the one who participates in soul is closer than the one who is an eyewitness. It is worse to participate mentally than to be physically present. The Senate considers you the patrons of its meetings, it gathers for your sake, it entrusts its conscience to you, and not to the pagan gods, it places you above its own children, but not above its own faith. This love should be valued, this love is higher than power, if only the faith that protects power is safe. 34. Perhaps someone will be confused by the fact that the well-known most faithful sovereign 277 was abandoned by everyone, which is why all the current good deeds will be considered short-lived. What wise man does not know that human actions seem to revolve on a wheel, therefore their success is not always the same, but everything changes and is subject to vicissitudes? 35. Who was luckier than Gnaeus Pompey when he set off from the Roman churches on a campaign? However, having already conquered the entire earth and celebrated three triumphs, he was defeated in battle and, having fled from the war beyond the borders of his native empire, he died as an exile at the hands of the Canopian eunuch 278 . 36. Who was more noble than King Cyrus of Persia 279 in the entire East? And he, when he defeated the most powerful rulers who came out against him in war, and saved the lives of the vanquished, he himself died from women's weapons 280. And the king, who even awarded the vanquished the honorable right to sit in his presence, was exposed to desecration by order of the woman: his head was cut off and placed in a wineskin full of blood. This is how it happens in the field of this life: an action does not always find an equal reward. 37. Which of those we know performed sacrifices more diligently than the Carthaginian commander Hamilcar 281? Throughout the entire battle, he made sacrifices, being among the fighting troops, and when he learned that his troops were defeated, he threw himself into the fire that he himself had kindled in order to extinguish with his body this flame, which, as he understood, did not bring any benefit. 38. What can I say about Julian? Having trusted, to his misfortune, the answers of the haruspices, he deprived himself of the means of returning home. With the same outcome, the responsibility is not the same, for our promises deceived no one. 39. I responded to those who challenged me, although the challenge did not affect me. I tried to give an answer to the relation, and not talk about superstition. Let this report teach you, Emperor, to be careful. Symmachus, speaking of the former rulers, that some of them revered the rites of their fathers, and the latter did not reject them, added: “If the piety of the ancients is not suitable as an example, then let the tolerance of the recent ones serve,” which clearly showed that they too are in debt to their faith - you should not follow a pagan rite, you are in debt to brotherly love - you should not violate your brother’s regulations. If the pagans, out of their own considerations, praised the tolerance of those rulers who, being Christians, did not touch the institutions of the pagans, then all the more should they welcome brotherly love when you, forced to show tolerance of what you do not approve, but not wanting to renounce the will of your brother, adhere to what, in your opinion, is befitting of your faith and the duty of consanguinity. 74 (Maur. 40). To the most merciful princeps and most blessed. Emperor Augustus Theodosius Bishop Ambrose 283 1. I, Most Blessed Emperor, am accustomed to not knowing peace in business, but I have never been in such anxiety as now, when I see that there is a threat of being accused of sacrilege. I ask you to listen patiently to my speech! If I am not worthy to be listened to by you, then I am not worthy to make sacrifices for you and to be a mediator in your vows and requests. Will you not listen to the one whose prayers for you, as you hope, will be heard, and will you not delve into the matter of the one whose requests for others you accepted? Or don’t you understand that, by deeming me unworthy to listen to my defense, you make me unworthy to be heard for you 284? 2. It is not proper for an emperor to interfere with freedom of speech, nor for a priest to remain silent about what he has to say. Nothing arouses greater favor and goodwill towards you, emperors, than your love for straightforwardness among those subordinate to you on duty. It is this that distinguishes wise rulers from wayward ones, since the wise love sincerity, and the wayward love servility. Likewise, for a bishop there is nothing more dangerous before God and more shameful before people than not freely declaring what his duty dictates. For it is written: I spoke of Your testimonies before kings and was not ashamed (Ps. 119:46) - and in another place: Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel (Ezek. 3:17). If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits a sin, because you did not admonish him (Ezek. 3:20), that is, you did not warn him, his righteousness will not be remembered, and I will require his blood at your hands. If you admonish the righteous so that he does not sin, and he does not sin, the righteous will live, because you admonished him, and you will set your soul free (Ezek. 3:20–21). 3. So, I prefer, Emperor, our community in good rather than in evil, and I hope that your goodness should not be to the liking of the bishop’s silence, but to the soul’s frankness. After all, silence will expose you to danger, but good frankness will help. I do not boldly intrude into the things of others, I do not interfere in other people’s affairs, but I submit to duty and obey the commands of our Lord. I do this, first of all, out of love for you, for your sake, striving for your salvation. Even if, due to lack of trust, I do not receive your permission or you forbid me, I will speak out of fear of God. If the accusation against me had saved you, I would have sacrificed myself with humility, even if without joy. True, I would like your pleasing to God and glory not to be a source of danger for me. But if my guilt in silence and hypocrisy becomes a burden to me and does not serve as an excuse for you, then I prefer that you consider me impudent, but not useless or despicable. The Scripture says in the words of the holy Apostle Paul, whose teaching you will not refute: Be persistent in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2). 4. We have One, Whom it is more dangerous not to please, even the emperors themselves like it when everyone fulfills their duties, and you are ready to patiently listen to everyone who makes a proposal for their position and deservedly reproach the one who does not comply with the order of his service. If you willingly accept your subordinates, will you really consider it an insult to you to accept us, the clergy, who speak not on our own, but by command? You are familiar with this saying: when you appear before rulers and kings, do not worry about how or what to say: for in that hour it will be given to you what to say, for it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak in you (Matthew 10:19–20). If I were talking about state needs, they also need justice! – I wouldn’t be so afraid of not being heard. In God's work, who should you listen to if not the bishop? For him, sin is a greater danger, and if the bishop does not dare to tell you the truth, then no one will dare. 5. I know you as a pious, merciful, meek and calm person, who has faith and fear of God in his heart; but a person can easily make mistakes. Some have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge (Rom. 10:2). I believe that we must try to prevent such jealousy from entering the souls of the faithful. I know your pious feeling towards God, your condescension towards people, and I myself owe you many good deeds and generosity. That is why I come into great excitement and anxiety that you will then condemn me with your own sentence for the fact that my hypocrisy and servility became the reason for your fall. Even if it were a sin against me, I should not remain silent, because it is written: If your brother sins against you, rebuke him first; then reproach in front of two or three witnesses; If we do not listen to you, tell the church (Matthew 18:15, 17). Will I remain silent in God's work?! So let's address my concerns. 6. After the report of the committee of the military command of the East about the arson of the synagogue 285 at the instigation of the bishop, you ordered that the participants be punished, and the synagogue was rebuilt by the bishop himself. I'm not saying that we should have waited for the accused to testify. Usually bishops pacify the crowd and strive to maintain peace, although sometimes they are forced to respond to those who insult God or those who offend the Church. Suppose this bishop was overly zealous in the arson, but will be too timid at the trial, and are you not afraid, Emperor, that he will feignedly agree with your verdict? Doesn't it bother you that you'll make him betray his soul 286? 7. Do you not at all have any fears of possible troubles if the accused bishop opposes your committee? It turns out that he can be made either a hypocrite or a martyr, but both, that is, the need to pretend or the readiness to die, are alien to your times, both resemble persecution. You see where things are headed. If you consider a bishop to be brave, do not bring the brave one to martyrdom; if he is unstable, do not push the shaky one to fall. You know that the greatest guilt lies with the one who makes the weak fall. 8. In the first case, I think the bishop will say that he himself struck the fire, inspired the crowd, gathered the people, he will not want to miss the crown of martyrdom and his strong spirit will prompt him to give an answer instead of the weak. Oh, the blessed lie when others are justified by accusing themselves! Emperor, I also asked for such a punishment. If you consider what happened to be a crime, attribute the blame for it to me! Why do you demand a trial of those who are not here? The accused has come to you and confessed his guilt. I declare: it was I who set fire to the synagogue, in any case, it was I who ordered the destruction of the place where Christ was denied. If, as a refutation, I am asked why I did not set fire to the synagogue here, then I will answer that it caught fire according to the judgment of God and there was no need for my intervention. But, to be honest, I was in no hurry, because it didn’t occur to me that this would be punishable. Why did I need to do something that, in the absence of an avenger, would not bring reward? Such things cause respect, but they withdraw grace so that something does not happen that will lead to offense to the highest God. 9 . Let us assume that no one obliges the bishop to fulfill the duty imposed on him. I myself have not yet read about the abolition of punishment, but I asked your Grace about it. Let's assume that such a decision has been made. What if those who are more timid due to fear of death offer to rebuild the synagogue at their own expense? Or will the committee, even knowing about your decree, still order to pay for its restoration from the Christian treasury? In this case, your commander, the emperor, will turn out to be a double-dealer. Can you, the builder of a synagogue that does not know Christ, entrust him with a victorious banner, entrust him with an imperial banner, consecrated by the name of Christ 287? Order this banner to be brought into the assembly of the Jews! Let's see if they won't resist. 10. So, the place of Jewish wickedness will be rebuilt from the spoils taken from the Church, and the property acquired by Christ's favor will be given to the treasury of the evil-believers? We read that idol churches in ancient times were built from enemy trophies, for example those of Cimbri 288. The Jews will write above the main entrance to their synagogue: “The sanctuary of wickedness, built from trophies captured from Christians.” 11. You are driven, Emperor, by the desire for order. But what is more, following external norms or maintaining godly worship? It is necessary for exactingness to submit to reverence. 12. Haven't you heard, emperor, that by order of Julian they began to clear a place for the restoration of the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem, but the builders were burned by divine fire 289? Aren't you afraid that this time it will end the same? And you shouldn’t be like an apostate in your orders! 13. What is the crime? The burning of a public building or the damage to a synagogue? If you, Emperor, are deprived of peace by the disappearance of a wretched building - what else could it be like in an unknown fortification 290? - remember how many houses of prefects in Rome burned down - and no one was punished. On the contrary, if one of the emperors wanted to severely punish for what he had done, he would rather worsen the situation of the one who suffered such damage. What should be considered worthy of greater punishment - the burning of buildings in provincial Kallinika or in the city of Rome? Recently in Constantinople the episcopal palace 291 was put on fire, and the son of your grace 292 turned to you as a father with a request not to punish either for the insult inflicted on him, the royal son, or for the arson of the patriarchal house. Will it happen, Emperor, that your order for a new punishment will again force him to ask to cancel the decision? But then what the father gave enhanced the merit of the son, since the request for mercy was preceded by forgiveness of the insult. This was a good competition in mercy: the son did not retaliate for his own offense, and the father did not retaliate for his son’s offense. Now there is nothing with which you could enrich your son, and see if you take it away from God. 14. I think there is not a single good reason for your indignation and the harsh sentence against the people for arson. The synagogue, the place of evil faith, the house of wickedness, the seat of madness, was destroyed, and its guilt was recognized by the Lord our God through the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet: I will do the same to the house that is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Zion and will cast you out from before Me, as I rejected your brothers, all the seed of Ephraim, but you will not ask for this people and do not demand mercy for them, and do not intercede with Me for them, for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah? (Jer. 7:14–17). God forbids you to turn to Him with a request for this people, which you are ready to take under your protection. 15. If I had resorted to the law of nations 293, I would have given the exact number of church basilicas that the Jews burned during the reign of Julian. Two burned down in Damascus: one of them was restored with difficulty, but at the expense of the Church, not the synagogue, while the other still lies in terrible ruins. Basilicas were set on fire in Gaza, Ascalon, Berita and in many other places and no one asked for revenge. The pagans and Jews also set fire to the basilica in Alexandria, the best of all. The church was not taken under protection, but the synagogue will be taken? 16. Will the Valentinians also be punished for the church 294? How else to call a structure built unauthorized in the countryside for their gatherings, if not a pagan temple? The pagans worship twelve gods, 295 and these heretics worship thirty-two aeons, recognizing them as gods. I learned that an order had been sent to punish the monks who burned the place of wickedness, outraged by the impudence of the Valentinians, who obstructed the procession, which, according to long-established custom, was heading for the celebration of the Maccabean martyrs 296. 16. How many people will express their readiness to sacrifice themselves, remembering that in the time of Julian, a Christian who overturned the altar and interfered with the sacrifice was condemned and became a martyr, and the judge who sentenced him was recognized by everyone as a persecutor, and no one ever honored him with either communication or a welcoming kiss. If he were still alive, you, Emperor, would have to punish him. He did not escape heavenly punishment, having outlived his own heir. 17. They say that the judge who led the investigation was ordered not to investigate, but to confiscate the valuables found [in Christian churches]. I won't mention anything else. The Jews were not brought to justice for any of the arson of church basilicas; they paid nothing and did not compensate for anything. Moreover, could there be any treasures in the synagogue of a distant fortress, if among the little that is there there is nothing worthwhile at all? And what could be stolen from the conflagration guarded by the Jews? All these are their tricks and intrigues in order to achieve, through complaints, extreme military rigor in the conduct of the investigation. I am afraid that any warrior sent may repeat the words spoken here before your arrival, Emperor: “How will Christ help us, who took the side of the Jews against Him, sent to avenge them? They destroyed their troops and they want to destroy ours.” 18. What slander will those who are not afraid of slander and false witness against Christ Himself stop at? What kind of deception will people who lie in the divine not agree to? Who will they not call instigators and rebels, whom will they not accuse, who will not be identified, just to see countless rows of Christian prisoners and their bent necks, if only the servants of God would languish in prison, if only they would be chopped down with axes, put on fire, sent to the mines and their torment prolonged? 19. Such a triumph over the Church of God, Emperor, do you grant to the Jews, such a victory over the people of Christ, such joy to the evil-believers? Let the synagogue rejoice and let the Church groan? I have no doubt that the Jewish people will include this event in the series of their festivities and will celebrate them on a par with the days of victory over the Amorites or Canaanites and the days of deliverance from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, or Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon 297 . This will add a new holiday in honor of the triumph over the people of Christ. 20. Usually the Jews refuse to obey Roman laws, considering it a crime, but now they demand that Roman laws protect them. Why didn’t they remember them when they set fire to the roofs of the holy basilicas? Julian did not stand up for the Church as an apostate, and you, emperor, will repay for the damage caused to the synagogue as a Christian? 21. What will Christ tell you? Do you not remember His command to Saint David through the prophet Nathan 298: “I chose you, the least among the brothers, and made you emperor from a simple man. I established the descendants of your seed on the imperial throne. I subjugated the barbarian tribes to you, gave you peace and made your enemy your captive 299. You had no bread for the army. I forced your enemies to open the gates for you and, opening the granaries, give you the supplies they had prepared for themselves. I thwarted the plans of your enemy, and he destroyed himself. I bound and shackled the mind of the contender for power, and he, despite the opportunity to escape, locked himself in along with all his people, as if taking care that no one would escape from you 300 . I first scattered his companion 301 with the army in order to prevent unification before the battle, but later I returned from another natural element to make your victory complete. By My will, your army, gathered from many indomitable tribes 302, remained faithful, calm and in harmony as a single people. When the great danger arose that the barbarians would cross the Alps with treacherous intent, I brought you victory right on the Alpine rampart, so that you would not suffer defeat or damage. So, I gave you everything to triumph over your enemy, but you allow My enemies to triumph over My people!” 22. Was it not because Maxim was abandoned because, just before going on campaign, having heard about the burning of a synagogue in Rome, under the guise of a zealot for civil obedience, he issued an edict? The Christian people immediately said: “Nothing good awaits this king. He became a Jew, although we heard about him as the defender of our faith, whom Christ accepted, who died for sinners 303. If this is how they judged the threat of violence, what will they say about the violence itself? But Maxim was immediately defeated by the Franks and Saxons in Sicily, at Siscia and Petavion, and finally everywhere. What does your piety have in common with an infidel? Along with the wicked, his wicked deeds must also disappear. The actions of the vanquished, which brought harm and caused grumbling, should not be continued by the winner, but stopped. 23. I reminded you of this not as a reproach, but I am listing what you have rightfully received, so that, thanks to the convincingness of the obvious, you, who have been given more, will love more 304. Christ approved this answer of Simon: You judged correctly (Luke 7:43), - to confirm, the Lord pointed to the woman who anointed His feet with incense, representing the church, and said to the Pharisee: Therefore I tell you: her many sins are forgiven because she loved much; and he who is forgiven little loves little (Luke 7:47). Just as that woman entered the house of the Pharisee, shamed the Jew and gained Christ, so the Church drove out the synagogue. Why is the synagogue again trying to expel the Church from the believing heart in which Christ lives? 24. All this, Emperor, I say out of love and affection for you. I am indebted to you for many good deeds. At my request, you often freed me from exile, from prison and from the death penalty. For the sake of your salvation, I should not be afraid to hurt your soul - no one has more boldness than someone who loves with all his heart, and no one in his right mind sets out to harm himself - otherwise in an instant I will lose the favor that I, as a priest, have gained over so many years. First of all, by prayer I am trying to prevent not a decrease in goodwill, but a danger to salvation. 26. How important it is, Emperor, that you agree that there is no need to investigate or punish something that to this day no one has investigated or punished. It is dangerous to risk your faith for the sake of the Jews. When Gideon killed the sacred calf, the pagans said: “The gods themselves will avenge their offense” 305. Who should stand up for the synagogue? Maybe Christ, Whom they killed, Whom they rejected? Maybe God the Father will become an avenger for those who, having not accepted the Son, did not accept Him 306? Who will be the intercessor for the heresy of the Valentinians, which your piety still protects, despite your own order to cast them out 307 and not give them the opportunity to gather? I will give you an example of King Josiah, who was pleasing to God, 308 and you find the monks guilty of what Josiah pleased God for? 27. If you do not trust my opinion, Emperor, order the bishops you choose to gather. Let them discuss what is acceptable to do without compromising their faith. In money matters, you do not neglect the advice of your committees. How much more important in the matter of worship should it be to keep counsel with the priests of the Lord? 28. Let your grace take into account how many different enemies are plotting against the Church, how many conspirators. If they notice a small crack, they will stick their sting into it. I talk about the dangers threatening from people, but most of all we should fear God, Who rightfully stands above any emperor. If no one doubts the need to treat his friend, parent or relative with respect, then I am also firmly convinced that no one should be placed above God and preferred to Him. Listen to yourself, Emperor, and let me listen to you. 29. What justification will I find for what has happened if it becomes known that, according to the order you gave, Christians will be killed with the sword or beaten to death with whips? What arguments will I give in defense of such an act? How can I justify myself before the bishops? Even now they groan heavily, because for thirty years or more those who labored in the priesthood and were former ministers of the Church bitterly mourn their rejection from priestly duties and inclusion in the curia 309 . If your subordinates have a fixed time for the performance of their duties, should you not think about the proper schedule for those who are serving before God? How can I justify yet another punishment to bishops who are already complaining about the treatment of clergy and writing about the severe and ruinous oppression of the churches? 30. I wanted their complaint to be heard by your grace and that you would honor it with a decree pleasing to you. The same order that oppresses me, and rightly oppresses me, refute and cancel it. You yourself are firm in fulfilling your decisions; but if your subordinate 310 does not fulfill the imperial order, then I would prefer that this serve as proof of your mercy rather than his disobedience. 31. You have sons 311, for their sake you must call on the mercy of God to the Roman Empire, take care of them, and not of yourself, first of all. Their gratitude, their well-being appeals to you in my speech. I am afraid that you have entrusted your litigation to someone else's judgment. But you still have the freedom to decide. I am ready to become a hostage with God so that you do not fear for your oath. But can a sentence corrected for the sake of His honor be displeasing to God? It is not necessary to make changes to that message, whether it has already been sent or not, order another to be written, full of faith, full of piety. You can correct the mistake, but I cannot be a hypocrite. 32. You forgave the Antiochians for your offense 312, you took care of the daughters of your enemy, giving them to a relative to raise, and you determined the maintenance of the mother of your enemy 313 from your treasury. Such generosity and such loyalty to God will be overshadowed by this act! You, who have spared so many armed enemies and left so many opponents alive, should not show excessive zeal in punishing Christians. 33. I again ask you, Emperor, not to neglect my words. My concern is for both of us, and I repeat the cry of the saint: why was I created to see the ruin of my people (1 Macc. 2:7)? Is it really just to provoke the wrath of God? I tried to do everything with greater honor for you. Hear me as a petitioner in the palace, so as not to hear me as an accuser in the church. 75 (Maur. 21). To the most merciful emperor and the most blessed. Augustus Valentinian Bishop Ambrose 314 1. The tribune and notary of Dalmatia turned to me, declaring that he was acting on the orders of your grace, and demanding that I, like Auxentius 315, appoint judges. He did not name the names of those who would still be invited, but explained that a debate would take place in the consistory, the outcome of which would be the decision of your piety. 2. To this I will answer, I dare to think, with knowledge of the matter, and no one will consider me disobedient for observing what your father of august memory 316 prescribed not in words, but in his laws: “In matters of faith or church order, the one who has an equal rank or has the same status should judge.” These are the words of the decree. The Emperor wanted the clergy to be tried by the clergy; Moreover, if a bishop was accused by outsiders and the accusation related to moral issues, he wanted this too to be submitted to the court of bishops. 3. Who is disobedient to your mercy? Does it encourage you to follow in your father's footsteps, or does it discourage you from doing so? Who will consider as insignificant the opinion of your great predecessor, whose faith was confirmed by the constancy of his profession, 317 and whose wisdom was proclaimed as the prosperity of a prosperous state? 4. Where have you heard, most gracious emperor, that in matters of faith the laity judged the bishop? Am I so bent by servility that I have forgotten the right of the priesthood and believe that what God has given me should be given to others? If a bishop sets out to be taught by a layman, what will happen? Let the layman reason and the bishop listen? Let a bishop apprentice to a layman? If we consider the succession of sacred writings in ancient times, who will deny that in matters of faith, I am talking about them, Christian emperors were usually judged by bishops, and not vice versa? 5. By the grace of God, you too will reach a respectable old age, 318 and then you will know the value of a bishop who makes the priestly right dependent on the laity. Your father, a man of mature years by God's favor, admitted: “It is not my business to judge between bishops,” but your grace declares: “I must judge.” He, baptized into Christ, believed that he could not bear the severity of such a trial, and your mercy, who has yet to receive the sacrament of Baptism, demands for himself a trial of faith, not knowing the sacraments of this faith 319. 6. And what kind of judges Auxentius chose, one can imagine if he is afraid to announce their names. Let them - if they exist - openly come to the church and listen with the people, not as sitting judges, but as testing the mood and choosing whom to follow. We are talking about the bishop of this church. If the people listen to Auxentius and consider that his arguments are better, let him follow his faith, I will not be jealous. 7. I will leave aside the desire of the people themselves, I will keep silent that they have already chosen the one whom they received from the father of your mercy, and I will not remind you that the father of your piety promised peace if the chosen one accepted the bishopric, and I believed the firmness of his promises. 8. Auxentius boasts of the consent of some foreigners? Well, let him be a bishop where those who believe that he is worthy of the episcopal title came from! I don’t know him as a bishop and I don’t know where he’s from. 9 . When did we decide what you, Emperor, have already announced as your decision? Moreover, you have already issued laws 320 so that no one has the freedom to judge differently! What you prescribed for others, you prescribed for yourself. The emperor not only sets the laws, but is the first to observe them. Do you really want me to try to show how the elected judges will begin to either oppose your opinion, or at least apologize for failing to resist such a harsh and strict authority? 10. But this would be the act of an obstinate, not a prudent bishop. Look, Emperor, you have already partly abolished your law 321, but let it be not partly, but completely! I don't want your law to be higher than God's law. God's law taught us what to follow, but human laws cannot teach us this. They only get fearful people to change their behavior, but cannot instill faith. 11. After all the provinces have been instantly informed that he who opposes the emperor will be summarily put to death by the sword, and he who does not give up the church of God will immediately be killed, will there appear one who can alone or among the few say to you: “I do not approve of your law”? Are priests forbidden to say this, but laity are allowed? And will faith be judged either by the one who hopes for favor, or by the one who fears disgrace? 12. Let's say I agree to choose lay judges. But if they begin to adhere to the truth of the faith, then, according to your new order, they will either find themselves outside the law or be executed. Can I push people into pretending or condemn them to punishment? 13. Ambrose is not so important that the bishopric should be humiliated for his sake! The life of one person is not as important as the dignity of all the bishops, in consultation with whom I wrote this. They expressed fear that the one chosen by Auxentius might turn out to be a pagan or a Jew, and we would not allow both to triumph over Christians, entrusting them with the judgment of Christ. What is more pleasant for them to listen to than the insults of Christ? What would they like more (may it not be so!) than denying the deity of Christ? With them, without any doubt, along the path of the Arian, who recognizes Christ as a creation, with which both pagans and Jews agree with great willingness. 14. This is what the Council of Arimin wrote 322, but I justifiably turn away from it; I follow the definition of the Council of Nicaea 323, from which neither death nor sword can separate me. This faith is followed and approved by the parent 324 of your grace, the most blessed Emperor Theodosius, this faith is held by Gaul and Spain 325, and everyone preserves it with a pious confession of the Divine Spirit. 15. If it is necessary to discuss, then I am accustomed to discuss in the Church how my ancestors acted. If it is necessary to talk about faith, it must be a conversation between bishops, as was done under Constantine, the princeps of august memory, who did not prescribe any laws, but gave the bishops freedom of judgment. This was done under Constantius, the emperor of most august memory, heir to his father’s dignity. He started well, but he didn't finish well. At first the bishops sincerely confessed their faith, but some of them wanted to talk about faith inside the palace, and they ensured that the correct definitions were spoiled by reservations. However, the distorted opinion was immediately withdrawn, and the majority of the hierarchs in Arminia undoubtedly approved the faith of the Council of Nicaea and condemned the Arminian decrees. 16. Suppose Auxentius convenes a council to argue about faith. Even if there is no need for so many bishops to bother themselves because of one, and they should not, even if he were an angel from heaven, 326 be preferred to the church world, but having heard about the convening of the council, I myself would not have remained aloof. Repeal the law if you want to start a dispute! 17. I would even come, Emperor, to your grace's consistory 327 and express my opinion publicly, if the bishops and people who believe that faith should be spoken publicly in church would allow me. 18. Oh, if only you had not declared that I am free to go wherever I please! I went out every day, no one guarded me. You could have sent me anywhere, because I was in plain sight. Now the bishops tell me: “It makes little difference whether you leave the altar of Christ of your own free will or betray it, because if you leave it, you betray it.” 19. If I were firmly convinced that the Church would not fall into the hands of the Arians, I would submit myself to the judgment of your piety. But if I am the only one interfering, why is it ordered to invade all the other Churches? Let it be forbidden to harass the Churches! I am ready to bear any punishment that will be pronounced. 20. So, Emperor, be merciful that I did not come to your advice. I am not accustomed to stand in a consistory, I can only be the primate for you, 328 and I cannot compete in the palace, because I do not seek palace secrets and do not know them. 75a (Maur. 21a). Against Auxentius regarding the transfer of basilica 329. I, Bishop Ambrose, brought this petition. to the most merciful emperor. and His Beatitude Augustus Valentinian 1. I see that, contrary to usual, you are extremely excited and do not take your eyes off me. This surprises me. Although, perhaps, some of you saw, others heard, that the emperor’s order was conveyed to me through the tribunes that I should get out of here wherever I wish, and with me everyone who wants and can follow. So, you were afraid that I might leave the Church and, fearing for my own life, leave you? But you may have heard me answer: I cannot leave the Church of my own free will, because I fear the Lord of the Universe more than the emperor of this age, and if some force tears me away from the Church, then I am ready to leave – in body, but not in soul. If the emperor does what is in his royal power, I will endure it as befits a bishop. 2. So why are you worried? I will never leave you of my own free will, but if forced, I do not know how to respond blow to blow. I can mourn, I can cry, I can sigh, but against the weapons of the Gothic warriors, what can my weapon do - tears? After all, for a clergyman this is the only protection. Otherwise I cannot and should not resist. And it is not in my rules to flee and leave the Church, so that no one explains my actions by fear of a more severe punishment. You yourself know that I usually treat emperors with respect, but I do not yield to them; that I willingly meet danger and am not afraid of it when it occurs. 3. Oh if I could be sure that the Church will not be given over to heretics! I would willingly go to the emperor's palace, whenever it was in accordance with the duty of a bishop, to fight in the palace and not in the church. But in consistory, Christ is not the defendant, he is only the Judge. Who will deny that judgment in matters of faith must take place in the Church? Whoever does not doubt his faith, let him come here! Let him not seek a partial imperial court, which by issuing the law has already clearly shown that he is fighting against the faith, let him not rely on the zeal of intercessors. I will not allow the wounds of Christ to be traded. 4. The military cordon, the rattling of weapons around the church do not frighten my faith, but they disturb my soul: lest a threat to your safety arise while you are here with me. I have already learned not to be afraid for myself, but I have only become more afraid for you. Please allow your bishop to accept the challenge. We have an adversary who challenges us to battle, for our adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), as the apostle said. He received, without a doubt, received - we are sure of this and remember - the power to tempt me in this way, so that the wounds on my body would not weaken my faith. You also read that in a similar way the devil repeatedly tempted Saint Job 330, that he demanded and received similar power to tempt him to the end and to inflict wounds on his body. 5. When it was ordered that we give up the church vessels 331, I replied as follows: if they demand any of my property, or estate, or house, or gold, or silver - in a word, what rightfully belongs to me - I will willingly give it. But I cannot steal anything from the church of God and I cannot give away what I received for storage and not for transmission. In the end, I also cared about the emperor’s salvation, because neither I can give these vessels, nor he can accept them. Let him heed the bishop’s voice: if he wishes good for himself, let him retreat and not offend Christ. 6. There is a lot of humility in this and, I think, a lot of love that a bishop should have for the emperor. But since our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but, what is even harder, against the spirits of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12), the tempter-devil, through his servants, intensifies the struggle and believes that it is necessary to test me with bodily wounds. I know, brothers, that the wounds that we accept for Christ are not wounds; life does not dry up from them, but continues. So, please, allow this fight to take place, where you should be spectators. If there is either an athlete in the city or someone who masters some other noble art, then he must be put up for competition. Why do you reject in great things what you usually desire in small things? He who is not afraid of death, who is no longer restrained by any love of the flesh, fears neither weapons nor barbarians. 7. Of course, if the Lord destined me to fight in such a duel, it is in vain that you post vigilant guards for so many nights and days, the will of Christ will be fulfilled. For our Lord Jesus is omnipotent, this is our faith. And therefore, what He commands to happen will be fulfilled, and it is not appropriate for you to resist the divine judgment. 8. Have you heard today's reading: The Savior ordered the apostles to bring Him a colt and, if anyone resisted, he ordered them to say that the Lord needed it (Luke 19:31). If even now the Lord needs this colt, that is, an animal accustomed to carrying a heavy load, human nature, about which it is said: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take my yoke... for my yoke is easy (Matthew 11:28, 29, 30)? What if He just ordered a donkey to be brought to Him, sending the apostles who became like disembodied angels, invisible to our eyes? Will they not say that the Lord needs him if anyone resists - if love for this life or flesh and blood resists, if human affection resists, because we are pleasing to someone? But the one who loves us here will love us much more if he allows us to become Christ’s sacrifice, for to be resolved and to be with Christ is incomparably better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you (Phil. 1:23–24). Therefore, you have nothing to fear, beloved brothers, because I know: no matter what I endure, I will endure for Christ. And I read that I should not be afraid of those who can kill the flesh 332, and I heard His words: He who loses his life for My sake will save it (Matthew 10:39). 9 . If the Lord wants, it is clear that no one will resist. And if He is still postponing our duel, then why are you afraid? The servant of Christ is protected not by bodyguards, but by the Providence of God. 10. You were alarmed to find the double doors wide open, which you remember had been left open by a blind man on his way back to his home. From this we can conclude that there is no use in human guards. One single person, who also lost his sight, destroyed all your fortifications and laughed at the guards! The Lord has not deprived us of His merciful guard. Do you remember that two days ago it was also discovered that the door on the left side of the basilica was unlocked, although you thought that this side was protected and fortified? Armed men surrounded the basilica, looked everywhere for the entrance, but were struck by blindness and did not notice the open door - you well know that it remained unlocked for many nights. Therefore, leave your worries: it will be as Christ commands and as it should be. 11. I'll give you an example from Law 333. The king of Syria was looking for Elisha and sent an army to capture him. And he was surrounded on all sides. His slave was afraid because he was a slave, that is, he did not have freedom of thought and will. The Prophet prayed that the eyes of his servant would be opened: “Look and see how many more there are those who are for us than those who are against us.” He looked and saw thousands of angels. So, you know that the servants of Christ have more invisible protectors than visible ones, and they stand guard, called by your prayers. You have undoubtedly read that, having entered Samaria and approached Elisha, whom they were looking for, the Syrian soldiers not only did not harm him, but were themselves saved by his intercession 334 . 12. The Apostle Peter will give you an example of both salvation and the call to martyrdom. When Herod found him, grabbed him and threw him into prison, the servant of God did not retreat, but remained firm, not knowing fear. The church prayed for him, but the apostle fell asleep in prison, and this is a sign of the absence of fear. A sent angel awakened the sleeping man and led him out of prison, and at that time Peter escaped death 335. 13. After the victory over Simon, Peter sowed God's commandments among the people and taught abstinence, arousing the wrath of the pagans. When they were looking for him, Christian souls began to beg him to leave for a short time, and although he longed for suffering, he nevertheless bowed to the prayers of the people. They asked him to take care of himself for their edification and strengthening of their faith. But why talk long? At night he went outside the city walls and saw Christ coming into the City at the gates. Peter asked Him: “Lord, where are You going?” Christ answered: “I am going to be crucified again” 336. Peter understood that the divine answer refers to his own cross, for Christ could not be crucified again, because he freed the flesh by the suffering of death already perceived, for that He died, He died once [to sin]; and whatever he lives, he lives for God (Rom. 6:10). Peter realized that Christ must again be crucified in His servant and returned of his own free will. When the Christians asked the reason, he gave them an answer and, being captured, glorified the Lord Jesus with his cross. 14. You see that Christ desires to suffer in His servants. Maybe He also says to this servant: I want him to remain, but you follow Me (John 21:22), and wants to try the fruit from this tree? After all, if His food was to do the will of the Father 337, then His food is equally the feast of our suffering. Shouldn't we take our example from the Lord Himself? When He deigned, He suffered, and when they sought Him, He was found. When the hour of suffering had not yet come, He passed through the midst of those seeking Him 338, and they, seeing Him, could not hold back 339. The Lord also clearly showed that everyone will be found and taken when He gives permission for this, and if the time has not yet come, then even if the servant of God appears before the eyes of the seekers, they will not restrain him. 15. And didn’t I myself go every day either to visit someone or to worship the martyrs? Didn't I pass by the royal palace on my way there and back? However, no one detained me, although they had the intention of expelling me, which they admitted later, saying: “Leave the city and go wherever you want.” I admit, I expected something more: either a sword for the name of Christ, or fire, but instead of suffering they offered me entertainment. However, the warrior of Christ demands for himself not entertainment, but suffering. And let no one frighten you either with the prepared cart 340 or with the harsh, in their opinion, orders coming from the mouth of Auxentius himself, who calls himself a bishop. 16. Many said that assassins were sent and that a death sentence was pronounced. I’m not afraid of it, I’m not running from it. Where can I go, where can I find a land that would not be filled with sighs and tears when the order is given to the Churches to expel Catholic bishops and strike those who resist with the sword, and city officials, if the order is not carried out, to be included in the proscription lists? This was dictated by the lips and written by the hand of the bishop, who did not miss an ancient example to show his learning: we read from the prophet that he saw a flying sickle 341, in imitation of it, Auxentius launched a flying sword across all the cities. And Satan takes the form of an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and, imitating his power, commits evil. 17. You, Lord Jesus, in an instant redeemed the world, but Auxentius in an instant will strike all the nations, how many there are: some with the sword, others with blasphemy. With bloody lips and stained hands, he demands basil from me. This is perfectly answered by the current reading: But God said to the sinner: Why do you preach My laws? (Ps. 49:16). There is no agreement between peace and fury, there is no agreement between Christ and Belial 342. You remember what you read today: the king demanded that the holy man Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, give him his vineyard. Having cut down the vines, the king planned to grow vegetables. Naboth replied: Let it not be that I give you the inheritance of my fathers (1 Kings 21:3)! The king was upset that he - although on a legal basis - was denied the right to someone else's property, but with the help of his wife's machinations, he took possession of this field by deception after the death of Naboth. Saint Naboth protected his vines with his own blood. If he did not give up his vineyard, will we really give up the Church of Christ? 18. So what is the impudence of my answer? When they turned to me, I said: “Let it not be that I give away the inheritance of Christ.” If he did not give away the inheritance of his fathers, then how can I give away the inheritance of Christ? And he added the following: “Let it not be that I give away the inheritance of my fathers - the inheritance of Dionysius 343, exiled for his faith and died in exile; the inheritance of the confessor Eustorgius 344, the inheritance of Myrocletus 345 and all the former Orthodox bishops.” I answered as a bishop should answer, let the emperor do as an emperor should. He would rather take my soul than my faith. 19. Who will I give the basil to?! The current Gospel reading should have shown us what is being demanded and from whom it is being demanded. You have, of course, heard this reading: when Christ rode on a colt, the children rejoiced, and the Jews were indignant. They appealed to the Lord Jesus to silence the children. And He answered: If they remain silent, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40). Entering the church, He drove out the money changers along with their tables and the pigeon traders. This reading was proclaimed today without any intention on our part, by accident, but it is so in keeping with the current times! The praise and glorification of Christ is always the scourging of the infidels. And now, when Christ is praised, the heretics say that a rebellion is brewing, the heretics say that death is in store for them. Indeed, in praising Christ there is death for them. How will they endure the praises of Him whose weakness they preach 346? And today, when Christ is praised, Arian madness is scourged. 20. The Gadarene people could not bear the presence of Christ, 347 and these are even worse - they cannot even hear the praise of Christ. They see children singing the glory of Christ, for it is written: From the mouths of babes and suckling milk you have created praise (Ps. 8:3) - and they mock the tender age, full of faith, saying: why are they shouting? But Christ answers them: If they remain silent, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40), that is, the strongest will cry out, the young men will cry out, the mature men will cry out, the elders will also cry out, these stones already established on that Stone, about which it is written: The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner (Ps. 118:22). 21. And so, called upon by these praises, Christ enters His church, takes a scourge and drives out the money changers from the church. He does not tolerate that there are slaves of money in His church, He does not tolerate that in His church there are those who sell cathedras 348 and episcopal thrones. What are departments if not honors? What are doves if not simple minds and souls that keep their faith unsullied and pure? Will I really bring into the church the one whom Christ expelled? He orders the one who sells positions and honors to leave, he orders the one who wants to sell the simple souls of the faithful to leave. 22. So, Auxentius is expelled. Mercury is removed. There is one monster, but two names 349. He changed his name so that they would not know who he was, because the Arian Auxentius had previously been a bishop here, and this one, in order to deceive the people, called himself Auxentius. He changed his name, but retained his wickedness: he took off the wolf's skin and put on the wolf's skin. There is no benefit in changing the name, everyone understands what it is. He was called by one name in the Scythian regions, by another here, in each region he had his own name. He already has two names, and if he goes somewhere else from here, a third one will appear. How can he tolerate being left with a name that indicates such a crime? In Scythia he did less evil, but even then he was ashamed and changed his name. Here he dared to commit more serious crimes, and wherever he went his name would betray him. Will he be able to maintain peace of mind, having signed with his own hand the bloody verdict on so many people? 23. The Lord Jesus expelled only a few from His church; Auxentius left none. Jesus drove out of His church with a whip, Auxentius with a sword, Jesus with a whip, Mercury with an ax. The good Lord drove out the blasphemers with a whip, the scoundrel persecutes the pious with iron. You said well about him today: “Let him take his laws with him.” He will take away, even if he does not want it: he will take away his guilt, although he will not take away the charter: he will take away the soul on which it is written in blood, although he will not take away the letter written in ink. Your sin, Judas, is written with an iron chisel, inscribed with a diamond tip on the tablet of your heart (Jer. 17:1), - written where it came from. 24. And he, stained and stained with blood, still dares to offer me an agreement? He, who considers it necessary to exterminate with the sword those whom he could not convince with words: he, who dictates with his lips and signs bloody laws with his own hand, at the same time believes that the law can teach people faith! He did not hear what was said today: A man is not justified by the works of the law... By the law I died to the law, that I might live to God (Gal. 2:16, 19), that is, through the spiritual law the apostle died to the carnal interpretation of the law. So we, according to the law of our Lord Jesus Christ, are dead to this law, which justifies ungodly decrees. It was not the law that brought the Church together, but the faith of Christ, for the law does not come from faith, but the righteous lives by faith (Gal. 3:11). So, it is faith, not the law, that makes a righteous person, because righteousness does not come from the law, but from the faith of Christ. Whoever rejects faith and dictates the rights of the law, he himself testifies to his unrighteousness, because the righteous lives by faith. 25. So will anyone follow this law, which confirms the decisions of the Council of Ariminus 350, according to which Christ is called a creation? But they say: God sent His Son, who came from a woman, and was subject to the law (Gal. 4:4) - “who appeared” they understand as “made.” Do they themselves not see from these words that Christ is said to have appeared, but “from a woman,” that is, by birth from the Virgin, He appeared who by divine origin was born of the Father? And today we read that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). Is Christ really damned by divine nature? But the apostle shows you why it is said “cursed”: For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Gal. 3:13; Deut. 21:23), that is, the One who in His flesh took on our flesh, in His Body took on our infirmities and our curses in order to crucify them on the cross. For He is not cursed, but He is cursed in you. And in another letter you can read: He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us 351 (2 Cor. 5:21), - because He took on our sins in order to destroy them in the sacrament of His Passion. 26. I, brothers, would have discussed this again and again in his presence and before you, but, confident that you know your faith, he fled from your court and chose four or five pagans as his confidants, if only he succeeded. I would like them to appear in the general assembly - not to judge Christ, but to hear about the greatness of Christ. However, they had already announced the defeat of Auxentius, whose words they did not believe for a single day, despite his eloquence. Is there a worse defeat than being defeated without an opponent, in front of your judges? So, we also have their verdict against Auxentius. 27. And because he chose the pagans, he should rightfully be condemned, because he forgot the apostolic injunctions: How dare anyone among you, when dealing with another, go to court with the wicked, and not with the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? (1 Cor. 6:1–2). And below: Is there really not one reasonable person among you who could judge between his brothers? But brother and brother go to court, and, moreover, before unbelievers (1 Cor. 6:5-6). You see, he opposed the apostolic authority. And you choose who we should follow as a teacher - Auxentius or Paul. 28. But what can we say about the apostle, when the Lord Himself exclaims through the mouth of the prophet: Listen to Me, My people, you know the truth and have My law in your hearts! (Isa. 51:7). God says: Listen to Me, you know the truth, - and Auxentius says: “You do not know the truth.” Do you see that the one who denies the judgment of heavenly prophecy about you treats God with contempt? Listen to Me, My people, says the Lord. He does not say, “Listen, you Gentiles!” - does not say: “Listen, Jews!” The Jewish people are no longer God's because they became a people of error, but those who were a people of error became the people of God because they believed in Christ. So, the people who judge are the ones who have the divine law in their hearts, and not the human one, the law written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God (2 Cor. 3:3), not written on a charter, but sealed in the heart, the law of grace, and not of blood. So who is hurting you: the one who chooses you as a hearer in the case, or the one who rejects you? 29. Surrounded on all sides, Auxentius resorted to the subterfuge of his fathers. He wants to arouse hostility towards the emperor, arguing that the judge should be a young catechumen who does not know the Holy Scriptures, and judge in a consistory. As if last year, when I was demanded into the palace and I was disputing in the presence of the elders in the consistory, because the emperor wanted to take away the basilica, I was crushed by the spectacle of the royal court and did not maintain the fortitude befitting a bishop, or retreated without defending my rights! Don’t they remember how the people, having learned that I had gone to the palace, rushed there with such pressure that they could not bear his onslaught; how did people rush towards the committee of military affairs and lightly armed soldiers sent to suppress the crowd, ready to die for the faith of Christ? 352 Wasn’t I then asked to calm the people with a sermon and assure that no one would enter the church basilica? And although the good deed was made a duty to me, the accusation was brought against me that the people came to the palace. And they want this charge against me to be brought again! 30. I recalled the people, but did not escape reproaches; however, I think that these reproaches should be moderated, and not feared. Why should we fear for the name of Christ? Perhaps I should be moved by their words: “Shouldn’t the emperor choose one basilica to go to? Perhaps Ambrose wants to be more powerful than the emperor, denying him this? By saying this, they want to take me at my word, like the Jews who tempted Christ with cunning speech, saying: Teacher, ... is it permissible to give tribute to Caesar, or not? (Matthew 22:17). Is Caesar always the cause of hatred towards God's servants 353? And isn’t wickedness hiding behind the imperial name in its slander? And these people can say that the sacrilege of those whose example they follow 354 is alien to them? 31. However, look how much worse the Arians are than the Jews! They asked the Lord whether it was necessary to pay taxes to Caesar; these want to give the emperor the right to dispose of the Church. But just as the infidels follow their creator, so we will respond, as our Lord and Creator taught us. For Jesus, seeing the wickedness of the Jews, said to them: Why are you tempting Me? Show Me the denarius. And when they gave Him a coin, He asked: Whose image and inscription is this? They answered: Caesarian. And Jesus said to them: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's (Matthew 22:18, 19, 20, 21). So I say to those who oppose me: Show me the denarius. Jesus, seeing Caesar's denarius, said: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. Is it possible that even when seizing church basilicas, they can present Caesar’s denarius 355? 32. But in the Church I know only one image - the image of the invisible God, about which God said: Let us make man in Our image and in Our likeness (Gen. 1:26). This is the Image about which it is written that Christ is the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis (Heb. 1:3). In this image I see the Father, as the Lord Jesus Himself said: He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9). This image is inseparable from the Father, and the Lord showed me the unity of the Trinity, saying: I and the Father are one (John 10:30). And below: Everything that the Father has is Mine (John 16:15). And, speaking about the Holy Spirit, He teaches that it is the Spirit of Christ and takes from Christ, as it is written: He will take of what is mine and tell it to you (John 16:14). 33. So why haven't we responded humbly enough? If he demands a fee, we do not refuse to pay it. A tax is levied on church lands; if the emperor wants to get these lands, he has the power to take them away, none of us will interfere. The tax for the poor can be collected in abundance from the people, let them not reproach the Church with lands, let them take them away if the emperor so wishes; I don’t give them to him, but I don’t refuse them either. They are looking for gold, I can answer: “I am not looking for silver and gold.” But they blame because the gold is being consumed. I'm not afraid of this accusation. I have investors 356, my hirelings are the poor of Christ, this is the treasury I have acquired 357. Oh, if only they would always accuse me of wasting gold on the poor! And if they accuse me of looking for protection in the poor, I do not deny it, but even ask for it. I have protection, but it is in the prayers of the poor. These blind and lame, weak 358 and old men are much stronger than the strong warriors. Giving to the poor is a contribution to the treasury of God, for it is written: He who does good to the poor lends to the Lord (Prov. 19:17). And military guards often do not have God's grace. 34. They also say that the people are bewitched by the chants of my hymns 359 - and this I do not deny. Great is that song, and there is nothing stronger than it. What is stronger than the confession of the Trinity, daily offered by the lips of all the people? Everyone is vying with each other to profess their faith; they have learned to glorify the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in verse. Everyone became teachers, even those who were barely capable of becoming students. 35. How else could we show greater obedience than by following the example of Christ, who, becoming in appearance as a man, humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to death (Phil. 2:7-8). He set everyone free by obedience: Just as through one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one many will be made righteous (Rom. 5:19). If He is obedient, let them learn the example of obedience that we follow, saying to those who accuse us and stir up the emperor against us: “We pay Caesar's things to Caesar, and God's things to God.” The tax belongs to Caesar, no one denies this, but the Church belongs to God, and it should not be awarded to Caesar, for the right of Caesar cannot extend to the church of God. 36. No one can deny that I speak with respect to the Emperor. What is more respectful than calling the emperor a son of the Church? When they call it that, they mean not sin, but grace. The Emperor resides within the Church, but not above the Church; a good emperor seeks help from the Church and does not reject it. This we say with humility and affirm with constancy. But some people threaten us with fire, sword, expulsion. We, the servants of Christ, have learned not to be afraid, and for those who are not afraid, no fear is a burden, for it is written: Their blows have become the arrows of babies (Ps. 63:8). 37. Obviously, we have answered their questions. Now I will ask them the question that the Savior asked: Was the Baptism of John from heaven or from men (Luke 20:4)? The Jews could not answer Him. If the Jews did not explain the baptism of John, then did Auxentius really cancel the baptism of Christ? For this baptism is not from men, but from heaven, brought to us by the Angel of great counsel (Isa. 9:5), so that we may be justified before God. So why does Auxentius consider it necessary to re-baptize the faithful people, already baptized in the name of the Trinity, when the apostle says: One Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph. 4:5)? Why does Auxentius call himself an opponent of people, and not of Christ, although he despises the will of God and condemns the baptism that Christ gave us for the remission of our sins? 76 (Maur. 20). On the transfer of the basilica (brother to sister) 360 1. Since in almost all your letters you ask with concern about the church, find out how things are. The next day 361 after I received your letter in which you wrote that you were troubled by dreams, a wave of anxiety fell upon us. They no longer demanded the Portian Basilica, located outside the city walls 362, but a new basilica 363 located within the city, which was larger in size. 2. First, noble men, comites of the consistory, turned to me, demanding that I give it to the basilica and take care that there would be no popular unrest. I answered, as befits, that a clergyman cannot give away the church of God. 3. The next day the same was proclaimed in the church. Even the prefect himself 364 appeared there and began to convince us to leave at least the Portian Basilica, but the people raised a cry. As he left, the prefect promised to personally report everything to the emperor. 4. The next day - and it was the Lord's Day 365 - after the readings and sermon, having dismissed the catechumens, in the baptistery 366 I taught the Creed to those ready for baptism 367 . There I received news that ministers had been sent from the palace to the Portian Basilica, and that the imperial banners had been hung. Some of the people rushed there. I remained, performing the service, and began to celebrate the liturgy. 5. During the service, I learned that the people had captured a certain Castulus (whom the Arians called a presbyter). He came across them as they walked down the street. While making the offering, with bitter weeping I prayed to God to come to the rescue, so that no one’s blood would be shed due to church unrest, but better, of course, so that my blood would be shed for the salvation of not only the people, but also the wicked themselves. What can I say? Having sent priests and deacons, I snatched the man of untruth from the crowd. 6. A huge fine was immediately imposed, primarily on the entire class of merchants. And so, on the holy days of the last week of Lent 368, on which debtors were usually freed from their shackles, 369 the chains grind, burdening the necks of the innocent: it is required to collect two hundred pounds of gold in three days. They answer that they are ready to give as much, or even double if necessary, just to keep the faith. The dungeons were crowded with merchants. 7. All palace officials, such as archivists, clerks, scribes of various committees, were ordered not to leave the house, supposedly so that they would not participate in the rebellion; noble people were threatened with punishment if the basilica was not given back. The persecution raged, and if they had opened the gates, it seemed they would have burst in, ready to commit any crime. 8. The comites and tribunes demand that I hand over the basilica as quickly as possible, saying that the emperor has the right to do this, since everything is in his power. I replied that if he had demanded from me what belonged to me, namely: my estate, my money, any property of this kind that rightfully belonged to me, I would not have refused him this, although everything mine belongs to the poor, but what is God is not subject to the authority of the emperor. If you want my inheritance, take it; if it’s my body, then I’ll hasten to give it away. Do you want to chain me, do you want to sentence me to death? I agree to this too; I will not hide behind the people and will not hug the altars, begging for my life, I would rather be sacrificed for the altars. 9 . When I learned that people with weapons had been sent to the basilica to seize it, I was horrified in my soul: as if during the defense of the basilica a massacre would occur that would be disastrous for the entire city. I prayed that I would not survive the funeral pyre of this city and all of Italy: the bloodshed was disgusting to me, I was ready to put my throat under the sword. The Gothic tribunes appeared, I addressed them with the words: “Did the Roman government hire you to become servants of civil unrest? Where will you go if everything here is destroyed?” 10. They demanded that I calm the people; I replied that it was my duty to refrain from incitement, and that it was in the hand of God to pacify him. After all, if the emperor thinks that I am the instigator, then I should have been punished or sent into exile to whatever deserts of earth he pleased. After these words they left, and I spent the whole day in the old basilica 370. From there I returned home to rest, so that if someone came to take me, he would find me already ready. 11. Even before dawn, as soon as I stepped outside the threshold, soldiers surrounded and took the basilica 371. They say that the soldiers informed the emperor that if he wished to go to the basilica, he was free to do so, but they would accompany him only if they saw that he was going to make peace with the Catholics, otherwise they would go to the meeting that Ambrose had called. 12. None of the Arians dared to go to the basilica, because there were no citizens there, only a few people from the imperial court, and even a few Goths. For these people, the cart once served as a home 372, so now the cart has become a church, wherever this woman 373 goes, she takes her entire congregation with her. 13. From the lamentations of the people I understood that the basilica was surrounded by 374. While the Scriptures were being read, I was informed that many people had gathered in the new basilica. It seemed that there were more people than when everyone was free. They demanded a reader. What else? Those soldiers who seemed to have captured the basilica, having learned that I had forbidden them to receive communion, began to join our meeting. Seeing them, the women became confused, one rushed out of the church. However, the soldiers themselves said that they came to pray, not to fight. The people were shouting something. With what humility, constancy, and fidelity the people asked us to go to that basilica! They say that in that basilica the people also demanded that I come. 14. Then I started this sermon: “You have heard, children, how the Book of Job was read according to established custom and at the appointed time. Even the devil knew from experience that this particular book would sound, in which the whole truth about his machinations would be revealed and exposed, and therefore today he struck with greater force. But thanks be to our God, who has so strengthened you in faith and patience. Rising to the pulpit, I was ready to admire Job alone, but I discovered that all of you had become Jobs worthy of admiration. In each of you Job has risen, in each of you the patience and virtue of this saint have shone again. Could Christian men say anything more appropriate than what the Holy Spirit has spoken in you today? We ask, O August, we do not enter into battle, we are not afraid, but we ask. This befits Christians: to desire peace and tranquility and, even in the face of death, not to betray faith and truth. For our Leader is the Lord, who saves those who trust in Him 376 . 15. But let us turn to the readings that were made. You see that the devil was given complete freedom to test the righteous 377. The evil one hates when the righteous prosper and tests them in every possible way. He tested Saint Job in property, tested him in his children, tested him in bodily suffering 378 . The strong are tested in their own body, the weak in someone else's. He was stronger when he had to endure his own pain, weaker when he had to endure someone else’s. And the devil wanted to take away my wealth from me. which I possess in your person, and longed to squander the inheritance of our peace. He also sought to take away from me and you, good children, for whom I perform the sacrament every day. He tried to involve you in destructive civil unrest. Thus, I have already passed two types of tests. Maybe the Lord God has not yet given the devil power over my body because he knew that I was too weak. Although I myself desire this, although I propose it, perhaps He believes that I am not yet ready for such a fight, and is testing me with various hardships. Even Job himself did not start with this fight, but ended with it. 16. And Job was tested when messengers of misfortunes came to him in a crowd 379, he was tested even through his wife, who said: Blaspheme God and die (Job 2:9). You see how many disasters suddenly befell us: the Goths, weapons, pagans, the imprisonment of pious merchants. Do you see what they are trying to achieve by ordering: give it to the basil, that is: Blaspheme God and die? Not only “blaspheme God,” but also “offend God by action”: they order: give up the altars of God. 17. We are oppressed by the royal commands, but strengthened again by the Scriptures, which answer: You speak like one of the fools (Job 2:10). This is no small temptation, for we know that those temptations that come through women are especially difficult. So even Adam stumbled through Eve, and when this happened, he departed from the heavenly commandments 380. Realizing his fall, exposed by his evil conscience, he tried to hide, but could not, and therefore God said to him: Adam, where are you? (Gen. 3:9). That is: what were you before? Where are you now? Where have I placed you? Where did you go? You understand that you are naked, for you have lost the garments of good faith, and now you are trying to cover yourself with these leaves. You have rejected the fruit and want to hide under the leafy canopy of the law, but you are discovered. You wished to depart from the Lord your God because of a woman, and that is why you are fleeing from the One whom you previously desired to see. You chose to hide with her, to leave the mirror of the world, the heavenly abode, the grace of Christ. 18. What to say also about the bloody persecution of Elijah by Jezebel 381? About the fact that Herodias achieved the murder of John the Baptist 382? Each got his own female persecutor. But my trials are more difficult, 383 because my merits are much less, my strength is weaker, and my dangers are greater. One woman replaces another, the reason for hatred is different, the lie is modified, the elders enter into a conspiracy 384, they are accused of insult. How can we understand this worm of difficult trials, unless we see that they are not persecuting me, but the Church? 19. They order me: “Give me the basil.” I answer: “Neither I have the right to give, nor you, Emperor, are allowed to take. You have no right to invade the home of a private person, but do you think the house of God can be taken away?” They object to me that everything is allowed to the emperor, the universe belongs to him. I answer: “Do not take on an unbearable burden, Emperor, considering that your right extends to what is divine. Do not be arrogant, but if you want to continue to rule, be submissive to God, for it is written: The things that are God’s are unto God, and the things that are Caesar’s are unto Caesar (Matthew 22:21). The emperor owns the palaces, the clergyman owns the churches. You have the right to dispose of civil buildings, not sacred ones.” And again they say that the emperor said: “I too must have one basilica.” I answer: “It is not fitting for you to have her (Matthew 14:4), what have you in common with an adulteress 385? For she is an adulteress who is not bound to Christ by legal marriage.” 20. While I was saying this, they informed me that the imperial banners had been removed, the basilica had been returned to the people, and they demanded that I come. I immediately ended my sermon with these words: “How high and deep are the prophecies of the Holy Spirit! In the morning hours, something was read to which, as you remember, brothers, our souls respond with immeasurable sorrow: God, the pagans have come into Your inheritance (Ps. 78:1). And in fact, the pagans came, and even more than the pagans came, for the Goths and people of military tribes came, came with weapons and, surrounding them, occupied the basilica. We, not knowing Your greatness, grieved, but our foolishness assumed one thing, and Your grace accomplished another. 21. The pagans came, but truly they came into Your inheritance, for the pagans who came became Christians, and those who came into Your inheritance as invaders became joint heirs with God. Those whom I considered enemies became my defenders, those whom I saw as opponents became allies. The words of the prophet David about the Lord Jesus were fulfilled: His place became in the world... and He broke in pieces the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle (Ps. 76:3-4). For whom is this gift, for whom is Your act, Lord Jesus? You saw that people with weapons came to Your church, that is why the people cried out and gathered in large numbers so that the basilica of God would not be taken away, and therefore the soldiers were ordered to use force. Death was before my eyes, and so that madness would not come, You, Lord, stood in the middle and made both one (Eph. 2:14). You pacified the armed, You seemed to say: if they take up arms, if a military trumpet sounds in My church, what good is My Blood? (Ps. 29:10). We thank You, Christ! Not a messenger or a messenger, but You, O Lord, saved Your people, rent my sackcloth and girded me with joy (Ps. 29:12).” 22. I said this, amazed that the emperor’s soul was able to soften due to the zeal of the soldiers, the persuasion of the comites, and the prayers of the people. Meanwhile, I was informed that a notary had been sent to give me orders. I stepped aside a little, he conveyed the order. “What have you planned,” he says, “to act against the will of [the emperor]?” I replied: “I don’t know what this will is, and I don’t know what was done wrong.” He continues: “Why did you send priests to the basilica? If you don’t recognize the authorities, I want to know this so I can know how to arm myself against you.” I objected that I was not planning anything to the detriment of the Church: when I heard that the basilica was occupied by soldiers, I only sighed heavily and, although many urged me to go there, I said: “I cannot give up the basilica, but I should not fight for it.” When I learned that the imperial banners had been lowered, and the people begged me to go there, I sent the priests, but I myself did not want to go, saying: “I believe in Christ that the emperor himself will make a decision in agreement with us.” 23. If anything seems tyranny, then I have a weapon, but in the name of Christ; I have the power to offer my own body as a sacrifice. Why is the emperor hesitating to strike me if he considers me a tyrant? According to ancient law 386 priests bestowed power, it was not seized by force, and, as they say, emperors desired the priesthood 387 more than priests desired imperial power. Christ withdrew so as not to become king 388. We have our own tyranny, the tyrant is weakness for the priest. When I am weak, it is said, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:10). But let him beware lest he create a tyrant for himself, even if God has not raised up an opponent for him. Maxim did not say that I was a tyrant for Valentinian, who complained that because of my embassy he could not go to Italy 389. I added that priests were never tyrants, but they often suffered tyrants over them. 24. We spent this whole day in sadness: in the end, the royal banners were torn off by the boys out of prank! I could not return home because everything was cordoned off by the soldiers who were guarding the basilica. Together with the brethren we sang psalms in the minor basilica 390. 25. The next day 391, according to custom, the Book of Jonah was read. At the end of the reading, I preached the following sermon: “A book has been read, brethren, in which it is prophesied that sinners will turn to repentance.” They took it as if all this was supposed to happen now. I added that the righteous man even wanted to be punished so as not to see the destruction of the city and not proclaim it 392. “And the words of his prophecy were so sad that he was saddened even because of the dried pumpkin. And God said to the prophet: Are you sad because of the pumpkin? (John 4:9). Jonah answered: “Saddened.” And our Lord said that if Jonah grieved so much because of the withered pumpkin, then how much more should He have cared about the salvation of the entire people, and therefore He canceled the execution prepared for the entire city.” 26. And immediately news comes that the emperor ordered the soldiers to retreat from the basilica and cancel the fine imposed on the merchants. What joy it was for the whole crowd, what jubilation for the whole people, what grace! This was the day when the Lord suffered death for us, when sins are forgiven in the church. The soldiers vying to proclaim this joy, rushing to the altars to signify reconciliation with a kiss. Then I realized that God had destroyed the pre-dawn worm 393 so that the whole city would be saved. 27. This is what happened, and I would very much like it to end there, but the emperor’s angry words foreshadow more severe trials in the future. They call me a tyrant, and even more than a tyrant. When the comites begged the emperor to go to church, and said that they were doing this at the request of the soldiers, he replied: “If Ambrose orders you, you will tie me up and hand me over to him.” Think about what to expect after these words! Everyone was horrified, but there are those who embitter him even more. 28. Calligon, the head of the bedchamber, dared to say the following to me very expressively: “And do you despise Valentinian while I am alive? I’ll rip your head off!” I replied: “May the Lord allow you to do what you threaten 394. For I will endure as befits a bishop, but you will do the work of an eunuch.” Oh, if only the Lord turned them away from the Church, and they turned all their weapons against me and quenched their thirst with my blood! 77 (Maur. 22). Brother to the lady sister, who is dearer to him than life and eyes 395 1. Since I am not accustomed to hiding from your piety what is happening with us in your absence, know that we have found holy martyrs 396. When I consecrated the basilica 397, many unanimously began to demand: “Consecrate it like the basilica at the Roman Gate” 398. I replied: “I will fulfill this if I find the relics of the martyrs.” And immediately I felt the heat as a sign of some kind of omen 399. 2. What's next? The Lord granted mercy. Even the clergy were overcome with trepidation when I ordered the area in front of the grate where Saints Felix and Set lay to be cleared of construction debris, and saw the necessary signs. Those on whom we had to lay our hands 400 also joined us. It was under such circumstances that the holy martyrs began to appear, and in the midst of general silence, one 401 rushed and bent down, pointing to the place of holy burial. We found 402 two tall men, such as was found in ancient times. All bones are intact, there is a lot of blood. The huge crowd of people continued for two days. What's next? We stacked the whole bones in the usual manner and, as evening approached, carried them to the Basilica of Fausta, where services were performed and the laying on of hands all night long. The next day the relics were transferred to the basilica, which is called Ambrosian. And during the procession one blind man received his sight 403. 3. My sermon to the people was as follows: “When I thought that you had gathered in such a jubilant and unheard-of multitude, and about the gifts of divine mercy that shone forth in the holy martyrs, I confess that I considered myself unworthy of such a gift, and it seemed to me impossible to explain in words what we can hardly understand with our souls and perceive with our eyes. But when they began to read the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, who spoke in the prophets, granted that we should say something worthy of such a meeting, your expectation and the merits of the holy martyrs. 4. The heavens will tell the glory of God (Ps. 18:2). When reading this psalm, it comes to mind that it is not the elements of this world, but the heavenly merits that give God worthy praise. However, during today's reading, I suddenly realized which heavens would tell the glory of God. Look at the holy relics on my right hand, look at the relics on my left! You see men whose residence is in heaven. Think about the reward of an exalted soul: these are the heavens that will tell the glory of God, they are the creations of His hands, which the firmament proclaims (Ps. 18:2). They were not carried away by worldly temptations, but were led to the firmament of the most sacred suffering by the action of divine grace, which had already announced their martyrdom by many testimonies of their morals and virtues, in which they remained steadfast against the temptations of this world. 5. Heaven was Paul, who says: But our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). The heavens were James and John, therefore called sons of thunder 404; like heaven John saw that the Word was with God (John 1:1). The Lord Jesus Himself was the heaven of eternal light, proclaiming the glory of God, which no one had seen before, about which He said: No one has ever seen God; only the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He told (John 1:18). Do you want to learn more about the creations of God's hands? Hear the words of Job: The Spirit of God created me (Job 33:4). This strengthened him against the devil’s attacks, and he maintained his firmness unshakable. But let's get back to the rest of the verses. 6. Day gives speech to day (Ps. 18:3). Martyrs are true days; no darkness of night can change them. They are the true days, full of light and eternal radiance; they did not speak the word of God in empty conversation, but in the depths of their hearts, professing faith and persisting in martyrdom. 7. Another psalm read says: Who is like the Lord our God, who, dwelling in the highest, cares for the humble in heaven and on earth (Ps. 112:5–6)? Truly God looked upon the humble and, hidden under unremarkable turf, the relics of the holy martyrs and revealed them to His Church. Their soul is in heaven, their body is in earth. Behold, the Lord raises the poor from the dust, and raises the needy from the clay (Ps. 113:7). - and you are witnesses! - to seat them with the rulers of His people (Ps. 112:8). And who are the rulers of the people if not the holy martyrs, to whom the previously unknown Protasius and Gervasius belong? Having long remained in obscurity, now through the glory of their names and the example of their suffering, they made the Church of Milan, barren before the martyrs, a happy mother of many children 405. 8. And let not true faith doubt the meaning of the following verse: Day gives speech to day (Ps. 18:3), that is, soul to soul, life to life, resurrection to resurrection. And the night of the night reveals knowledge (Ps. 18:3), that is, flesh to flesh. The suffering of Protasius and Gervasius introduced everyone to the true knowledge of faith. They are good nights, bright nights, stars shine in them. As star differs from star in glory, so it is at the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:41–42). 9 . Not without reason, many believe that this speaks of the resurrection of martyrs; I would like to think whether the martyrs have risen again for themselves or for us. You yourself have witnessed how touching the clothes of saints healed the demoniac and saved many from incurable diseases. The wonders of ancient times have appeared again! At the coming of the Lord Jesus, great grace was poured out on the earth, and even from the shadow of the holy bodies, as you know, many were healed 406. Even now, many scarves, many clothes are placed on holy relics and with one touch they expect healing 407! Everyone rejoices when they touch only the edge, and whoever touches it stays healthy. 10. I thank You, Lord Jesus, that You, when Your Church especially needs Your protection 408, awakened for us the great spirit of the holy martyrs! Let everyone know what kind of intercessors I am looking for: they repel attacks, but do not attack themselves. I have found them for you, people of God! They will help everyone and harm no one. I am under the protection of great defenders, great warriors in my camp, and these are not the warriors of this world, but those of Christ! I am not afraid of any violence from them, but the more numerous they are, the safer we are. I desire their intercession even for my envious people. Let them come and see my guardians, I will not deny that I am protected by an invincible weapon. Some in chariots, others in horses, but we glory in the name of the Lord our God (Ps. 19:8). 11. The reading of the Holy Scripture recalls how Elisha, besieged by the Syrian army, told the frightened servant not to be afraid: For those who are with us are greater than those who are with them (2 Kings 6:16). As proof, he prayed that Gehazi’s eyes would be opened, and he would see countless angelic armies approaching the prophet. And although we cannot see them, we feel them. Our eyes were closed while the bodies of the saints were hidden, but the Lord opened our eyes, and we saw defenders who often came to our aid. We didn't see them, but we had them! And so, when we were trembling with fear, the Lord seemed to encourage us: “Look how many martyrs I have given you,” and opened our eyes wide so that we could contemplate His glory 409 both in the past sufferings of the saints and in their present deeds. Brethren, we can no longer be ashamed of not knowing whom to thank for our protection. In one thing we have surpassed our ancestors - martyrs who were hidden from them were revealed to us. 12. Precious relics were removed from an unmarked grave, the victory monument rose to the sky. A grave mound wet with blood is a sign of victory! The incorrupt relics were found where they were placed, and in the way they were placed: the head was torn from the shoulders 410. And now the elders began to remember that they had once heard the names of these martyrs and read their grave inscriptions. The city that kidnapped foreign martyrs 411 has forgotten its own. This is a gift from God, and I cannot deny the grace given by the Lord Jesus during my bishopric. I, unworthy to be a martyr, have been honored to find martyrs for you 412. 13. Let the sacrifices of thanksgiving and victory enter where Christ is the atoning Sacrifice 413. But He, who suffered for all, is at the top of the altar, and those whom He redeemed by His suffering are below 414. I prepared this place for myself: after all, it is worthy to find the rest of the bishop there, where he made a sacrifice during his life. I give up the right side to the saints, let it receive the martyrs 415. Let’s place the newly found relics in a worthy home and will tirelessly perform worship all day long.” 14. The people demanded that the day of the martyrdom be moved to the Lord's Day, 416 but in the end they decided that it would be the next day. On this day the following sermon was given to the people: 15. “Yesterday I interpreted the verse: Day gives speech to day (Ps. 18:3), as far as my mind comprehended it. Today I see that in this verse the Scriptures prophesy not only about the past, but also about the present. Observing how day after day, night after night, your holiness rushes here in a continuous stream, I realized that yesterday and today are those prophetic days announced by the poetic prediction with great expressiveness: Day gives speech to day (Ps. 18:3), - and those nights about which it is rightly said that the night of the night reveals knowledge (Ps. 18:3). What else did you do these two days if you did not convey the word of God with heartfelt feeling, proving that you have knowledge of the faith? 16. However, there are people who envy your holiday. Their evil soul cannot bear your crowded celebration, hates the reason for our rejoicing and reaches such madness that it denies the merits of the martyrs, whose deeds even demons confess. So great is the treachery of the wicked, it is not surprising that the confession of the devil is preferable to him. The devil said: Jesus, Son of God, why did you come here ahead of time to torment us? (Matt. 8:29). The Jews heard him, but they themselves did not recognize Christ as the Son of God. And now you hear how the demons cry out, not enduring torment, and confess the martyrs: Why have you come to torment us so grievously? The Arians say: They are not martyrs and can neither torment the devil nor heal anyone, despite the fact that the demons themselves cry out about their torment, and the good deeds of the martyrs are testified by those healed and by the testimony of those from whom demons were expelled. 17. The Arians deny that the blind man received his sight. He does not deny that he is healthy, he says: “I see, but I have not seen,” he insists: “I have ceased to be blind,” and this is obvious to everyone. They deny the good deed, but cannot deny what happened. This man is famous. When he was healthy, he worked in full view of everyone, his name is Sever, he is a butcher by profession 417. When he became blind, he left his job. He calls on his trustees, who were eyewitnesses and witnesses of his blindness, to confirm the miracle of his healing. He tells publicly that he touched the hem of the clothes in which the holy remains of the martyrs were clothed, and his sight returned to him. 18. Isn’t that what we read about in the Gospel? We praise the power of the Creator alone, and it does not matter whether it is an act or a gift, because He both bestows in the act and acts in the gift. What He has given others the opportunity to do, His name accomplishes in the actions of others. We read in the Gospel that the Jews, seeing the healing of a blind man, demanded testimony from his parents 418 and asked: “How does your son see?” And he himself said: I was blind, but now I see (John 9:25). So the North says: “I was blind and now I see. Ask others if you don't believe me! Ask people who are strangers to me, so that you don’t think that my relatives are conspiring with me.” The stubbornness of the Arians is more vile than that of the Jews. Those, doubting, asked their parents, but these secretly find out, clearly deny, no longer believing the miracle, but the Creator. 19. But I ask: what do they not believe? Is it because martyrs can come to the rescue? But this also means not believing Christ, who said: “And greater things than these shall you do” 419 . Or do they not believe that the bodies of martyrs, whose deeds have long been known, have only recently been discovered? I ask: do they envy me or the holy martyrs? If it’s for me, then is it really possible that something happens in my own way, by my will and in my name? 20. Why do they envy me for what is not mine? If the martyrs - after all, it turns out that if they do not envy me, then they envy the martyrs - then they only prove once again that the martyrs do not have the same faith that they themselves profess. They would not envy the works of the saints if we had faith in them, but they do not even hide the fact that they do not have it. The true faith is confirmed by the tradition of our ancestors, and even the demons do not deny it, but the Arians do! 21. We have heard today the cries of those on whom they have laid their hands that no one can be saved without faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, that he is lost and dead who denies the Holy Spirit and does not believe in the almighty power of the Trinity. The devil admits this, but the Arians don’t want to! The devil says: “Let him who denies the Divinity of the Holy Spirit be tormented in the same way as I myself am now being tormented by the martyrs.” 22. I do not accept evidence from the devil, only confession. He said against his will, under duress and enduring torment. What shamelessness is silent about, punishment exudes. The devil submits to blows, but the Arians still have not learned this! How constant they are and, like Pharaoh 420, persistent in their atrocities! We read in Scripture that the devil said: I know You who You are, You are the Son of the living God (Mark 1:24), - and the Jews: “We do not know who He is” 421. The demons did not stop talking for two nights and two days: “We know that you are martyrs.” The Arians persist: “We don’t know, we don’t want to understand, we don’t want to believe.” The demons shout to the martyrs: “You have come to destroy us” 422. The Arians doubt: “These are not real demonic torments, but staged and invented for deception.” I had heard many stories, but I could not even imagine the desire to pretend to be a demon. What is it that we see that torments those on whom the hand is laid? Where does the lie come from here, where does the suspicion of pretense come from? 23. I will not give praise to the martyrs with the voice of demons. Let holy suffering remind you of itself through its benefits. Those healed serve as evidence, and those from whom demons have been cast out serve as evidence. The voice of health is loud for those who were sick, but the voice of blood is even louder. Blood has a loud voice, it reaches from the earth to the sky. Have you read the words of God: The blood of your brother cries out to Me (Gen. 4:10). With us today, blood cries out, by its very appearance it cries out in praise of the deed, it cries out in the victory of martyrdom. Your request that we move the position of the relics from yesterday to today has been fulfilled.” The addressee of the letter is Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria (385–412). The letter was written in 392 after the Synod of Capua (winter 391/92), which discussed the Antiochene schism, which began in 330, after the Arians deposed Bishop Eustathius. In 360, Meletius, a supporter of the Nicene faith, was elected bishop. He was soon deposed and exiled by Emperor Constantius II, and the Arian Ezo was elected in his place. In 362, Lucifer of Cagliari installed another Nicene bishop in Antioch, Paulinus. When Meletius returned from exile under Julian the Apostate, there were three bishops in Antioch: two Nicene and one Arian. East and West were divided in support of the Nicene bishops: the East (in particular, in the person of St. Basil the Great) supported Meletius. The West (in particular, in the person of Pope Damasus) Peacock. At the Council of Constantinople in 381, Flavian was elected as Meletius' successor. Western bishops, in particular St. Ambrose opposed (see epist ex. with 6, 8, 9). In 388, Paulinus, dying, ordained Evagrius bishop. After the Synod of Capua, the eastern bishops, meeting in Caesarea Palestine in 393, recognized Flavian as the only legitimate bishop. Evagrius - Bishop of Antioch (from 388). Flavian - Bishop of Antioch (since 381). There is no addressee in this letter, perhaps these were Macedonian bishops. According to M. Tzelzer (R. XXXI), the letter was written by St. Ambrose on behalf of the bishops of the Council of Milan in 393. According to Liebeschuetz, the letter was written on behalf of the Capuan Synod, after its closure (see Liebeschuetz. R. 56–57). Bonoz, bishop of the city of Serdika (now Sofia, Bulgaria) or the city of Naiss (Nish, Serbia), denied the ever-virginity of the Mother of God and attributed to her other children besides Jesus Christ. His question was discussed at the Capua Synod. The resolution of the issue was entrusted to the Macedonian bishops, who deposed Bonosus. Against the teachings of Bonosus St. Ambrose wrote the essay “On the Instruction of the Virgin and the Ever-Virginity of Saint Mary” (393), see Russian. lane St. Ambrose of Milan. Collection Creations. T. 2. M., 2012. pp. 374–467. Anisius (383–406), bishop of Thessalonica after Acholy, addressee epist. 52, see: St. Ambrose of Milan. Collection creations. T. 4. Part I. M., 2013. pp. 461–465. Possibly Vassian, Bishop of Lodi. Letters 72 and 73 are the answer to St. Ambrose on the “Relation” of the Prefect of Rome, Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. In the summer of 384, Symmachus asked the young Emperor Valentinian II to return the Altar of Victory to the Roman Curia, and also to resume the issuance of funds from the treasury for the maintenance of the College of Vestals, since in 382, ​​by order of Emperor Gratian, the Altar of Victory was removed from the Curia, the funds of the priests of pagan cults were confiscated, and the priests and Vestals were deprived of privileges. See also: epist. ex. With. 10. The Law of Julian the Apostate of June 17, 362 prohibited Christians from teaching. Wed. in Ammianus Marcellinus (res gest. 22.10.7). Out of a desire to receive tax privileges, some Christians took on priestly duties, see: Liebeschuetz. R. 64, n. 4–5.– Note. ed. M. Tzelzer understands the word “emperor” as an appeal to Valentinian and separates it with commas. – Note. ed. Perhaps St. Ambrose was referring to the fines imposed on senators for failing to attend meetings. Emperor Gratian, killed in the summer of 383 Perhaps we are talking about an embassy to the usurper Magnus Maximus at the end of 383 - beginning of 384. “Parent” in this case is an honorary title. That is, Emperor Fedosius. Usurper Magnus Maximus. See: epist. 30. Valentinian I, who was emperor in 364–375. St. Ambrose responds point by point to his opponent’s arguments in his letter 73, which is why Symmachus’ “Relation” is traditionally published among the saint’s letters. – Note. ed. Sq. Aurelius Symmachus (340–402), a famous politician and orator, may have been a relative of St. Ambrose on his mother's side. Several letters of Symmachus addressed to the saint have survived (see: Banterle. R. 49, not. 1). An indication of the imperial decree of 384, which was achieved by a prominent representative of the pagan party, the prefect of Rome, Vettius Agorius Praetextatus. According to this decree, the city prefect had to restore state monuments and take care of their preservation (see: Zelzer. R. 21). The first time Symmachus headed such an embassy was in 382 to Emperor Gratian. The Altar of Victory was installed in the Curia by Octavian Augustus after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. e. The murdered Emperor Gratian. Symmachus applies the word “divine” to deceased emperors. Liebeschiuetz believes that this reflects the ancient custom when the opposition, when introducing a law, demanded a recount of senators, assuming that there was no quorum to pass the law (see: Liebeschiuetz. R. 72. not. 1). – Note. ed. The word omen is obviously used as a synthemism: Symmachus considers the expulsion of the Altar of Victory from the Curia an atrocity, but cannot openly say this to the Christian emperor. Symmachus suggests leaving the altar in the curia at least as a work of art. Emperor Constantius II in 357 ordered the removal of the Altar of Victory from the Roman Curia after his visit to Rome (see: Ammianus Marcellinus, res gest. 16. 10.4). Wed. in Virgil (ecl. 3.60). Hannibal approached Rome in 211 BC. e. The Senones led the Celts in their campaign against Rome in 390 BC. e. and captured Rome, but were unable to capture the Capitol, which was saved by the geese, awakening the Capitol defenders with their cackling. See Bepgilius (georg. 1.498). That is, the highest deity is one. Baiulus - porter. Banterle suggests translating as “gravedigger” (the later meaning of this word), see: Banterle. R. 59. not. 32.– Note. ed. Liebeschuetz points to letters and reports of Symmachus, in which he mentions crop failure in Africa, the main breadbasket of Rome (see: Liebeschuetz. R. 76. not 5). Wed. in Virgil (ecl. 5.37). That is, people began to eat acorns. Dodona – sanctuary with oak grove of Zeus. Wed. in Virgil (georg. 1. 148–149). Wed. in Virgil, georg. 1. 159: concussaque famem in siluis solabere quercu. Wed. in Virgil (Aen. 3.650). Emperor Valentinian I (364–375). See: Ovid, amor. 3.10.21; Valery Flaccus 1. 498. The letter was written at the end of the summer of 384, after St. Ambrose familiarized himself with the “Relation” of Symmachus, see: uita A. 26. Wed. in Virgil (Aen. 7.440, 452). Roman commander and statesman Marcus Furius Camillus, who won the war with the Gauls (390 BC). Marcus Acilius Regulus, a Roman commander during the First Punic War, being a prisoner, was released to Rome to ask for peace on terms favorable to the Carthaginians. Regulus, on the contrary, convinced his fellow citizens not to accept the conditions of the Carthaginians. He returned to Carthage, where he was executed. Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Roman commander during the Second Punic War, winner of Hannibal. Emperor Valerian, captured by the Persians in 260. See Lactantius (mort. 5). Son of Emperor Valerian Gallienus (253–268), who lost a number of provinces of the empire. Compare: Plautus, trucul. 22; Seneca, epist. 76.3. Compare: in Minucius Felix (Oct. 20.2), in Tertullian (apol. 12.6); in Lactantius (diu. inst. 2.2.14). Only St. reports about the purple in the clothing of the Vestals. Ambrose. Typically, Vestals were required to wear white clothing. See: uirgb. 1. 15; uirgt. 13. Girls from six to nine years old were taken as Vestal Virgins, their term of service was 30 years. Wed. in Aulus Gellius (noct. att. 1.12). This refers to the law of Valentinian I (dated July 30, 370), according to which ministers of the Church were prohibited from accepting the inheritance of widows and virgins as a gift, see: Cod. Theod. 16. 2. 20. See also: off. 1.20.87. See: Сod. Theod. 12.1.59 (September 2, 364); 12 1. 104 (November 7, 383). Curials (decurions) were members of the city's community council who bore numerous financial responsibilities. On the plunder of Christian churches under Emperor Julian the Apostate, see Sozomen (hist. eccl. 5.5); in Theodoret of Cyrus (hist. eccl. 3. 12). For the story of the martyr Vincent, whose body, thrown into the water, was then washed ashore by the waves, see Prudentius: perist. 5. 437–520. See Virgil, Aen. 2. 184: nefas quae triste piaret. Wed. in Virgil (Aen. 2.211). See Virgil (georg. 1. 8). See Virgil (georg. 1. 159). See Virgil (georg. 1.226). See Virgil (georg. 1. 134). The floods of the Nile made the soil fertile. Wed. in Virgil (Aen. 3.650). Wed. in Virgil (georg. 1. 103). Wed. in Virgil (ecl. 6. 31–34). Wed. in Ovid (met. 1. 7). Wed. in Virgil (ecl. 6. 36–37). Wed: exam. 4. 8. 32–9. 34. Wed. in Virgil (Aen. 3.645–37). Wed. in Virgil (georg. 1.99). Wed. in Virgil (georg. 2.51). Banterle believes that we are talking about floors covered with valuable marble (see: Banterle. R. 79. not. 60). Perhaps this is an indication of the so-called “hut of Romulus”, located on the Palatine Hill. Almon is a river in Latium that flows into the Tiber. Wed. in Ovid (fast. 4. 337–340). St. Ambrose may have taken information from Herodotus (see: hist. 1. 131). Emperor Constantius was baptized before his death. See Socrates Scholasticus (hist eccl. 2.47). We are talking about Emperor Gratian, who was killed on August 25, 383. Having been defeated in the Battle of Pharsalus on August 9, 48, Pompey fled to Egypt and was killed near the city of Kanopus by order of Ptolemy XIII by his entourage, including the eunuch Pothinus. This refers to Cyrus the Great (VI century BC), the founder of the Persian state, who conquered Media, Lydia, Elam and other regions. Cyrus the Great died at the hands of the Massagetian queen Tomyris, who avenged the death of her son. Hamilcar is the name of several Carthaginian generals. This probably refers to Hamilcar, son of Mago, defeated at the Battle of Himera in 480 BC. e. (see: Herodotus, hist. 7. 166). Julian burned his fleet, depriving himself and his army of the opportunity to return (see: Ammianus Marcellinus, res gest. 24.7). The letter was written in December 388 in Aquileia (see note to epist. ex. p. 1) and was edited before being included in the Collected Letters. The text sent to the emperor was also preserved as a letter epist. ex. With. 1a with some discrepancies (see: Zelzer. P. XX-XXIII; Liebeschuetz. P. 95–111). Peacock talks about these events, see: uita A. 22–23. In the city of Kallinik on the Euphrates (now Al-Raqqa). Praevaricatio, in fact, means “secretly assisting the opposing party in a lawsuit.” Labarum - an imperial banner depicting a cross and the initials of Jesus Christ was introduced by Emperor Constantine the Great. After the victory of Maria and Catulus over the Cimbri and Teutones at Vercelli in 101 BC. e. See: Ammianus Marcellinus. res gest. 23. 1. 2; Socrates, hist. eccl. 3.20; Sozomen, hist. eccl. 5.22. Rhetorical understatement, Kallinikos, which occupied an advantageous geographical position, was an important trading center and a powerful fortress, cf. Ammianus Marcellinus, res gest. 23.3.7. The house of the Patriarch of Constantinople Nektarios (381–397) was burned by the Arians in 388. Son of Emperor Theodosius Arcadius, August from 383 Part of Roman law regulating relations between Romans and foreigners. See: Irenaeus of Lyon, haer. 1. 1 ; Tertullian, adu. ualent.; blzh. Augustine, haeres. 11. Jupiter, Juno, Apollo, Diana, Minerva, Mars, Neptune, Venus, Ceres, Liber, Mercury, Vulcan. The memory of the seven Maccabee brothers was celebrated on August 1. See: Numbers 21:21–31; 21. 1–3; Ref. 14:4. Tsar. 25:1; 1Ride 1. This refers to the usurper Magnus Maximus. After defeats at Siscia (modern Sisak in Croatia) and Petavion (modern Ptuj in Slovenia), Maxim fled to Aquileia. We are talking about Andragafia, who, leaving the army near Siscia, led the naval flotilla of Maximus. Upon learning of Maxim's death, he committed suicide. Theodosius's army consisted of Goths, Huns and Alans. Perhaps St. Ambrose is referring to the decree of 388 (Cod. Theod. 16.5.14), which prohibited the meeting of heretical sects. - Note. lane See note. to epist. 73. 13. The rebellion of 387 in Antioch with the overthrow of imperial statues, to which the famous “Conversations on Statues” of St. John Chrysostom. Written in March 386, during the conflict between the Empress Justina, who supported the Arians, and St. Ambrose. During the conflict, the saint was demanded to give one of the basilicas to the Arians, see: epist. 75a, 76, 77; blzh. Augustine, conf. 9. 7. See also: Liebeschuetz. R. 124–136. The Arian bishop of the city of Durostorum (now the city of Silistra in Bulgaria), Mercury, upon his arrival in Mediolan, took the name Auxentius in honor of the Arian bishop Auxentius, the predecessor of St. Ambrose at the See of Milan. See: Socrates, hist. eccl. 4. 1; Theodorite, hist. eccl. 3.16. In 386 Valentinian II was 15 years old. In 392 he died, see: epist. 30. St. Ambrose did not have time to baptize Valentinian, see: ob. Val. 51–55. See: Cod. Theod. 16. 1. 4. (dated January 23, 386). The decree allows Arian meetings and threatens those who oppose these meetings with the death penalty. Valentinian, having gathered the disputing parties for discussion, is already partially violating his orders prohibiting such discussions. The Ecumenical Council of 325 confirmed the consubstantiality of God the Son and God the Father. Honorary title. In fact, Theodosius was the guardian of Valentinian II. The hint is that the usurper Maximus, who controls Gaul and Spain, supports the Nicene religion. St. Ambrose draws Valentinian's attention to the political consequences of his religious policies. Consistory - imperial council. Perhaps St. Ambrose recalls his embassies to Maximus, where he had to defend Valentinian in the consistory. This letter is a sermon with which St. Ambrose addressed the faithful on Palm Sunday, March 29, 386, in the Basilica of Portia. Wed: epist. 77. 11. See also: 2 Kings. 6:12–17. Compare: Actus Petricum Simone / Acta apostolorum apocrypha / Ed. R.A. Lipsius, M. Bonnet. Leipzig, 1891. T. 1. P. 45–103. Peacock talks about the conspirators who kept a cart ready to send St. Ambrose into exile, see: uita A. 12. Dionysius, Bishop of Milan after Eustorgius, was sent into exile along with Bishop Eusebius of Vercellus for refusing to sign the condemnation of St. Athanasius of Alexandria at the Council of Milan in 355. Eustorgius, Bishop of Milan (344–c. 350). Myrocletus, Bishop of Milan, was present at the Council of Rome in 313. The Arians denied that Christ was truly God and considered Him subordinate to God the Father. – Note. ed. Wed: Matt. 21:12. Cathedrae - money changers' benches - are reimagined as church pulpits. St. Ambrose may be hinting that Auxentius is guilty of simony. See note. 2 to epist. 75. 1. P. 247. At the Council of Arimin in 359, under pressure from the authorities, the “Nika formula” was adopted, reducing the relationship of the Son to the Father to similarity. To the Synod. trans.: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” This incident took place in the spring of 385. Blzh also talks about it. Augustine: his mother, St. Monica, took part in the resistance to the Arians (see: conf. 9. 7. 15). Just as during the times of persecution Christians were executed for refusing to recognize the deity of the emperor, so now they are reproached for insufficient respect for the emperor and for trying to limit his will. The Arians follow the example of the Jews who did not recognize the Divinity of Christ. That is, to prove that the church basilica is the property of the emperor. Play on words: aerarius – 1) monetary, treasury; 2) lower class; aerarium – treasury, fund. Wed: hymn. 10. 24–26. See about Holy Martyr. Lawrence also in Prudentius (perist. 2). Significant testimony of St. Ambrose about his own hymnographic creativity. Liebeschutz suggests that the hymn-making of St. began earlier. Ambrose, if by the spring of 386 he was already accused of communal singing (see: Liebeschuetz. R. 159. not. 3). The letter was written in April 386 (see Zelzer. R. 108. not.). The Portian basilica is either San Vittore al Corpo or San Lorenzo (see: Zelzer. P. 108. Not.). Basilica of the Savior. In its place is now the Milan Cathedral, but fragments of the ancient building have been preserved. The praetorian prefect at that time was Flavius ​​Eusignius, see Liebeschuetz. P. 162, not. 8. It was March 29, the Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Wed. Gregory of Tours (hist. franc. 3.31). Traces of the ancient baptistery under Milan Cathedral remain. See on the transmission of the Creed between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Faithful: St. Ambrose of Milan. Explanation of the Creed / Trans. prot. A. Grinya / Collection. creations. T. 1. M., 2012. pp. 160–177.– ​​Note. ed. See the laws of Valentinian I, issued in 367 and 368. (Cod. Theod. 9. 38. 3, 4). Perhaps in the basilica of the martyr. Navora and Felix in the cemetery at porta Vercellina, or in the basilica, which was located next to the new one. Perhaps we are talking about a new basilica. The residence of the imperial family was at various times located in Pavia, Aquileia, and Trevira. Obviously, St. Ambrose went to serve in the old basilica, it was also surrounded by soldiers. - Note. ed. The sermon was preached on Holy Wednesday, when the Book of Job was read in church as a regular reading (see: Zelzer. R. 115). See: Job. 1:13–19; 2:7–9. Wed: exp. Luc. 4. 38–40. See: Matt. 14:8–11; Mk. 6:24–28. St. Ambrose alludes to his persecutor, Empress Justina. The saint draws a parallel with New Testament events. According to Liebeschutz, by “adulteress” St. Ambrose meant the Arian community in line with the interpretation coming from the prophet Hosea (see: Liebeschuetz. R. 169, not. 1). This refers to the anointing of Saul and David to the kingdom by Samuel, and Solomon by Nathan. Liebeschutz notes that until 382 the emperor was also pontifex maximus (see: I iebeschuetz. P. 171, not. 2). This refers to the embassy of St. Ambrose to Magnus Maximus in 384 That is, in the old basilica. April 2. Holy Thursday. About the eunuch Calligon and his execution in 388, see: Ioseph. 6.33 et seq.; blzh. Augustine, con. Iul. 6.14. The letter was written in June 386. See about this: uita A. 14; blzh. Augustine. conf. 9. 7. 16; ciu dei 22. 8. 2. Nowadays the Ambrosian Basilica in Milan, which houses the relics of St. Ambrose, St. mchch. Protasia and Gervasia. The relics of St. Marcellinus and St. Satire, sister and brother of the saint, who are glorified by the Catholic Church. Basilica in porta Romana - basilica in honor of the holy apostles, now San Nazaro, was consecrated in 386, see: uita A. 32. 2. Blzh. Augustine says that St. In a vision, the burial place of the martyrs was revealed to Ambrose; see: conf. 9. 7. 16. Apparently this describes the practice of casting out demons by the laying on of hands. Dark place. Publishers and translators offer various connections. Perhaps one of the women standing there. The day of the discovery of the relics is June 17 (see: Zelzer. R. XXXVIII). The day of transfer of relics is June 19. See: hymn. 13 (II). See: Ps. 112:9. Wed. also Isa. 54:1. See: hymn. 13 (II). 29–30; uita A. 48. 3. Relics of St. Protasia and Gervasia were found at a time of fierce confrontation between St. Ambrose and the imperial court in Mediolan, which demanded that the saint give one of the churches to the Arians. Beheading is a common method of execution for Roman citizens. We are talking about the relics of the martyrs Felix and Nabor, transferred from the city of Lodi to Mediolan at the beginning of the 4th century. Bishop Matern. See: hymn. 13(II). 11–12. That is, to the altar, where they will be buried and where the Eucharist is celebrated. In 1864, two resting places were discovered, where until 835 lay the holy martyrs and St. Ambrose. In 835, Angilbert II built a new sarcophagus over these burials, in which he placed the bodies of two martyrs and the saint, so they remain to this day (see: Zelzer. R. 134. not.). See: hymn. 13 (II). 16–24. You might be interested in: