Saint Ambrose of Milan and his sermons

The fourth century of Christianity is called the golden age in the history of the Christian church. In the Church of Christ, except for the apostolic age, so many great lamps of faith, teaching and piety have not appeared simultaneously as in this age. This century, as is known, is glorified by the preaching activities of Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. In the ranks of these shepherds of the Eastern Church, St. gained fame and respect among the bishops of the Western Church. Ambrose of Milan “The holiness of his life, says Pavlin, was so great and his teaching was so exciting that his episcopal court was the common abode of all Orthodox” 1. His blessed word was so edifying and fruitful that even the head of the pagan party, the famous enemy and persecutor of Christianity, Maxim, complained that St. Ambrose “bewitched” him with his speeches 2. Such brilliant eloquence was known not only in Italy, and not only in the West, but throughout the entire East and South. In Galia, Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt and Libya they knew St. Ambrose by his writings or by hearing about his pastoral wisdom and humble greatness 3. Getting acquainted with the life and work of this saint is extremely useful and edifying for every Christian. Life of St. Ambrose was described by his contemporary and eyewitness of some incidents - Peacock. This is what he writes: “When Ambrose was still a baby and was laid in swaddling clothes in an open place, a swarm of bees flew in and sat on his lips, and the bees crawled into his mouth and crawled out, putting honey on his tongue. The father, amazed at this, said: “If the child lives, something great will come out of him” 4 . Indeed, this assumption eventually came true. To the success of the preaching work of St. Ambrose also contributed a lot to his style, in which one can see a business man who wrote not only for scientists, but also for the masses of the people. Meanwhile, the father was not destined to see the fulfillment of the omen; he soon died, leaving young sons Ambrose and Satyr. These two brothers received their initial education under the guidance of their mother, and then their sister Marcellina took up their upbringing. Through her kind words and example, the virgin Marcellina developed those high moral qualities that distinguished the entire life of St. Ambrose. With this basis of upbringing, Ambrose and his brother began studying secular sciences. Gifted with fortunate abilities and devoted to science, he made the greatest achievements in the field of eloquence and jurisprudence. Ambrose's ardent mind, not content with modern models, turned to the golden age of the Greco-Roman enlightenment. Preparing to enter the field of public speaker, Ambrose studies exemplary writers of Greece and Rome. He especially loved to read Cicero and took him as his model. We can also find traces of this acquaintance with the exemplary writer of Rome in some of the works of St. Ambrose; so, for example, three books about the offices of St. Ambrose wrote in accordance with the work of Cicero on the same subject 5. The difference between these works is that St. Ambrose mixes a theological element into Cicero's morality and, instead of examples from the lives of Greek and Roman heroes, cites events from Old Testament history. Having familiarized himself with the works of Roman literature and mainly with Cicero, Ambrose also became acquainted with the works of Greek writers. We find an indication of this in the word “about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This word, although it is classified as forged, 6 but due to the fact that in the forgery there is conformity with the truth, it may indicate that St. Ambrose also knew Homer. In the word entitled, we find the following comparison: “the poets narrate that Ulysses, who had wandered on the waves of the sea for ten years and could not yet reach his fatherland, was brought to a certain place where the sweet-song sirens sang and so delighted the passing sailors with their singing that they were in danger of shipwreck. Whoever listens to the singing of these sirens is so enchanted by their voice that he sails to the wrong pier to which he wanted, and is plunged into the abyss that he was avoiding. And so, when Ulysses was carried by the waves to this dangerous place and wanting to avoid disaster from the charming singing of the sirens, then he ordered all his companions to plug their ears with wax, and to tie himself to the ship’s tree. By this he saved himself from shipwreck and warned his comrades against the destructive seduction of the sweetly singing sirens. And so, if the poets tell about Ulysses that he, tied to a tree, was saved from destruction, then what can we say about what actually happened, i.e., that now the tree of the cross has saved the entire human race from eternal destruction” 7 . This story of Ulysses is taken from Odyssey 8 and demonstrates that St. Ambrose was also familiar with the works of Greek literature, and thanks to this acquaintance, as we will see later, he introduced a lot of Eastern writings into his own. Having received a classical education, Ambrose entered the field of public speaker. Acquitting citizens who were unjustly accused of a crime, and accusing those who actually broke the law, Ambrose, thanks to his straightforwardness and eloquence, soon gained the love of the people and the favor of the Italian prefect, Probus, who elected him as his assistant. As an assistant to Probus, Ambrose brought many benefits to the state: he defended the innocent and exposed false informers. 9 For such successes in the affairs of the state, Probus gave Ambrose the position of prefect in Genoa and Lucca. Meanwhile, at the end of 374, Bishop Auxentius of Milan died and disputes opened over the election of a successor. Knowing the ability and talents of Ambrose, IIrob sent him to Mediolan to tame popular unrest and establish peace between the warring parties. When Ambrose arrived in Milan and appeared in the large cathedral church in front of the assembled people, they unexpectedly heard the voice of a baby: “Ambrose is a bishop!” The people, being at enmity among themselves, being of different sects and different thoughts, suddenly unanimously and with the same desire recognized him as bishop. No matter how hard he tried, says Peacock, this worthy man to avoid a new title, citing the fact that he had not yet been baptized and was not versed in the truths of the faith of Christ, presenting himself as stern and hard-hearted and showing his title to a Christian shepherd to be indecent - however, he could not drown out this universal voice: “Let Ambrose be a bishop!” 10. Having become a bishop, St. Ambrose, as Peacock testifies, renounced everything worldly and, first of all, distributed his property to the poor and allocated income to help the church. At this first step of his activity, he already saw the disastrous state to which the Arian bishop of Mediola, Auxentius, had brought the church. Therefore, chosen from among the people to preach the truth of the Gospel, St. Ambrose had to fight the enemies of the Gospel. But while defending the gospel truth, he did not yet have sufficient strength to wield weapons. In one of his teachings to the people, he says the following with good-natured frankness: “having been taken into the priesthood from civil ranks and positions, he began to teach you what he himself had not learned. Thus it turns out that I had to teach before learning. And so, now I must both study and teach together, when due to circumstances it was impossible to do this before, in order to study myself in advance” 11. That is why an educated man of his time, a skilled lawyer and an eloquent speaker, modestly leaves the teachers' pulpit and appears among the students. Acquaintance with the Greek language gives him access to the writings of the fathers of the Eastern Church: he studies the works of Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and reads Origen. The works of these church fathers gave a high direction to the previous knowledge of St. Ambrose, they elevated his mind, and the spirit of the zealots of the true Church of Christ became his spirit 12. That is why, as the Reverend Philaret notes, Ambrose, more than any other Western teacher, transfers the Eastern to the West and even introduces a lot of Eastern writings into his own 13. Treating, for example, “on the creation of the world” by St. Ambrose uses the evidence of Basil the Great and, in explaining the original psalms, he also repeats the words of Basil the Great and Origen. Based on all this, we can come to the assumption that the word in the text: “a certain rich man liked the field” may truly belong to him. This word was borrowed from Basil the Great from his conversation on the same words from the Gospel of Luke: “I will destroy my barns and build great ones” 14. Such borrowings from the works of the Fathers of the Eastern Church for St. Ambrose are completely excusable; because he accepts the episcopal rank without being well prepared for his title and begins his ministry with what every shepherd should begin under his circumstances. In the very first year of his episcopal ministry, he should have already acted. A vast field for his activity opened up when Emperor Valentinian the Elder died. Dying, Valentinian entrusted his sons, Gratiav and Valentinian the Younger, to the care of the shepherd. St. Ambrose gave them prudent advice in matters of governing the empire. Guided by the advice of St. pastor, Gratian issued a decree prohibiting heretics from gathering for worship outside the church 15. This decree and the influence of St. Ambrose against the emperor aroused particular anger and fear among the Arians. Unrest began and, in order to have success in the fight against the faithful, the Arians found support in the person of the Empress, Justina. Inclined by nature to malice and deceit, Justina used all her means to not only denigrate, but also depose and even kill St. husband With the assistance of Justina, the Arians demanded that St. Ambrose gave them the cathedral church, located outside the walls of Mediolan. The bishop did not agree. The irritated empress, in the name of the emperor himself, demanded from St. Ambrose of this church; but when St. Ambrose replied that “it is unthinkable that a priest could betray his church,” then, through the machinations of Justina, the prefect was sent with a detachment of soldiers to the city church, where he celebrated the liturgy of St. Ambrose, with the aim of capturing the bishop if he did not yield to the Arians of the church. The soldiers appeared at the church and, inspired by prayer, St. the shepherd uttered a touching word in their presence: “about God’s judgment on the oppressors of the church.” In this word of St. Ambrose exposes Job's patience and firmness to the sight and testing; compares the dangers he is in with these trials; refutes the accusations of indignation and misappropriation of power brought against him by the imperial courtiers, and, finally, consoles himself and his listeners with the fruits of Job’s firmness and patience. This word was so touching that the soldiers abandoned their duty and the anger of the enemies of the faith subsided for a while. Such is the power of words and the influence of St. Ambrose's listeners irritated Justina to the extreme and developed such envy in her that she, not knowing how to take revenge on the saint, decided to resort to the lowest means. In the church, when the bishop was sitting on the pulpit, one of the women, at the evil instigation of the queen, dared to approach him and stretched out her hand to the saint’s robes, thinking of drawing Ambrose himself from his place; but the bishop, turning, said to this woman: “although I am not worthy of this rank, you should not raise your hand against any priest of God; fear God’s judgment, lest unexpected evil befall you.” These words enlightened and deterred the criminal. The failure of such an enterprise prompted Justina to give her unjust actions a legal appearance. At her request, a decree was promulgated according to which the Arians were given complete freedom of religion and the death penalty was imposed on anyone who openly or secretly interfered with their teaching and worship 16. At the same time, she also tried to contrast St. Ambrose, an Arian scientist who took the title of Bishop of Milan. Such unjust actions of Justina took such a turn that St. Ambrose was threatened with exile, and troops were sent out to seize churches. The position of St. the shepherd was the hardest; the injustice of the queen’s action, the uncertainty of how the persecution would end, the sad faces of those around him and their mournful sighs - all this lay like a heavy stone in the shepherd’s soul. To alleviate the general sorrow and longing of the heart, St. Ambrose at this very time introduced antiphonal singing of hymns and psalms into the Mediolan Church. This singing increases popular enthusiasm, and the people spend entire nights in the church, guarding their shepherd. Thus ended the struggle with Justina, exalting only the glory of St. Ambrose and discovering cases of God's obvious assistance. Having defeated the strong enemy of Christianity, St. the shepherd announces to his flock the preaching of truth. He talks about virginity, and in response to the fascinating and eloquent sermons of St. Ambrose, girls flock to Mediolan from different localities 17. But according to Ambrose himself, virgins came for initiation from Piacenza, from Bonna, from Mauritania and other places 18. Such a success of the preaching of St. Ambrose created confusion in society. St. Ambrose was accused of distracting girls from marriage. Against such and such complaints, St. Ambrose says the following: “It’s good if the girl’s desire agrees with the will of her parents; but so much the better when the fire of love for virgin life burns of its own accord in a young heart. Let the parents refuse the inheritance: the virgin has a Heavenly Bridegroom who will enrich her with unearthly treasures. The parents are opposing: that means they want you, virgin, to overcome their resistance; They often express indignation so that you learn patience; they threaten to deny you an inheritance in order to test you whether you can endure earthly losses without fear; They deceive you to see if you are able to fight your lusts. An obstacle is a testing ground for you. The first struggle for you is the struggle with the tenderness of your parents. Defeat your domestic enemy first, and you will triumph over the world.” The persuasiveness of this word aroused anger against St. Ambrose. The liveliness and power of eloquence revealed envy and indignation. For St. a new enemy appeared to the shepherd in the person of Jovinian. This Mediolan monk tried to humiliate the dignity of the virgin life, transformed the true concept of the relationship of the powers of grace to the powers of man and went so far as to dare to reject the virginity of the holy Virgin Mary 19 . Such a teaching of the heretic, acting on human sensuality, found followers, and some virgins, who had already taken vows, entered into marriage. To such persons St. Ambrose explains the following: “virgins do not keep their virginity for selfish reasons. Chastity is its own reward. That is not virginity, which is bought at its weight in gold, and is not acquired out of love for virtue; this is not integrity, which is preserved for a time to increase wealth” 20. To prevent evil at its root and eradicate heresy at its very founder, St. Ambrose summoned the district bishops to Mediolan, and at the council, having discovered the errors of Jovinian, he condemned him along with his followers and excommunicated him. Having deposed the Jovinianists, St. Ambrose drew attention to the common illness of his time and began to heal it. As you know, the disease of that time was the passion for stumbling over dogmatic disputes. The Arians were especially susceptible to this passion. Believing that disputes intensify hostility rather than reconcile with the enemy, they constantly demanded satisfactory answers to their objections. But of all the objections, the Arians demanded special attention - objections concerning the sacrament of the incarnation. Therefore, convinced of the truth of Christ’s teaching, St. Ambrose begins to explain the dark places in the texts of St. Scripture, seeks out the spiritual meaning of biblical stories and draws lessons of comfort from them. And since the study of St. Scriptures of St. Ambrose considered the main basis of his religious self-education to be that he worked day and night, and devoted himself to his work with such love that did not weaken throughout his life. The result of such tireless labors are two books about faith. In these books St. Ambrose lays out the evidence for the divinity of Jesus Christ; and he directs this evidence against the Arians and thereby refutes some of the Arian positions. For the same purpose, he expounds the dogma “about the incarnation of the Son of God.” “We confess,” says St. Ambrose of Milan, that our Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and we affirm that according to Divinity He was born from the Father without beginning before all ages, and in recent times He was incarnate from St. Virgin Mary, having accepted a perfect man, consisting of a body and a rational soul; and that in divinity He is consubstantial with the Father, and in humanity - with us, because in Him two perfect natures are united in an ineffable way. On the basis of which we confess one Christ, one Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, affirming that He, being co-eternal with the Father in divinity, deigned to indescribably arrange for Himself from the blood of the Holy. Church of the Virgin, after She said to the Angel: behold the servant of the Lord, wake me according to your word; and from the moment of conception she united him with herself. This body united with Him was borrowed from our nature, that is, from the Virgin, and is not co-eternal with Him and was not brought from heaven, from His own being. God the Word, having become incarnate, was neither transformed into flesh nor into a ghost!” appeared; but, immutably and unchangeably observing His being, He united the firstfruits of our nature with Himself. His existence does not begin from the time of His birth from the Virgin; but, being co-eternal with the Father, He, out of ineffable goodness, deigned to unite with Him the firstfruits of our nature, however, in such a way that these natures did not mix in Him, and both belong to Him, as He Himself says about Himself: destroy this Church and in three days I will raise it up. These words make it clear that He both destroys and Himself, by the divine being, according to which He is the Creator of everything, erects the destroyed church. After the union, which begins from the moment of conception of the flesh, He was never separated from His church, and, due to ineffable love for mankind, He can never be separated. He suffered and at the same time impassive; suffered for humanity, but was impassive for divinity, about which He Himself says the following: you see, you see, for I am and do not change (Mal. 3:6). Therefore, God the Word, after He erected His church, in which the resurrection and renewal of our nature was accomplished, showing it to the disciples, says: Handle Me and see that the spirit does not have flesh and bones...” “On this basis, the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes those who call Christ only a man; or who say that God the Word is subject to suffering; that He was transformed into flesh; or that He had such a body, which coexisted with Him before His birth and was brought from heaven; or that it was not true, but just a ghost; as well as those who claim that God the Word, being mortal, needed the help of the Father for the resurrection of Himself; or that His body has no soul; or that He is a man without a mind; or that His two natures, having mixed, merged into one nature; and finally those who do not confess the unity of natures in Christ and one person, which is one because there is one Christ, one Son” 21. With this dogma of St. Ambrose refutes the objections of the Arians, who took away from the Son of God those things of one essence with the Father on the basis of falsely understood passages of St. Scriptures. The falsity of this view of the Arians regarding the Son of God, St. Ambrose makes it clear in his words to the people. This is what, for example, he says when explaining the words: “...lift up your gates, O princes, and lift up the eternal gates, and the King of Glory will come in” (11 p. 23, 7-10). “Reflecting,” he says, on the reasons why people have contradictory ideas about the Son of God, I am surprised not so much that they sin regarding supernatural objects, but that they do not obey the Holy Spirit. Scripture. For what is surprising that they could not, in the wisdom of the World, comprehend the mystery of God the Father, and the Lord I. Christ, in Him are all the hidden treasures of wisdom and reason (Col. 2:3), while the Angels themselves understood it only with the help of revelation? No one can, with one thought, without faith, follow the Lord Jesus, Who descended from the highest heavens to distant lands, and again ascended from earth to heaven; and who without humiliation humbled himself in order to dwell in us. The Forerunner was perplexed about him, and was perplexed then, as he was afterwards before His face... Even the Angels were perplexed, having seen the heavenly mystery... Therefore, some of them (the heavenly powers) asked: who is this king of glory?.. To this those who knew Him answered like this: The Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory. From this it is revealed that the Lord of hosts is none other than the Son of God. And if so, then how come the Arians call Him weak, while we honor Him equally with the Father, the Lord of powers? And why did they take it upon themselves to belittle His power, whereas in St. Are both the Father and the Son called Hosts in the Scriptures? And so since the Son has ascended, and he who ascended is the Lord of hosts; then without any doubt the Son is omnipotent” 22. St. explains the same thing. Ambrose and in another place when reading the Gospel on the 18th week after Pentecost. “Knowledge,” he says, of the hidden mysteries of God, the appearance of the Son of God in the flesh, His incomprehensible birth, is such a depth in which the human mind is completely lost: but let me not be allowed to know how God was born, but it is useful to know that He became incarnate; I may not know the manner of His birth, but I must know that He was really born; Even though I do not understand how the Son was born from the Father, I know completely that the Father begat the Son; and if you don’t believe God, then who? We usually believe everything we see or hear about; and when private people tell us, we believe unquestioningly; After this, how can one not believe what God the Father tells us, what God the Son confirms, what the eclipsed sun and the shaking earth confirm” 23 . Thus refuting the Arians and clarifying the meaning of St. Scriptures, St. Ambrose primarily had in mind the edification of his listeners; and in order to have a stronger effect on them, he resorts to allegory. Therefore, as an interpreter of St. Scriptures, St. Ambrose is not free from those extremes and passions into which Origen fell. Imitating Origen, St. Ambrose assigns some events and words of St. The Scriptures have a meaning that they do not have. So, for example, when interpreting the 118th Psalm according to the initial letters of the Hebrew alphabet, St. Ambrose begins each section with an interpretation of the meaning of the letter. He allegorically interprets the legend about the earthly paradise, the rivers of Eden, about Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Rachel, but in his opinion, serves as a symbol of contemplative, and Leah - active faith. A similar interpretation and explanation of biblical persons and events for St. Ambrose is quite excusable; because his leaders and mentors were: Origen, Didymus, Hippolytus and others, who belonged to the Alexandrian school and sought in St. text with allegorical and mystical meaning. This means that in his exegetical writings, St. Ambrose paid only tribute to his era. At the same time, being firmly convinced of the truth of Christ’s teaching, he fell into extremes not due to the curiosity of his mind, like Origen, but due to the special inclination of his heart, which was completely embraced by love for Christ; That is why his interpretations and exegetical studies of some biblical books have merits, which made the blessed one. Augustine look at him as one of the authoritative interpreters in the church 24. According to the remark of Rev. Philaret, interpretation of St. Ambrose on Gospel. Luke can be placed among the guides in explaining St. Gospels 25. Finding out the meaning of St. Scripture and illuminating the mind with the light of the Gospel, St. Ambrose offered real medicine for the heart. Imbued with a love of virtue, he instilled in the hearts of his listeners an aversion to vice. In the book about “Naboth” he exposed all the vices of Milano People, according to the testimony of St. Ambrose, spent all his days killing in the circus, at the forum and at the races. The main vice was luxury, and in the character of society one could notice extravagance and a passion for pleasures and pleasures in life 26 . The development of such a character in society depended partly on the fact that at the end of the fourth century, as the French writer Abbot Bovar notes, paganism openly existed along with Christianity; Even the altars of Jupiter, Juno, Venus and Apollo 27 have been preserved. In the Julian Curia, where members of the Senate usually met, there was a statue of the goddess of victory, to whom sacrifices were made before the meetings. This statue of the goddess, with the assistance of St. Ambrose, by decree of Gratian in 382. it was ordered to be removed from the Senate; festivities were prohibited; the priests and maidens of Vesta were deprived of benefits 28. Acting in this way and kindling the light of true faith in the hardened pagans, St. Ambrose also aroused love for truth with convincing words; in hearts hardened by luxury. In one word we find the following: “Truly the Jupiter of the pagans is a stone around which they, being in spiritual blindness, circle in error. I call them blind because they think they see what they really don’t see. For, looking at the stone, they imagine that they see God... These pagans, who worship him, do not see him and do not know him, with an idol made of stone and with all the sacrilegious sacrifices, they will be punished with execution and will perish in the abyss of the coming judgment” 29. Comparing this word with the testimony of the above-mentioned persons, we come to the assumption that some places in the said word cannot but belong to St. Ambrose. This shepherd considered it a sin to remain silent as long as the interests of Christians were affected and the good of the church was at stake: he was the defender of both the church and Christians. Yes, St. Ambrose appears to petition Emperor Gratian for the faith of Christ and Christians at a time when the pagans sent him the famous orator Symmachus with a request to restore the altar, the statue of victory and the former rights of Rome. But thanks to the intercession of St. Ambrose, the defenders of paganism were denied entry into the palace and denied access to the emperor on the grounds that the pagans “do not represent the entire senate” 30. Offended by this, the pagans and their priests offered Gratian “the clothes of the high priest” and, acting on the emperor’s pride, thought to win the case; but Gratian, rejecting this clothing, said: “It is not becoming for a Christian to adorn the pagans.” The embittered pagans were now waiting for a favorable time for their actions. The opportunity soon presented itself. Gratian was killed, and Rome remained dependent on Valentinian II. The pagan party tried to publicize that the death of Gratian and the predicament of the court were an expression of the revenge of the offended gods. An embassy was again formed, the head of which was Symmachus. Before the emperor, this Roman orator makes the following speech: “the old religion has long been beneficial to the empire; therefore we ask for its restoration. We ask for peace for the fatherland, tolerance for our gods. We all worship one deity, although the image of worship is different. We see the same stars, walk under the same sky, live in the same World. What need is there before each of us seeks the truth? There is more than one way to reach that great mystery. But dispute is the business of idle people; “We didn’t come here to argue, we came here to beg you” 31. Such a speech by the pagan speaker also prompted St. Ambrose raise his voice. He sends a letter to the emperor, where, pointing out the injustice of the complaints of the pagans, he says: “Who asks, who complains? Those who mercilessly shed our blood and destroyed the very foundations of our churches are complaining about losses... In vain do the defenders of paganism ask for the restoration of the altar in the name of the entire Senate: the pagans are a minority of it, and the Christian senators announced two years ago that they not only do not take part in the cause of the pagans, on the contrary, they will not come to the Senate at all if they receive satisfaction. We bishops cannot remain indifferent if you agree to the demands of the pagans” 32. Having refuted the demands of Symmachus, St. Ambrose takes up arms against the former rights and privileges of the Virgins of Vesta and the priests. “If we agree,” he says, to cede to the Vestals their former rights and advantages; then what should we offer as a reward to Christian virgins? What treasury contains so much wealth that it will be enough for such rewards? Or, as the pagans think, give salaries to the Vestals alone? This is how it was under the pagan emperors; but aren’t they ashamed to make such demands now?.. They complain that the priests’ income has been cut off. And the clergy of the church have recently been deprived of the right to accept voluntary donations from private individuals, and no one is complaining... For him alone, there are no wills or donations” 33. With his letters to St. Ambrose reveals the injustice of the pagans and convinces the emperor of this. Having no head, the pagans fell silent, but not for long. They took advantage of the strong infighting between the emperor and the minister Arbogast. Removed from service, Arbogast, as contemporaries say, kills Valentinian II. At the tomb of the Emperor St. Ambrose pronounces a word in which he proves the idea that the death of Valentinian was a loss for the church. This idea actually came true. After the death of the emperor, one of the courtiers of Valentinian II, Eugene, was elected to the throne, a weak man and capable only of being an obedient instrument of another person 34. The pagans soon took advantage of the weakness of this person. They again asked to restore the rights of the ancient religion. Eugene declared the previous laws against pagan religion invalid; therefore, the statue of victory, amid thunderous applause and shouts of the people, is solemnly brought into the Senate; the priests enjoy the same respect and income; the former splendor surrounds the virgins of Vesta 35. Such unexpected events greatly affected St. Ambrose. He raises his voice, denounces Eugene’s unjust actions and calms himself with faith in God’s Providence. This is what the bishop now writes: “I am running from you because I fear God... You alone, having taken the reins of government, yielded to the requests of the pagans. Perhaps you decided on such a thing not out of a disposition towards paganism, but out of respect for the personal merits of the petitioners. But you know, without a doubt, that the fear of God must guide you in all your paths... Great is the power of the emperor. But think about it sovereign, and about the greatness of God; He, the All-Seeing, reads in everyone’s heart, knows all the secrets of the soul. They themselves do not allow themselves to deceive others: do you really think to deceive God?.. The demands of the pagans were urgent: but you, out of reverence for the living and true God, were you not all the more obliged to resist them and not agree to something that offends the holy faith?... 36 Such words St. Ambrose had the effect that Eugene, although he did not change his orders, did not directly arm himself against the church. At the same time, Eugene’s fate was soon decided. In the battle with Theodosius the Great, he was captured and executed. Thus, the question: “whether the veneration of Jupiter or the service of Christ should be the religion of the state” was resolved. All that has been said leads us to the idea that St. Ambrose occupies a prominent place among the pastors of the church. He affirmed and restored Christianity, revived the human personality, and worked tirelessly all his life. “You see for yourself, brothers,” he says, that I, humble, do not cease to work with you with all diligence and zeal in order to turn you to a virtuous life” 37 . Exposing the shortcomings of his flock, St. Ambrose illuminates their minds with the light of truth, “the more I struggle, the more you confuse me. For when I see that you, with so many of my admonitions, are not making any progress; then my work serves me not to joy, but to shame... Your stomach expands from a rich dinner, and your head moves from drinking too much... You change like the moon, when once shining with piety, you now darken yourself with treachery. You change, like the moon, when your head becomes so impoverished in wisdom, like the moon in light, and your mind becomes covered in darkness. Oh, if you, crazy one, would change like the moon! For it soon comes again to its fullness; and you are not slowly turning to wisdom. She soon returns the light she lost; and you will not slowly accept the faith that you left. And so your change is more deplorable than the lunar one. The moon lacks light, and you lack salvation... The moon does not change its position voluntarily, but you change your disposition without permission. She, by her very condition, suffers damage, and you are damaged by your own will” 38. Thus illuminating the minds of his flock with the light of truth, the Mediolan shepherd warmed their hearts with the fire of love. He pronounces the word “about the mutual love of Christians” and says the following: “brotherhood in Christ is incomparably better than brotherhood in the flesh; because brotherhood in the flesh consists only of bodily affinity; and brotherhood in Christ is in like-mindedness and unanimity, as it is written: But the people who believed were one in heart and soul. (Acts 4:32). Therefore, he is truly a brother who resembles us not only in body, but also in soul. He, I say, is a true brother who has one spirit and one will with his brother. And so brotherhood in Christ is better than brotherhood in the flesh. Brothers in the flesh are sometimes at enmity with each other; and brothers in Christ are constantly at peace with each other. Those sometimes hang out and share the common property among themselves; These always gladly sacrifice each other and their property. The former often despise their relatives in society; and the latter often accept strangers into their midst. Such was the piety of Christians during the time of the Apostles that none of them called their own house their own, no one appropriated anything to themselves, as St. Luke: and not a single thing was said to be from his possessions, but he shared everything with them (v. 32). That is why there was not a single poor person among them 39 . Showing the meaning of mutual love among Christians, St. The shepherd inclined the will of his listeners to good actions. “Let us strive,” he says, to appear before Jesus skilled in the Faith, clothed in mercy, well-ordered into the way of our life: whoever sincerely loves Christ, let him adorn himself more brightly with the observance of His commandments, so that he can see that we truly believe in Him” 40. “We must give praise to Christ in the psalms and glorify Him with harmonious singing, so that, after completing the day’s work, we may be worthy of rest, like victors, and so that sound sleep will be some reward for our work. This is what we are taught, brothers, not only by reason, but also by examples. Have we not noticed that the smallest birds, when the morning dawn appears, make various pleasant sounds in their nests... An innocent bird, not having the ability to speak, thanks its Nourisher by singing... Who, having human feeling, would not be ashamed to end the day without singing psalms, when the very birds sing their gratitude? 41. Resorting to such comparisons and confirming his thoughts with living images and examples, St. Ambrose picturesquely and eloquently depicts the subject of his speech; and the power of true Christian feeling, imbued with conviction and clothed in eloquent form, gives persuasiveness to his words. Peacock, Abbreviated life of St. Ambrose, page 14. Everyone. ist. Schlosser, vol. 4, pp. 477–478. See also Guide. for rural pastors 1874 No. 43, p. 231. Manager for rural pastas. 1874 No. 38, p. 69. Pavlin, “The Shortening of the Life of St. Ambrose." Archbishop Filaret, Teaching on the Fathers of the Church, vol. II, p. 228. Op. S. Ambrosii, ed. a Migne. Paris. 1845 Selected instructive words of St. Ambrose, pp. 177–179. Compare with the Odyssey - Homer. Transl. Zhukovsky, vol. 8, pp. 425–427. Peacock, "The Shortening of the Life of St. Amrosia” page 9. Abbreviation life of St. Ambrose, pp. 10–11. 2nd part. Chetiy-Minei, m. December 7th day. at your place. Vel. Wed 197. De officiis Ministrorum. Lib. 1, cap. 1. Orthodox Review for 1861, vol. 4, p. 476. Teaching about the Fathers of the Church, vol. II, p. 84. See Creation. Basil the Great, part 4, p. 84. God. Theod. Lib. IV. de Fide Catholica. Kharkiv diocesan led 1878 No. 8. countries. 250. Cod. Theod. Lex. XX. De episkopis. Sunday reading, 1845, pp. 325–326. Sunday Reading 1846 No. 7, pp. 75–76. Sunday Reading 1846 No. 26, p. 246. August. Lib. de gratia Christi, advers. cap. XLII. Teaching about the Fathers of the Church. T. II, p. 226. Everyone. Schlosser's history, vol. 4, p. 476. Baun. Liv. 1, chap. IV, p. 76. Cod. Theod. Lib. 16, p. 20, fol 10. Elected words of St. Ambrose, pp. 207–208. About: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom...”. Relatio Summachi ad Valentinianum II inter Ambrosii Op. T. 2, p. 828. Everyone. Schlosser's history, vol. 4, p. 479. An accusatory word on the occasion of an eclipse of the moon. See a manual for studying the history of Christians, church sermons by M. A. Potorzhinsky, Kyiv. 1877 p. 216. An accusatory word on the occasion of an eclipse of the moon. Manual – M. Potorzhinsky, p. 209. A word about how one should celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ. The word is that we should not fear carnal enemies, but spiritual ones, and thank God for his blessings.