Книга 7

36 (Maur. 2). Ambrose Constantius 958 1. You have accepted the gift of episcopacy and, sitting at the stern, you guide the ship of the Church among the waves. 959 Hold the helm of faith so that the harsh storms of this age cannot lead you astray. The sea, of course, is great and vast, but do not be afraid, for He founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers (Ps. 23.2). And therefore, it is no coincidence that among so many currents of the world, the Church of the Lord, as if established on the apostolic rock, remains motionless and stands on a solid foundation, withstanding the onslaught of the raging abyss. 960 The waves wash it, but do not shake it, and although the elements of this world often collide with a great roar, 961 it has the most reliable harbor of salvation to receive those who suffer. 2. However, wavering on the sea, she glides along the rivers, and look, is it not along those rivers about which it is said: The rivers lift up their voice (Ps. 92.3)! For these are the rivers that flow from the belly of one who took drink from Christ and received of the Spirit of God. 962 Consequently, it is these rivers that lift up their voice, abounding in spiritual grace. There is also a river that runs down on its saints like a stormy stream. 963 There is also a swift current of the river, which fills a peaceful and calm soul with joy. 964 Everyone who receives from the fullness of this river, like the Evangelist John, like Peter and Paul, raises his voice, and like the apostles with a sonorous voice spread the message of the Gospel preaching to the extreme limits of the earthly circle, so he begins to preach the Lord Jesus. So, accept from Christ so that your voice may also be lifted up. 3. The sea is divine Scripture, it hides an abyss of meaning and depth of prophetic fortune-telling, it is a sea into which many rivers flow. These are sweet and transparent streams, and snowy springs, flowing into eternal life, and good words, like honey from a honeycomb (Proverbs 16:24), and pleasant sayings, moistening the souls of listeners with a kind of spiritual drink and softening them with the sweetness of moral precepts. So, the streams of the divine Scriptures are different. You have something to drink first, something to drink second, something to drink last. 4. Collect the water of Christ, that which praises the Lord. 965 Collect water from many places, the water that the prophetic clouds pour out. 966 Whoever collects water from the mountains and brings it to himself or draws it from springs, he himself emits it, like a cloud. So, fill the bosom of your mind, so that your land will be moistened and watered with its own springs. Therefore, whoever reads and understands a lot is filled; whoever is filled, waters others; and therefore the Scripture says: If the clouds are full, then they will shed rain on the earth (Ecc. 11.3). 5. So, let your words be abundant, let them be pure and transparent, so that with moral instruction you pour sweetness into the ears of the nations and soften the people with the grace of your words, so that they willingly follow where you lead. If a rebellion arises among the people or among some, or sin appears, let your words be such that they pierce the listener, sting the unscrupulous, for the words of the wise are like goads (Eccl. 12:11). The Lord Jesus also hurt Saul when he was a persecutor. Think how saving this wounding was, if He made the persecutor an apostle, saying: It is difficult for you to go against the prick (Acts 9:5). 6. There are also words like milk, such as Paul poured out on the Corinthians; 967 for those who cannot eat solid food feed the infancy of their mind with milk. 7. Let your conversations be full of reason. Therefore, Solomon says: the mouth of the wise is the weapon of reason, 968 and in another place: let your lips be bound by meaning, 969 that is, let the clarity of your words shine, let your mind and your conversation shine, and let your reasoning not need other people’s confirmations, but let your speech be, as it were, protected by its own weapon and no word of yours comes in vain and is not pronounced without meaning. After all, there are dressings that are usually used to heal the wounds of the soul; whoever rejects them, apparently despairs of salvation. 970 And therefore, for those who suffer from serious wounds, use verbal oil, with which you will soften the hardened crust of the mind: apply poultices, bind them with a bandage of saving instructions, so as not to allow those who are lost and rebel against faith or teaching to perish irrevocably in weakened spirit and powerlessness. 8. So, exhort the people of God and conjure them to abound in good deeds, to reject crimes, and not to kindle the flames of fire, I will not say “on the Sabbath,” 971 but at all times, so that they do not burn their bodies. Let fornication and uncleanness (Eph. 5:3) not abide among the servants of God, for we serve the immaculate Son of God. Let everyone know himself 972 and observe his vessel, 973 so that, having cultivated the soil of his body, he expects the due fruits, and so that his land does not produce thorns and thistles (Gen. 3.18), but so that he himself says: The earth has given its fruits (Ps. 84.13) - and so that instead of the former brittle thickets of passions, plantings of virtues will flourish. 9. Also teach and instruct them so that they do what is good, and so that everyone does not stop working worthily, regardless of whether he is in the sight of many or left to himself, for one witness is abundantly sufficient - conscience. 10. Let him avoid evil reproaches, even if he is sure that it is impossible to convict him. After all, even if he was locked behind walls and kept in prison, without a witness, without an eyewitness, nevertheless he has a judge of his action, which cannot be deceived, to whom everything he has done appeals. After all, the voice of blood cries out (Gen. 4:10). In everyone, the harsh judge is himself... and his own spirit, the avenger of crime and the punisher of lawlessness. So Cain wandered in fear and trembling, washing away the sin of the fratricidal crime, so that his own death became his medicine, for by death it freed the wandering exile from the inescapable fear of death. So, let no one commit shameful and dishonorable deeds, either alone or together with others. And if anyone is alone, let him be ashamed of himself more than of others, for most of all he should be afraid of himself. 11. Let him not desire too much, for little is too much for him; After all, poverty and wealth are names for need and contentment. The one who needs something is not rich, and the one who does not need is not poor. Let no one despise a widow, deceive an orphan, or harm his neighbor. 974 Woe to the one who unjustly acquired wealth and builds a city on blood (Hab. 2.12), that is, his soul! For it is she who is being built like a city (Ps. 121.3). Greed does not build a city, but destroys it; lust does not create, but ignites and burns. Do you want to build the city properly? Better is a little with the fear of God than great treasures without fear (Proverbs 15:16). A person's wealth should contribute to the redemption of the soul, 975 and not to its destruction. And the treasure will be redemption if anyone uses it for good; and it will also be a net of hunters if anyone does not know how to use it. 976 What is money for a person if not supplies for the journey? The load is heavy, but it won’t last long. We are travelers in this life: 977 many go, but we need to successfully cross; for the Lord Jesus is with him who successfully crosses. Therefore you read: If you cross over the waters, I am with you; the rivers will not drown you and the fire will not scorch your clothes if you cross (Is. 43.2). And whoever binds fire in his own body, fire of lust, fire immoderate passion, he does not cross, but burns this cover of his soul. 978 For a good name is more glorious than money, and above all mountains of silver is grace (Proverbs 22:1). Faith itself is abundant, its assets are abundant 979. And nothing is alien to the wise, if it does not contradict virtue: wherever he looks, everything belongs to him. The whole world is his possession, for he uses it all as his own. 980 12. So why do they oppress the brother? Why do they deceive the mercenary? It is said that there is little benefit from the income of a harlot, that is, from this fleeting corruption. 981 This harlot is not a private person, but a universal phenomenon; the harlot is not just any woman, but every common passion. Every treachery, every deceit is a harlot; not only the one who sells her body, but every soul that betrays its hope, seeking bad gain and unworthy enrichment. And we are mercenaries, because we work for a reward and expect a reward for this our work from our Lord and God. If anyone wants to know to what extent we are mercenaries, let him hear the speaker: How many of my father’s mercenaries have bread to spare, but I am dying of hunger (Luke 15:17). And below: Take me as one of your hired servants (Luke 15:19). All mercenaries, all workers; whoever expects fruit from his labors, let him think that the one who deceived another and deprived him of his reward will also lose his own. Such profits are harmful and will subsequently disappear very quickly. Therefore, whoever does not want to lose what is eternal should not take away from another what is temporary. 13. Also, let no one converse with his neighbor, plotting evil in his soul. 982 A snaring net is in our mouths, and often a person does not explain himself with his words, but is entangled. 983 A deep pit is the mouth of an ill-wisher (Proverbs 22:14), the fall of innocence is terrible, but the fall of ill-will is much worse. The innocent, being gullible, can easily slip, but gets up after falling; the slanderer, with all his tricks, is cast into the abyss, from which no one will be freed or come out. Therefore, let everyone weigh his words, but not with deception and not with cunning: unfaithful scales are an abomination to God (Proverbs 11:1). I am not talking about those scales on which other people's goods are weighed - and in insignificant things the deceitful flesh manifests itself, but the scales of words are abominable before God, where in plain sight stands the weight of venerable prudence, and under it is the weight of deceitful malice. God condemns most of all if someone misleads his neighbor with favorable promises, and through secret machinations takes possession of him and ensnares him in debt nets - he will not bring himself any benefit with his insidious art. For what does it profit a man if he gains (Matthew 16:26) the riches of the whole world, but deprives his soul of the wages of eternal life? 14. And pious minds need to think about other scales, about those on which everyone’s deeds are tested, on which sins draw the cup to condemnation, or on which good deeds outweigh sins. Woe to me if my vices overcome me and with their deadly weight they prepare a death sentence for me! It’s better if everything is revealed later! 984 However, everything is open to the Lord and before judgment; neither good deeds can be hidden, nor those full of vice can be hidden. 15. How blessed is he who was able to cut off greed, the root of vices! Of course, these scales are not scary for him. For greed, for the most part, dulls the human mind and perverts opinions, so that profit begins to be considered piety, and money as a reward for prudence. Meanwhile, the great reward for piety and the gain of sobriety is to have as much as is sufficient in everyday life. Why is there excess wealth in this world if it does not help one to be born and does not prevent one from dying? After all, just as we are born into this world without a covering, so we leave without travel provisions, and are buried without an inheritance. 16. For each of us, scales are set, and their bowls swing this way and that under the weight of good deeds or unworthy vices: 985 if evil outweighs, woe to me, if good - here it is, mercy! For no one is free from sin, but where good outweighs, sins lose weight, are obscured, disappear. So, on the day of judgment, things will either help us or drag us into the abyss, as if burdened with a millstone. 986 For it is heavy, as if weighed down with a piece of lead, 987 untruth, greed and all kinds of pride are unbearable, lies are disgusting. And therefore, urge the people of the Lord to trust more in the Lord, to abound in the wealth of simplicity and with it to escape the snares of deceit and obstacles. 988 17. Sincerity of pure speech is also good before God, even if it walks among the nets of fowlers; 989 however, because she does not know how to weave intrigues and set traps for others, and she herself does not fall into them. 18. It is also very important if you convince them to learn to humble themselves: let them know the true type of humility, understand its nature. Many have only the appearance of humility, but are deprived of its strength; many flaunt it in front of everyone, but inside they resist it; they prefer embellishments, deny truth, reject grace. For there are those who walk bent over, in despondency, but inside are full of deceit (Sirach. 19.26). And there are those who, out of excess humility, humiliate themselves too much. So, humility is genuine only when it is unvarnished, without deception. Then it is true when it has pious purity of mind. Great is this virtue! After all, through the disobedience of one man (Rom. 5:19) death entered the world, and through the obedience of one Lord Jesus Christ the redemption of all was accomplished. 19. Saint Joseph knew how to humble himself, who, having been sold into slavery by his brothers and bought by merchants, 990 was humiliated, shackled at the feet, as the Scripture says, 991 knew the virtue of humility and rejected weakness. So, in the countries of Egypt, he was bought by the king's servant, the chief cook, 992 and the fact that he was of noble birth, the scion of the descendants of Abraham, did not make him disdain slave duties and despise an unworthy state, but he showed himself to be a zealous servant and devoted to his master, understanding with a high mind that it does not matter in what position a person shows himself worthy, but this is the goal of good people, to look worthy in any position, and It is necessary that morals color the position, and not the position - morals. This is how he showed himself, so zealous, that the master entrusted his entire house to him, subordinating everything to him. 20. Therefore, the master’s wife chose him, attracted by the beauty of his appearance. It is not our fault if bold eyes are captivated by youth or beauty. If there are no tricks, then there is no fault in attractiveness; if there are no tricks, then the beauty of the appearance is blameless. So, excited, unable to withstand the onslaught of the storm, 993 the woman turns to the young man and, under the pressure of lust, completely in the power of the passions tormenting her, confesses her sin. However, he refuses to commit a crime, saying that desecrating another’s bed is not allowed either by the morals of the Jews or by the laws, for they care about preserving chastity, so that the pure, who do not know marriage, are combined with pure virgins, and not with some woman who does not know the laws of the marriage bed; and that reverence does not allow him, drunk with intemperance, ungratefully forgetting about the mercy of the master to whom he obeys, to bring a grave disaster to his house. 994 21. Was he really ashamed to call him, even though he was rootless, master, and consider himself a slave? And when the woman harassed him, begged him under threat to give him up and shed tears of passion to achieve her goal, he remained a stranger to pity, and was not filled with sympathy for the crime, and was not broken by fear, resisted prayers and did not yield to threats, preferring dangerous honesty and chaste modesty to gifts - to shameful rewards. And then the woman made even greater efforts, 995 to convince the adamant and for the second time remained unshakable; passion and shamelessness gave her strength, and she approached the young man, grabbing him by the clothes and dragging him to the bed, trying to embrace him, 996 and she would have succeeded if Joseph had not thrown off the clothes that she was holding, leaving them in her hands, so as not to remove the veil of humility, the robe of shame. 22. So, he who humbled himself before prison knew how to humble himself; and, being slandered, preferred to accept a false accusation rather than reveal the truth. He knew how, I say, to humble himself, for he humbled himself for the sake of virtue. He humbled himself in the image of the One who was to humble himself even to the point of death, death on the cross (Phil. 2.8), Who was to come to awaken this life from sleep and show that this life is only a dream, 997 in which everything changes, as if intoxicated, and there is nothing permanent, nothing solid, and we, as if sleeping, seeing dreams, do not see, and hearing, we do not hear, and tasting, we do not we are satisfied, rejoicing, we do not rejoice, striving, we do not achieve. In this age, the hopes of people who believe that one should strive for something that is not there, as if it were, are in vain. The images of things are empty and incorporeal, and as if in a dream they came and went: they appeared, they disappeared. They are spilled and scattered all around, it seems that they can be contained, but not. And only when a person hears the speaker: Awake, you who sleep (Eph. 5. 14), and he will awaken from the sleep of this age, he will understand that all this is false: he woke up - and the dream flew away, his power dried up, the concern for family property, the beauty of his appearance, the desire for honors disappeared. For all this is a dream, which does not touch those who are awake in heart, but worries only those who sleep. 23. Saint Joseph confirms my words: what is of this age is not eternal and will not last, and one who was originally noble by birth, rich in fortune, suddenly becomes the lowest slave and - which makes the despicable slave fate even more unbearable - property bought with the money of a rootless master. For it is easier to serve a free man, but it is doubly slavery if you serve slaves. And now the one who is of noble birth is a slave, the son of a rich father is poor; he went from love to hatred, from favor to punishment, and again from prison to the palace, from defendants to judges, 998 and was not broken by grief, and was not proud in happiness. 24. Let us add here the vicissitudes that Saint David experienced, whose position often changed: he was neglected by his father, honored by God, glorified by triumph, humiliated by envy, 999 called to royal service, accepted into the family, 1000 and then everything changed: he left the kingdom, avoiding death at the hand of his son, 1001 sometimes mourned his own troubles, sometimes others’. prevented and became more glorious by acquiring an heir, 1002 than by losing it. So, he experienced everything and said beautifully: It is good for me that I am humbled (Ps. 119.71). 25. Although this can also be attributed to the One who, being in the image of God, could easily bow the heavens, but condescended to the image of a servant 1003 and, accepting our infirmities, bore them. 1004 Who, foreseeing that His saints would not appropriate honors to themselves as if they were stolen, 1005 but would submit to their equals and prefer others to themselves, said: It is good for me that I am humbled (Ps. 119.71). It is good for Me that I have submitted Myself so that all things may be subject to Me and that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28). Pour this humility into the souls of everyone and set an example for everyone, saying: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor. 11.1). 26. Let them learn to seek wealth in good deeds and abound in good character. The beauty of wealth is not in the wallets of the rich, but in feeding the poor. 1006 On them, weak and needy, gold shines brighter. Let also those who have money learn to seek not their own, but Christ’s, 1007 so that Christ may seek them, 1008 so that He may give them what is His. For them He shed His blood, poured out His Spirit on them, and offers them His Kingdom. What more can He give who sacrificed Himself? Or what will the Father, who put his only Son to death for us, not give? So, convince them to serve the Lord in sobriety and gratitude, with all the zeal of their souls to raise their eyes to heaven, not to value acquisition at anything, unless it is the acquisition of eternal life, for all the riches of this age are spiritual waste. The one who wanted to acquire Christ lost everything, 1009 and although he spoke amazingly about this, he expressed less in words than in deeds. For he spoke about someone else, but Christ said: If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself (Luke 9:23), so that he may become a loss for himself, and a gain for Christ. 1010 Everything here is fragile, flawed, without profit, only there is profit, where there is unfailing fruit, where is the reward of eternal peace. 27. I entrust to you, son, the Church of the Cornelian Forum, 1011 so that you, being nearby, visit it more often until a bishop is appointed there. I am busy, for the days of Pentecost have arrived, and I cannot travel that far. 28. You have Illyrians there, infected with the evil teaching of the Arians. Beware of their chaff! Let them not approach the faithful, let them not sow the seeds of fornication; let them renounce what they have come to because of their own treachery, 1012 let them calm down or follow the true faith. It is difficult for minds filled with the poison of unbelief to escape from the sticky snares of their wickedness, 1013 if the unfortunate infection has entered deep into them. It is not easy to trust them; there are, so to speak, special veins and joints of wisdom in not trusting rashly, especially in matters of faith, which is rarely perfect in people. 29. However, if there is someone who, although not completely stable and wavering in judgment, wants to clear his good name, let him do what he wants. Be patient a little, for whoever is deprived of the possibility of justification, his soul is turned away. Also, experienced doctors, seeing the symptoms of a disease, as they call it, do not immediately use medicine, but wait for time for treatment; They do not leave the patient neglected, but, as far as possible, they carefully console him with soft words or use some kind of painkillers, so that an advanced disease does not get worse from the despair of the soul and so that, not having fully developed, not having matured, it does not turn out to be insensitive to the medicine if an inexperienced doctor does not use it at the right time. In the same way, fruits, if shaken unripe, quickly spoil. 30. And since we have taken an example from the field, instruct them so that they do not violate the boundaries, keeping the fatherly boundaries that the law maintains. 1014 Neighborhood friendship often surpasses brotherly love; after all, a brother often turns out to be far away, and a neighbor is close, a witness of his whole life, a judge of morals. It is pleasant to freely let the cattle go to the nearest pastures and, lying on the green grass, 1015 enjoy peaceful leisure. 31. Likewise, the master of the servants who belong to him by right of ownership should keep a moderate rein, for they also have the same soul as he. After all, this is why he is called the “head of the family” because he must dispose of his slaves as sons, since he himself is a servant of God and calls the Lord of heaven, Who rules over all, Father. Forgive and love us, as you do now, for we love you. 37 (Maur. 47). Ambrose Sabinus 1016 1. I sent you the book you asked for, written more clearly and legibly than the one I sent earlier, so that it could be read easily and there would be no interference with your judgment. For the first list was written not for the sake of beauty, but out of necessity; since we do not dictate everything, and especially at night, when we do not want to be a burden and a burden to others, for everything that is dictated strives forward and is carried by the stream. 2. It is important for us to conduct an old man’s conversation with all care and in our usual way and to move forward unhurriedly, at a slow pace 1017, and it is more convenient for us to bother our own hand with our stylus, so that it does not seem that we we exaggerate something rather than conceal it, and so as not to blush in front of someone else writing, but without an outside judge, evaluate what we write not only with our ears, but also with our eyes. For the tongue is faster than the hand, as the Scripture says: My tongue is the reed of a scribe (Ps. 44:2). 3. But maybe you will say that the speed depended on the writer. However, you are well aware that only the agility of a quickly writing scribe could catch the flow of prophetic speech. The Apostle Paul also wrote with his own hand, as he himself says: I wrote to you with my own hand (Gal. 6:11), he to honor them, but we out of shame. 4. However, while you are passing judgment on books, let us entertain each other with letters, which have the property of uniting us with feelings, although we are separated by distance; in them the reader sees the absent, and the conversation in letters connects those who are separated; in them we convey a piece of our soul to our friend and, as it were, pour our spirit into him. 5. After all, if, as you advise, the letters contain something from ancient writings, then it will become clear that souls not only unite to learn the true teaching, but the appearance and image of a real conversation will be more fully preserved, so that in the alternation of mutual questions and answers, competition leads to a common goal and unites friends for whom this is a way to encourage each other to study and communicate. 6. And should I cite as an example our ancestors, who with their messages poured faith into the minds of peoples and wrote, addressing entire nations collectively, 1018 and, being absent, in letters declared their presence, as the holy Apostle Paul said, that he is absent in body, but present in spirit 1019 not only when he writes, but also when he judges? So, while absent, in the message he condemned and, in the same way, through the message he forgave. 1020 For Paul's epistle was a certain image of his presence and a type of action. 7. After all, it was not that his messages, unlike the messages of others, were strict and strong, but in his personal presence he was weak and his speech was insignificant (2 Cor. 10:10); but both the presence of the apostle and his message are such that the type of instruction corresponds to the essence of the matter, for what we are in words in letters in absentia, such are we in reality personally (2 Cor. 10:11). He expressed the image of his presence in his messages, and his fruit and testimony in practice. Forgive and love us, as now. 38 (Maur. 55). Ambrose to Eusebius 1021 1. Both Favstins have returned to you, my dear Ambroses are visiting me. 1022 You have received what is most important in a father, and what is most pleasant in a youngest son, for with you is the highest valor and the grace of humility; and with us - what is common between the father and the youngest son. 1023 With you is the head of the whole house and the inheritance of an undying name, with us is the moderate middle, something between the first and the second. So, with you is the repose of both of us, which, in turn being with each of us, takes away all the sadness of the soul. With you is the one who, both in character, and in deeds, and in such offspring, has found grace before our Lord. With you is the one who, amid the storms of this world, raised a spiritual dove, 1024 which, anointed with the oil of purity, will bring him the fruit of peace. 1025 With you is the one who erected an altar to God, whom God blessed together with his children, saying: Grow and multiply (Gen. 9.1), with whom He made a covenant of His peace, so that it would be for him and his children forever and ever. 1026 2. So, with you is an heir of divine blessing, a sharer of grace, a partaker of righteousness. But see, I ask you, that this Noah of ours, the farmer, the good cultivator of the fruitful vineyard, drunk on the cup of your love and mercy, is not overcome by wine (Ps. 77.65) and does not indulge too much in peace; and if he accidentally falls asleep, 1027 he will be awakened by longing for our Sim. 1028 3. There was also Japheth, the youngest of the brothers, 1029 who in pious reverence covered the nakedness of his father, whom his father saw in a dream and never let go from his bosom, but always held with his eyes and embraces, and when he woke up, he realized what his youngest son had done for him. Translated, this means “breadth,” because grace spread in his mouth and in his character, for which the Lord blessed him, for he himself, returning again to Bononia, seemed to cover his father with a pious mantle of love and gave praise to piety, about whom the father says: May God make Japheth glad in the tents of Shem (Gen. 9.27). Therefore, in genealogy 1030 he is preferred to the elder brother, and in blessing follows him: preferred for the glory of the name, follows due to the advantage of older age and by the nature of the honor due to him. 4. “Sim” in translation means “name”. And our Ambrose is a wonderful name, in whose tents Japheth will spread, for a good name is better than great wealth (Proverbs 22:1). So, may he be blessed and his grace above gold and silver, may Abraham’s seed be his share, 1031 may there be every blessing on the descendants and on the whole family of the righteous man. But no one is cursed, everyone is blessed, for blessed is the fruit of Sarah. 1032 5. Ambrose greets you, sweet Parthenius greets you, Valentinian, doomed to humility, greets you, what in Hebrew is called Canaan, 1033 as the servant of his brother, to whom he yields in name. Therefore, he is like Nimrod, a giant with a double name, 1034 an outstanding hunter on earth, about whom it is said: Like Nimrod, a giant hunter before the Lord God (Gen. 10.9). For he is somewhat uncouth in mind, strong in power, and surpasses those with whom he cannot equal in talent in strength, so that he can carry the Comaceni rocks, to which he himself is similar in appearance, and in face similar to a bull; 1035 he is indignant at the neglect of himself and the deprivation of his father’s name, and that he, a man of the capital, found himself subordinate to the Bononian, for he does not know children’s affection and escaped from the bosom of his nurse like a fawn. Forgive and love us, for we love you. 39 (Maur. 46). Ambrose Sabinus 1036 1. The one whom you call the breeding ground for evil teaching is an extremely frivolous person who has already received retribution for his poison. He was rebuffed in front of everyone, and what he sowed privately he reaped publicly. At first I considered him only vain and envious, but as soon as I heard his reasoning, I immediately realized that he was infected with the heresy of Apollinaris. 1037 The latter cannot agree that our Lord Jesus, during the incarnation, accepted a slave state for our sake, although the apostle asserts: He took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7). In these words is the stronghold, in these words the fence of our faith! Whoever destroys it dies himself, as it is written: Whoever destroys the fence will be bitten by a serpent (Ecc. 10:8). 2. At the beginning of the argument, I gently asked him: Why are you doing a good deed with an evil intention? I consider it a blessing when they read my writings and tell me what they find controversial in them. Without a doubt, I myself can admit inaccuracy even in what I know. Often, some things go past the reader’s ears, and some are perceived by everyone in their own way. We must try to provide for everything, if possible. Moreover, I should not be embarrassed when controversial passages are found in my books, even if even the apostolic, as well as the Gospel and the Lord’s words raise questions among many. But some begin to indulge their bilious pickiness, like the man who traveled the whole world with the desire to reproach everyone, and not with the goal of finding an example to follow. 3. But my opponent, wanting to sink his teeth into at least some contradiction in my writings, found such a convenient reason. The exclamation of the Lord Jesus: I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth (Matthew 11.25), we proposed to understand as confirmation that [the First Person of the Trinity] is the Father of the Son and the Lord of creation, but only the Son clearly calls the Father Lord in the psalm: When they saw me, they nodded their heads: Help me. Lord, my God (Ps. 109.25–26). The fact is that here [Christ], in the form of a servant, calling on the Lord, turns to Him Whom he knows as the Father. Preserving the image of God equal with the Father, He recognizes Himself as a slave in bodily essence: for slavery is a property of the flesh, while domination is the property of the Divine. 4. You 1038 with your characteristic amazing insight firmly insist that the words of the Gospel are applicable only to the Gospel times, when the Lord Jesus lived in human form among people; since now we no longer know Christ (2 Cor. 5:16) according to humanity. Thus He was visible and known to the ancients, but the ancient has already passed away, now everything is new (2 Cor. 5:17). All is from God, who reconciled us to Himself in Christ. We were dead, and now He alone died for all and became a slave for all. And what can I say: a slave? He became a sin, a reproach and a curse, according to the apostle: The Lord Jesus became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), became a curse (Gal. 3:13), but he also said: when the Son submits all things to himself, then he himself will submit himself (1 Cor. 15:28). Peter said in the Acts of the Apostles: In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and walk (Acts 3:6), but in the same speech he continues: [God] glorified His Son Jesus (Acts 3:13). Notice that no one asks what time this refers to! John calls Him the Lamb in Revelation, but it is said about Him in the psalm that He is a worm, and not a man (Ps. 21:7). [The Son] became all this to dull the edge of our death, to destroy our slavery, to destroy our oaths, sins and reproaches. 5. Does anyone really doubt that in the Divine Scripture everything you cite with or without reason for some questioner is written piously and aimed at glorifying, and not at humiliating, Christ? If even about His gift, about the manna from heaven, it is said that those who gathered little had no shortage, and those who gathered much had no excess (Ex. 16.18), then could He Himself decrease or increase? What was diminished in Him because He accepted our slave state and our weaknesses? In the form of a servant He was humiliated, but He abided in the glory of God the Father. He was like a worm on the cross, but He forgave the sins of His persecutors. He was a reproach, but He was the greatness of the Lord, as it is written: And the greatness of the Lord will appear, and all flesh will see the salvation of God (Is. 40:5). What did He, to whom the depreciation is nothing, lose? For He possessed neither great appearance nor beauty, but possessed the fullness of Godhead. He was considered weak, but did not cease to be the power of God. He was visible as a man, but the greatness of God and the glory of the Father shone on earth. 6. Therefore, the apostle appropriately repeated the same expression, speaking about the Lord Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant (Phil. 2.6-7). What does the image of God mean if not the fullness of the Divine, the manifestation of divine perfection? So, being the fullness of the Godhead, He emptied Himself and took on the fullness of human nature without blemish. He, as God, lacked nothing, and He became fully man in order to be perfect in both forms. David says about this: You are more beautiful in appearance than the sons of men (Ps. 44.3). 7. Finally, the Apollinarian is caught, and there is nowhere for him to run! He is caught in his own snares, because he himself said: He took on the form of a slave, and was not chosen as a slave. I ask him again: What does it mean to be in the image of God? He answers: By the nature of God. For there are, as the apostle says, who by nature 1039 are not gods (Gal. 4:8). I continue: What then does it mean to take on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7)? Без сомнения, приняв без изъяна человеческое состояние и человеческую природу, как я уже сказал, чтобы сделаться подобным человекам ( Флп. 2. 7 ). The apostle said unmistakably: to the like of men, and not to the flesh. Он пребывал в плоти, но Он был без греха, а человек – во грехе, вот почему Он казался по виду как человек ( Флп. 2. 7 ), вот почему и пророк говорит: И человек Он, и кто Его узнает ( Иер. 17. 9 )? He is Man in the flesh, but superior to man in divine action. Как человек Он прикасался к прокаженному, но был превыше человека – когда очищал его. Скорбя о мертвом Лазаре, Он плакал, словно человек, но был превыше человека, когда мертвому со связанными ногами дал повеление идти. Когда Он висел на кресте, то казалось, что Он – человек, но Он был превыше человека, когда, разрушив гробницы, воскресил мертвых. 8. And let not the Apollinarian destruction be deceived by the words: Becoming in appearance like a man (Phil. 2.7)! The man in Jesus is not denied, but, on the contrary, is clearly affirmed by Paul in another place: Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2.5). Особый образ изъяснения принят в Писании. For example, in the Gospel we read: And we saw His glory, glory as the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14). It is said “as the only begotten,” but it does not deny that He is the Only Begotten Son of God, just as it is said “as a man,” but it does not deny that He was a perfect Man. 9. So, being in the form of a servant and humbled even to death (Phil. 2.7-8), He, however, remained in the glory of God. So how does slavery harm Him? It is written that He became a slave, since He was born of a Virgin and created in the flesh, and every creation serves God, as the prophet says: Everything serves You (Ps. 119.91). Therefore, God the Father says about Him: I found David My servant, and anointed Him with My holy oil. He will call Me: You are My Father, the God of My salvation. And I will make Him the firstborn (Ps. 89.21, 27–28). In another psalm, He spoke about Himself: Save My soul, for I am holy; save Your Servant (Ps. 85.2). And below in the same psalm: Grant Thy strength to Thy Servant, and save the son of Thy servant (Ps. 85.16). I have brought together the voices of the Father and the Son, so that the heretic may not be confronted with human evidence, but with divine prophecies. 10. В другом месте Господь говорит: В руки Твои предаю дух Мой ( Пс. 30. 6 ), – и: Поставил ноги Мои на пространном месте ( Пс. 30. 9 ), – и: Превыше всех врагов Моих Я сделался поношением ( Пс. 30. 12 ). - and in the same psalm: Show your bright face over your servant (Ps. 30.17). Через Исаию также говорит Сам Сын Божий: От утробы матери Моей Господь назвал имя Мое и соделал уста Мои как острый меч; He covered Me with the cover of His hand. He made Me a chosen arrow; He kept Me in His quiver and said to Me: You are My servant, Israel (Is. 49:1-3). Он называется Сыном Божиим и Израилем в другом месте: Иаков, слуга Мой, Израиль , возлюбленный Мой ( Ис. 44. 1 ). For He alone not only truly saw God the Father, but also revealed Him. 1040 11. And further: In You I will be glorified. And I said: I have labored in vain, I have exhausted My strength in vain. But My right is with the Lord, and My grief is before My God (Is. 49:3-4). And now thus says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His servant, to gather Jacob and Israel to Him (Isa. 49:5). Who gathered the people of God if not Christ? Who was glorified before the Lord? Who is God's power? To whom did the Father say: It is greatness for You to be called My servant (Is. 49:6)? And to whom does he say: But I have made you the covenant of my generation, the light of the nations, that you might be for salvation to the ends of the earth (Isa. 49:6)? About whom He also spoke through the mouth of Ezekiel: And I will raise up one shepherd over them, and He will feed them, My servant David, and He will be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be the first among them (Ezek. 34:23–24)? Since King David was already dead at that time, then under his name the true David, the truly humble, truly meek, truly mighty-armed Son of God is heralded. It is also foreshadowed in the book of the prophet Zechariah, when God the Father says: Behold, I am sending My servant, East is His name (Zech. 3.8; 6.12). Is it really because of poor clothes that the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4.2) lost the radiance of His Divinity? 12. And what's more? Do we really think that slavery is less than the sin, curse, reproach and infirmity that He accepted for our sake to turn them away from us? So He became everything to purify everything. The followers of Apollinaris do not accept that He became a slave, a reproach, a sin and a curse, 1041 and considering that the Word and the flesh are one essence, they say: “He who redeemed us is called a slave and should be called sin.” They do not notice that the glory of Christ is that He took on slavery in His body in order to restore freedom to everyone, and bore our sins in order to destroy the sin of the world (John 1:29). 13. He became a slave, sin and curse, so that you would cease to be a slave to sin and be freed from the curse of divine judgment. He accepted your curse - for cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (Gal. 3:13) - and became a curse on the cross, so that you would receive a blessing in the Kingdom of God. He was humiliated and belittled, and counted as nothing. 1042 He, thanks to whom Paul was worthy to say: I have not labored in vain (Phil. 2:16), spoke of Himself: I have labored in vain (Isa. 49:4), in order to give to His servants the fruit of good deeds and the glory of the gospel preaching, by which all will be freed from painful burdens. 14. So, having heard this, the partridge was left for half of its days, 1043 boasting of what it gathered, whom it did not give birth to (Jer. 17:11), and was put to shame by the voice of the Lord Jesus, and was already ready to flee. 40 (Maur. 32). Ambrose Irina 1044 1. The partridge cried and gathered those she had not given birth to (Jer. 17:11). Let me be allowed to begin the next one with the end of the previous letter. The question is very important, and therefore let’s think about how we can resolve it: what does this story about the habits of the bird mean? 1045 After all, thinking about this requires considerable intelligence, for Solomon also knew the habits of animals and spoke about cattle and birds, about reptiles and about fish. 1046 2. So, they say that this bird is characterized by cunning, lies, resourcefulness, that it knows how to cleverly deceive the hunter and knows how to lead him away from its chicks, and is not alien to various tricks with the help of which it saves its nest and clutch from the hunter. And of course, if he is persistent, she will lead him by the nose until the offspring have the opportunity to escape and until she gives a sign. And when she feels that the chicks are out of danger, then she herself slips away and with her crafty art leaves the catcher with nothing. 3. They also say that partridges mate with each other indiscriminately, that males attack females with strong pressure and their ardent hunt is not directed at anyone. Therefore, it is believed that this unclean, malicious and deceitful animal can be compared with the deceitful enemy and seducer of the human race and with the father of uncleanness. So, the partridge cried (Jer. 17. And), who received the name from destruction, 1047 that Satan, who in our opinion is called “the enemy.” He screamed first in Eve, 1048 he screamed in Cain, 1049 he screamed in Pharaoh. 1050 Dathan, Aviron, Korea. 1051 He cried out to the Jews when they were looking for gods for themselves, while Moses was passing the law. 1052 And again he shouted when they said about the Savior: Let him be crucified, let him be crucified! His blood is on us and on our children (Matthew 27:23, 25). He shouted when they demanded a king for themselves, 1053 to retreat from the Lord God the King. He cried out in everything vain and treacherous. 4. With these cries he gathered to himself nations that he had not created; for God created man in His image (Gen. 1:27), and the devil appropriated man to himself with his deceitful speech. He gathered tribes and peoples for himself, collecting wealth unrighteously (Jer. 17:11). Therefore, the proverb says about the stingy rich man that this partridge collects wealth unrighteously. And my Jesus, as the Good Judge, does everything in truth; He came, as it is written, saying: I speak righteousness and judgment of salvation (Is. 63.1). 5. So, having deprived that partridge-devil of this advantage, He took away from her the unjustly collected wealth of many and called the souls of the pagans and the minds of the nations astray from error. And since He knew that they were deceived by the voice of the devil, He Himself, in order to resolve the shackles and bonds of ancient error, first exclaimed in Abel, crying out like the voice of his blood (Gen. 4:10). He exclaimed in Moses, to whom he said: Why are you crying out to Me (Ex. 14:15)? Joshua exclaimed. 1054 He exclaimed in David, who says: I cried to You, save me (Ps. 119.146). He exclaimed in all the prophets. Therefore, He says to Isaiah: Proclaim, and he says: What shall I proclaim (Is. 40:6)? He exclaimed in Solomon, calling with the voice of the deepest wisdom: Come, eat My bread and drink the wine that I have dissolved (Proverbs 9:5). He also cried out in His body, like a scarab on a tree. 1055 He exclaimed in order to deceive and bypass the schemer, saying: God, my God, why have you forsaken me (Matthew 27:46)? He exclaimed to deprive him of the spoils, saying to the thief: Amen, Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23.43). And where Jesus cried, this partridge was left by those whom it had gathered in half its days. 1056 6. Therefore, some believe that partridges tend to steal other people’s eggs and warm them with their bodies and with this lie of theirs take other people’s young for themselves. But - as evidenced by the proverb about the raven's eye 1057 - even birds have their own tricks: when that bird notices this, whose eggs have either been stolen, or the clutch has been destroyed, or the offspring, deceived by the likeness, are misled by the similarity of appearance - even if it is weaker in strength, it arms itself with cunning and dresses in it; and when the teacher is exhausted from feeding, and the chicks begin to mature, then this bird raises its voice and, as if with a trumpet of love, calls its offspring. And it, having heard its native voice, recognizes the true parent and leaves the false one. And so, wanting to gather those whom she did not give birth to, she loses those whom she decided to feed. 7. It is no coincidence that Jesus was called, because the people of the whole world were deceived by flattery, intrigues, the sight of a partridge and moved away from their own Creator, succumbing to cunning tricks, and now they, called by the voice of the true Parent, left the false one and left the deceiver for half his days (Jer. 17.11), that is, until the end of this world, from which the Lord Jesus snatched us and called us to eternal life. So now, dead to the world, we live to God. 1058 8. When this partridge is completely abandoned by the unrighteously gathered children, then the foolish one whom God chose and put to shame the wise one will be saved, for God has chosen the foolishness of the world (1 Cor. 1.27). And therefore, if anyone thinks to be wise in this age, he must be foolish in order to be wise (1 Cor. 3:18). Farewell, son, and love us, as now, for we love you. 41 (Maur. 86) 1059 . Ambrose Siricius 1060 With Priscus, my friend and contemporary, 1061 you sent a letter. With him, when he returned, I conveyed an answer befitting dignity and love. So, with his service, he did us both a favor by delivering your letter to me and my letter to you. May the reward for his help be an increase in grace. Be healthy and love us, brother, because we love you. 42 (Maur. 88). Ambrose Atticus 1062 You gave the letter through my Priscus, and my Priscus handed it to me, and I handed it to Prisca. You love Priscus, as you are wont to love everyone, and even more than usual. I ask this because I myself value my Priscus very much. After all, in relation to him, this love is old, it has grown stronger with us since childhood. Our new meeting took place many years later, so not only the name, 1063 but also the past time makes my Priscus ancient. Be healthy and love those who love you, because we love you. 43 (Maur. 3). Ambrose to Felix 1064 1. You sent me truffles, and they are so huge that their size is amazing. I didn’t want to hide them, as they say, in my bosom, but decided to treat others. So, I sent some to friends and saved some for myself. 2. A nice gift, but not enough to satisfy my rightfully claimed claim. 1065 How can you, despite our long-standing love, still not visit us! And beware: lest you find bigger and sadder truffles 1066! After all, they have a double effect: they are pleasant as a gift, but can cause heaviness in the body and feelings. Ask for yourself, so that I will not be sad about your absence, because the reason for my emotional excitement is the desire to see you. Try, if you can, to be less desirable. 3. I presented the case, brought forward the accusation. All that remains is to pass a harsh sentence. I'm sure you're shaking, but look, my mood allows me to have fun with jokes. Next time, however, you will have a hard time finding an excuse. Your request for forgiveness may have become profitable for me, but it does not testify well about you, and about me too, if you think that you can atone for your refusal to come with gifts or that I can be appeased with gifts. Be healthy and love us who love you. 44 (Maur. 68). Ambrose to Romulus 1067 1. Since you are spending time in the countryside, your decision to ask me why God said: I will lay down the heavens of brass and the earth of iron (Lev. 26.19), 1068, is puzzling. Indeed, this year the very appearance of the earth and its fertility teach us how great the mildness of the climate and the mercy of heaven are when God is pleased to grant a rich harvest. But in times of scarcity, everything is closed, the air is condensed and seems dense as copper. 1069 This is precisely what you read about elsewhere, that in the days of Elijah the heavens were closed for three years and six months (Luke 4:25). 1070 2. So, the enclosed sky means that it is copper and that it refuses the earth its help. Likewise, the earth becomes iron when it rejects the shoots and with hostile severity denies the fertile field the seeds thrown into it, 1071 which it usually, like an affectionate mother, warms in its bosom. 1072 When did iron bear fruit and copper send down rain? 3. At such a time, the wicked are threatened by hunger, which evokes compassion, for those who do not know how to show filial love to the common Lord and Father of all are deprived of His paternal care and mercy. The sky will be copper for them, with the air motionless and hardened to metal, the earth will be iron for them, not recognizing its children and sowing discord, plunging them even further into need. After all, those who need food live by robbery, causing harm to others in order to satisfy their hunger. 4. If the hatred of people is such that, by divine permission, wars break out between them, truly the earth is iron, bristling with ears of spears, 1073 but devoid of its fruits, abounding in punishment, but meager in food. Where is the abundance? Behold, I will rain bread for you (Isaiah 16:4), says the Lord. Be healthy and love us because we Love you. 45 (Maur. 52). Ambrose to Titian 1074 1. You won a fair victory, so that without the bitterness of sacrifice you received victorious serenity. After all, Rufinus 1075, during his consulate, from the master of the office became a praetorian prefect and thanks to this received even greater power, but he can no longer interfere with you: he is the prefect of other parts of the empire. I am very happy for him as a friend: he strengthened his position and got rid of envy, and for you as a son: you freed yourself from a judge who was too harsh, in your opinion. In a word, finishing the troubles with your niece will be a matter of your piety, and not of fear. 2. Hurry up with your decision while hope grows and the fruit ripens. Hope, because the father of your niece greatly consoled himself with the support of Rufinus, but has lost his protection: he is already taking care of another and has put aside his previous concerns along with his old position, and this one is thinking about the reward for his labors, and not about the defender of the court decision. The fruit will become even sweeter when gratitude for the decision is given to you, who could have neglected family ties, but did not neglect them, preserving them, and not the feeling of resentment. Be healthy and love us like a son, because we have fatherly love for you. 46 (Maur. 85). Ambrose Siricia 1. I am pleased to receive your letters. And when you share them with one of our fellow servants, as now with our brother and fellow servant Sir, the joy doubles. Oh, if only it could be extended! But Sir did not have time to arrive when he immediately decided that it was time for him to return. By this he shortened the time I had anticipated for our meeting, but added a lot to his merits. 2. I cannot help but honor those elders and deacons who, wherever they go, never allow themselves to be absent from their ministry for long. The prophet speaks about this: I never tired of following You (Jer. 17:16). Who can get tired of following Christ when He Himself says: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)? Let us follow Him and not forsake Him! If we always follow Jesus, we will never fall away, for He gives strength to all who follow him. The closer you are to the Force, the stronger you are. 3. As we follow Christ, our enemies often say to us: Where is the Word of the Lord? Let It come (Jer. 17.15)! But may we not weaken on the way, may we not slow down under the weight of this treacherous question! They said to the prophet when he was in prison 1076 and drowned in a pit filled with mud: 1077 Where is the Word of the Lord? Let It come! He remained firm and therefore received a reward, therefore he accepted the crown. Those who followed Christ did not despair: There is no disaster in Jacob, and they will not see disaster in Israel (Num. 23.21). Be healthy and love us, because we love you as a parent who loves us. 1078 47 (Maur. 87). Ambrose to Bishops Thegadius 1079 and Delfinus 1080 1. Our son Polybius, 1081 returning from the borders of Africa, where he brilliantly exercised the power of proconsular, spent several days with us and made the most favorable impression on me. 2. Finally, when he decided to leave and was getting ready to go, he asked me to write to both of you. I promised not to delay. So, I dictated the letter and gave it to him, writing your names. He asked for a second letter. I said that this letter, according to our established order, is addressed to both of you, that your holy soul rejoices not in the number of letters, but in the combination of names, and that it cannot tolerate division even in the words of those who are united by love, and that our rank is prescribed that we should be laconic in the expression of love. 3. How much more? But he still begged for another letter. 1082 I gave so that I would not refuse his request, and I would not change myself in observing the rule. So, he has a message for each of you, because he was only afraid of what would bring it to one and not to the other. Without fear of any offense or the slightest division, I send you the gift of unrequited love, preserving the form characteristic of the apostolic epistles, in which one can address many, like Paul to the Galatians, or two to one, as it is written: Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy the brother, to Philemon (Phil. 1). I wish you salvation! Love us and pray for us because I love you. 48 (Maur. 66). Ambrose to Romulus 1. Undoubtedly, the message genre was invented so that we could talk to those who are not around. But this method of communication becomes especially valuable if parents and children often and willingly send letters, despite the distance separating them. maintain a feeling of closeness. Just as attentiveness strengthens love, so do your letters to me, and mine to you strengthen it. With particular strength, I felt your sincere trust in me when in your recent letter you asked the question: how to understand that Aaron took gold from the people asking for gods for themselves, and cast a golden image of the head of a calf, and Moses was so indignant that he ordered everyone to raise a sword to execute his neighbor. 1083 We must try to ensure that the reader is not deprived of either the euphony of oral speech or thoughtful freedom of reasoning. So, at your request, I will present my understanding, but rather in order to provoke thought than simply to give a ready-made solution. 2. When Moses passed the law on Mount Sinai, the people remained with Aaron the priest. Israel, who was susceptible to sin, did not deviate into wickedness during Moses’ conversation with God. But as soon as the divine voice fell silent, 1084 sin crept in, and they demanded gods for themselves. Against his will, Aaron agreed to collect rings from men and earrings from women. When they brought them to him, he melted them in the fire - and the head of the calf was cast. 3. We cannot find an excuse for this great priest, but we do not dare blame him either. After all, it was not without a good purpose that he collected rings and earrings from the Jews, but by doing so he deprived the apostates of the seal of faith and the decoration of their ears. Likewise, the patriarch Jacob hid the earrings along with the pagan idols in Shechem, 1085 so that no one would listen to pagan superstitions. Moreover, Aaron's clear command: Take out the rings and gold earrings that are in the ears of your wives 1086 (Ex. 32.2) - does not mean that he left the earrings with the men, but shows that the men do not have earrings. Agree also: earrings are taken from women so that Eve will not listen to the voice of the serpent again. 4. And because they had already obeyed wickedness, a blasphemous image was melted out of their earrings. After all, the one who listens to evil 1087 gets used to committing sacrilegious acts. The future showed why the head of a calf appeared, because the future was foretold: in subsequent times, Jeroboam introduced a sacrilegious custom - for the Jewish people to worship golden calves. 1088 And again: all wickedness is like the savagery and foolishness of animals. 5. Moses became angry at such abomination, broke the tablets, 1089 crushed and ground into dust the head of the calf, in order to destroy even traces of wickedness. And the first tablets were broken, so that in their place the second ones would appear, with the help of which the gospel preaching completely destroyed the broken wickedness. Thus Moses scattered the pride of Egypt into dust 1090 and, by the power of the eternal law, humbled the exalted greatness. That is why David says: The Lord will crush the cedars of Lebanon and break them in pieces like the bull of Lebanon (Ps. 28:5-6). 6. So the people swallowed up all wickedness and pride, 1091 so as not to be swallowed up by dishonor and arrogance. It is better for a person to rule over his flesh and its vices, so that they do not say about him that death, having prevailed, swallowed him up (Is. 25.8), but let them say: Death is swallowed up in its victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? (1 Cor. 15:54–55). So it is said about the Lord: He will drink from the stream along the way (Ps. 109.7), because He tasted vinegar, 1092 in order to perceive the temptations of all. 7. The command of Moses to everyone to kill their neighbors: parents of children, brothers of brothers, is easy to explain. Holiness of faith should be preferred to friendship, and piety to kinship. Piety is true only when it prefers the divine to the human, the eternal to the temporal. That is why Moses himself says to the sons of Levi: Whoever is prepared by the Lord, let him come to me! And he said to them: Thus says the Lord God of Israel: put each of your swords on your thigh and walk (Ex. 32.26-27), so that the memory of God and the love of His greatness will prevail over any feeling of kindred love. And so, as it is written, three thousand people were killed. Let the horror of this number not strike us, because it is better to have mercy on everyone with a small sacrifice than to subject everyone to punishment. And truly no punishment for offending heaven seems too severe. 8. To carry out the punishment, the Levites are chosen, who carry out the most holy service, their destiny is God. They cannot spare their own, because the saints do not know anything of their own, but to them God is everything. The true Levite, the avenger and protector, kills the flesh to serve the spirit. Such was the one who said: I pacify and enslave my body (1 Cor. 9.27). For what is closer to the soul than the flesh? What is closer than the passions of the body? The good Levite cuts them off from himself with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, two-edged and powerful. 1093 9. There is also a sword of the spirit, which divides the soul, as it was said to Mary: A sword will pierce your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (Luke 2:35). Is not the flesh united with the soul in brotherly communion? Isn't the word also related and close to our mind? So, when we restrain our speech so as not to fall into the sin of talking too much, we destroy the power of kinship and dissolve the bonds of brotherly intimacy. Likewise, the soul, with the help of rational power, separates the irrational inherent in it as its relative. 10. Consequently, Moses taught the people to rebel against their neighbors who destroy faith and hinder virtue, in order to destroy in us everything that deviates from virtue, entangled in sins and bound by vices. Having enlightened the people, Moses not only pacified divine anger and turned away indignation, but even returned His favor. 11. Here is the complete answer that we, to the best of our understanding, can give to your question. If you yourself know something better, share it with us so that together we can choose the best and follow it. Be healthy and love us like a son, because we love you too. 49 (Maur. 59). Ambrose to Bishop Severus 1094 1. Our brother and fellow servant Jacob came from the far reaches of Persia, choosing the shores of Campania and your beauties for rest. You see in what places he anticipated safety and complete freedom from the storms of this world and where he wanted to spend the rest of his days after long life’s labors. 2. Your coast is removed not only from dangers, but also from all noise, it fills the senses with calm and leads souls from terrible and cruel worries and worries to reverent rest, so that it seems that the words of David, common to all, about the holy Church: He founded it on the seas and prepared it on the rivers (Ps. 23.2), - are especially suitable and appropriate for you. The soul, freed from enemy invasions and the bitterness of battles, is ready for prayer, directed towards God, it cares about the Lord 1095 and cares about acquiring the fruits of peace and silence. 3. We, in the midst of enemy rebellion and military storms, live in constant excitement and confusion, but in the future, behind these torments and dangers, only new, even more terrible dangers await us. Therefore, perhaps, the prophet proclaims about us: Because of the torment I saw the tents of the Ethiopians (Hab. 3.7). 4. Indeed, in the darkness of this world, the darkness that hides the truth of future perfection, I have already lived in this body for fifty-three years and endured grave sorrows with it. Are we not in Ethiopian tents? Do we not live with the inhabitants of Midian, who, aware of the darkness of their affairs, are afraid of the judgment of even mortal man? But the spiritual one judges everything, but no one can judge him (1 Cor. 2:15). Be healthy, brother, and love us, as you do, because we love you too. 50 (Maur. 25). Ambrose Studio 1096 1. I see the aspiration of a pure soul, the zeal of faith and the fear of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, I'm having a hard time answering 1097 the question. I am restrained, on the one hand, by your duty to observe the laws entrusted to you for safekeeping, on the other, compassion and condescension, unless you have apostolic approval, because the one who judges does not bear the sword in vain, he is God's... an avenger in punishment of those who do evil (Rom. 13.4). 2. Despite the fact that you know this, you considered it necessary to conduct a thorough investigation. Without a doubt, there are - however, outside the Church - people who do not allow those who have recognized the need for a death sentence for a criminal to partake of the heavenly sacraments. Moreover, many [of those who received it] themselves abstain from communion, and therefore they are praised, and we ourselves cannot help but praise them, but we so honor the authority of the apostle that we do not dare to refuse them Eucharistic communion. 3. So, you see what power encourages and what mercy strives for. You will have an excuse if you do it, and if you could have done it but don’t, you will have praise. As a priest, I will even more approve if the innocent are not tormented by the horror of prison, but are freed. 1098 Sometimes, after an investigation, the accused is again called to account, and as a result, he will either obtain a pardon for himself, or, in extreme cases, will be, as they say, without much severity in prison. I know that many pagans are in the habit of boasting that after serving in the provinces they returned with an ax clean of blood. If pagans do this, what should Christians do? 4. In everything, however, accept the Savior’s answer. When the Jews captured the adulteress, they brought her to the Savior, 1099 trying to catch Him, so that He, who had said before: I came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17), - if he freed her, would turn out to be a violator of the law, and if he condemned him, would come into conflict with His teaching. Knowing this, the Lord Jesus bowed his head and drew on the ground. What did He draw if not the inspired words of the prophet Jeremiah about Jehoiachin: 1100 Earth, earth, write down these men as rejected (Jer. 22.29-30)? 5. When the Jews demand punishment, 1101 their names are written on the ground. When Christians make a request, the names of the faithful are written down not on earth, but in heaven. Those who are rejected by the Father, who tempt Him and offend the Creator of salvation are recorded on earth. When the Jews demand punishment, Jesus bows his head and, not having where to lay his head (Matthew 8:20), raises it again to pronounce sentence: He who is... without sin, be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:7). And again, bowing his head, he wrote on the ground (John 8:8). 6. When they heard it, they began to leave one by one, starting with the elders (John 8:9). Is it because those who have lived a long life have more sins, or because they were the first, as wiser, to understand the power of the sentence, and, having come as accusers of someone else’s crime, turned to crying over their own sins? 7. When they left, only Jesus remained and, raising his head, said to the woman: Where are those who accused you? Nobody threw a stone at you? And she answered: Nobody. And Jesus said to her: And I will not condemn you. Go and see that you sin no more (John 8:9–11). He condemns not because He is the Redemption, corrects because He is the Life, 1102 washes because He is the Source. When Jesus bows down, He bows down to lift up those who are lying down, and therefore He says Forgiveness of sins: And I will not condemn you. 8. Here is an example for you to follow. What if the criminal has hope for reform? If he is not baptized, he can accept forgiveness; if baptized, he can repent and offer his body for Christ. The paths to salvation are innumerable! 9. And therefore the ancestors preferred to be more lenient towards the judges, so that out of fear of their sword the fury of crimes would calm down and not be indignant. Moreover, denying communion [to judges] would be like retaliation for punishing criminals. So, our ancestors preferred that the choice of punishment be made at the will of a lenient person, and not at the request of the law. Be healthy and love us because we love you too. 51 (Maur. 15). Ambrose to Anatolia, Muneria, Severus, Philip, Macedonius, Ammianus, Theodosius, Eutropius, Clarus, Eusebius and Timothy, priests of the Lord, and to all the clergy and people of Thessalonians. wishes salvation to his beloved 1103 1. I wish to forever preserve in my soul the memory of this holy man and look at all his deeds as if from a watchtower. 1104 I drank the bitterness of the news that reached us too quickly and with extraordinary excitement I learned what even now I would prefer not to know: in heaven the husband whom we still counted on earth is already enjoying peace. 2. You ask who warned the letter from your holiness with a message about his death? I don’t remember the bearer of the news: we usually do not readily remember the messengers of the press. The sea was then unnavigable, and the lands were engulfed by a barbaric threat. 1105 It would seem that no one could come, but a messenger was found for this message. Sometimes it seems to me that the saint himself announced himself to us. He, having been released from the bonds of the body and having received an eternal reward for his labors, joined Christ in angelic service and wanted to free his lover from error, so that we would not beg for the continuation of days for the one who had already been given the gift of eternal life. 3. So, the proven warrior of Jesus Christ left, and did not die, moved away from us, exchanging this mortal earth for heaven, and, rising on wings and waving his spiritual oars, 1106 he says: Behold, I have gone far and fled (Ps. 54.8). 1107 After all, with the apostolic spirit he had long wanted to leave the earth, but through common prayers he hesitated, as we read about the Apostle Peter, 1108 since his presence in the flesh was necessary for the Church. 1109 He lived not for himself, but for others and was a servant of eternal life for the nations, so that he would first find its fruit in others than recognition for himself. 4. And here he is a resident and citizen of the heavenly and eternal city of Jerusalem. 1110 He sees its splendor and greatness: pure gold, 1111 a precious stone, eternal light without the sun. He had known this for a long time, but now, seeing everything in reality, he exclaims: As we heard, so we saw in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God (Ps. 47.9)! And so, while staying there, he calls out to the people of God: O Israel! How great is the house of God, and how vast is the place of his dominion! It is great and has no end (Bar. 3.24–25). 5. But what is it? Reflecting on the merits of this man and, as if in spirit, following him and mingling - not on merit, but out of love for him - with the host of saints who met him, I almost forgot about myself. Has not the stronghold of faith, grace and holiness been taken from us? He could not be hit so many times by the attacking hordes of Goths with their barbaric arrows; he could not be overcome by the warlike rage of countless nations. Even those who plundered other places next to him asked for peace. Those who did not understand how the city could resist such hordes without a single warrior, the wiser ones answered: inside lives someone like Elisha, almost equal to him in years and identical to him in spirit; and the barbarians feared that blindness might strike them, like the Syrian army. 1112 6. And yet the gifts of Christ to His disciples are different. Elisha led a captive army of Syrians to Samaria, 1113 and Saint Acholy, with his prayers, expelled the victors from the Macedonian borders. Who does not understand that it was the work of a higher power, so that where there was not a single warrior, they were expelled without a warrior? Aren't they blind who run when no one is chasing them? But Saint Acholy drove them away, and he fought not with a sword, but with prayer, not with a spear, but with piety. 7. Or is it unknown to us that the saints fight even when they seem to be inactive? Wasn't Elisha resting? 1114 Of course, his body remained idle, but his spirit fought and fought with prayers, when in the camp of the Syrians the noise of horsemen and the noise of great power was heard, 1115 so that they decided that they were going against them to help the people of Israel from the armies of other kings. And the Syrians fled, struck with great fear. And their camp began to be plundered by four lepers, who came there only to find their death. Didn’t the Lord perform similar or even, perhaps, greater miracles in Macedonia through the prayers of Saint Acholios? After all, it was not because of empty fear and unnecessary precaution that the Goths fell into confusion and confusion, but because of the raging pestilence and the flaring epidemic. And then they ran away to save themselves, and then, returning, they asked for peace in order to stay alive. 8. Now we saw in the good deeds of this great man the past times and the deeds of the prophets, but we became eyewitnesses of what we only read about. During his life, he was constantly in the midst of weapons and battle, with his piety, like Elisha, stopping the battle. When safety was restored to his fellow citizens, his holy soul flew away, which became for them a grief worse than the war itself. He ascended to heaven, but not on a fiery chariot or on fiery horses, like Elijah. 1116 – unless we saw it! - and not in the movement of air, but according to the will and meekness of our God and in the joy of the holy angels, who joyfully welcomed the coming to them of such a great man. 9. And how can we doubt this given the obvious similarity of another circumstance. As if at the very moment of ascending to heaven, throwing off the veil of his mantle, 1117 he clothed his disciple, Saint Anisius, with the sacred robes of episcopal service. 1118 This is not the first time I have heard about the virtue and grace of this man, and I did not learn from your messages, but I saw from your letters. As if anticipating his successor in him, Acholy, although he did not name him explicitly, indicated in secret praise of his caring help and diligence, and it seemed that this was how he declared Anisius his successor, since it was not a newcomer who came to the rank of high priest, but a proven performer of the sacrament. The Gospel speaks beautifully about such people: Well, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in small things, I will put you over many things (Matthew 25:23). 10. This is what I have in common with you about Saint Acholia. However, this is what brought me especially close to this husband of blessed memory: he granted me a meeting with himself. When he arrived in Italy, 1119 I was held back by a debilitating illness, and I could not rush to meet him - but he came to me himself, visited me himself! With what impulse, with what love we rushed towards each other! With what sorrow have we mourned the troubles of this age and its vicissitudes! We wet our clothes with a stream of tears and did not open our hugs, enjoying the most desirable meeting for both of us, which we had been striving for for so long! So generously he fulfilled my desire to see him. Of course, we recognize a person better and more fully by his soul, which we love in him, but we still want to see him in bodily form. So once upon a time the kings of the earth sought to see the face of Solomon and hear his wisdom. 1120 11. So Acholy left us and left us on the open sea. 1121 His gain was a loss for many, more difficult to bear than the rage of the barbarians, because he pacified it. Who can now make up for this loss? The Lord replenishes, and this man himself will remain in his disciple, as shown by your decisions, which seem to say: Give to Levi those who are his, and the truth to his holy husband (Deut. 33.8). 1122 You chose his growth, increased by his care and upbringing, you chose an imitator of a holy man, who said to his father and his mother: I did not see you, and did not recognize my brothers and my sons, kept the word of the Lord and kept His covenant (Deut. 33.9). And the nations will tell of his righteousness 1123. 12. Such is the life of this husband, such is the heritage, such is the way of life, such is its end. As a boy, he went to a monastery and lived within the boundaries of Achaia, 1124 secluded in a cramped cell, but rumors about him reached many distant countries. The Macedonian inhabitants implored him to the highest sacred service and elected him to the bishops. And where faith had previously been neglected because of the bishop, thanks to the bishop its strong foundation began to be built. 13. The disciple Aholia, imitating him, himself said to his father and his mother: I did not see you. He did not see anyone because of his zeal, he did not see anyone because of his love, and he did not recognize his brothers (Deut. 33.9), because he wanted to know the Lord. And he recognized the Word of the Lord, he keeps His covenant, he continues to offer sacrifice on His altar to this day. 14. Bless, Lord, his faith, holiness and zeal! May Your blessing come on his head and crown! 1125 May he be honored among his brothers! May he be in the image of a calf! 1126 May he confuse the hearts of enemies and console the minds of saints! And on him may the judgment of Your priests flourish like a lily! 1127 Be healthy, brothers, and love me because I love you. 52 (Maur. 16). Bishop Ambrose to Brother Anisius 1128 1. I foresaw these events, but only now am I reading about them for the first time, and I have long heard about the virtue of someone whom I have not yet seen with my own eyes. I’m sad about what happened, but I’m happy about what replaced me. Even though I did not want to outlive this holy man, I was sure that after his departure only one person could become his worthy successor. We know that you have long been a disciple of the ever-remembered Acholy, and now you are the successor of his ministry and the heir of his grace. Great reward, brother! I rejoice for you that not for a moment did anyone have any doubts about the successor of such a great man. But it is also a heavy burden, brother, to take upon yourself the burden of such a great name, such a great example, with which you will be compared and with which you will be tested. They are looking for Aholia in you, and both in your love for him and in your service they want to find a reflection of his virtue, the sharpness of his mind, the courage of his spirit, which were strong even in such a weak body. 2. I confess, I talked with this husband. But even here I am indebted to him - indebted for our meeting. I saw him in the body, but it seemed to me that he was already outside of it. I saw the image of one 1129 who saw himself, not knowing whether in the body or out of the body, caught up into paradise. 1130 So, during his frequent travels, Acholy visited everywhere: Constantinople, Achaia, Epirus, 1131 Italy, so that the young people could not keep up with him. Those who were strong in body gave in, because they were convinced that the body did not serve as a hindrance to him; he used it as clothing, and not as a servant, for work, and not for protection. So he adapted his body that in it he crucified the world and himself to the world. 1132 3. Blessed be the Lord and blessed is the youth of this man! He spent it in the villages of the God of Jacob - in monasteries. When his parents or friends were looking for him there, he said: Who are my brothers? Or who is my mother (Matthew 12:48)? I do not know my father, my mother, or my brothers, but only those who listen to the word of God and do it. 1133 Blessed is he who, even in his youth, was elected to the highest sacred service and, tested in virtues, appeared worthy of an early reward for his virtues. He came like David to restore peace to the people. He came like that ship, laden with spiritual gold, cedar, 1134 precious stones, and bearing the silvered wings of a dove, 1135 on which he fell asleep in the peaceful sleep and peace of silence in his lot. 4. But the sleep of the saints is effective, as it is written: I sleep, but my heart watches (Song. 5.2). So, in a dream, Saint James was revealed to divine secrets, which, while awake, he did not see: the path of the saints, walking through the air from heaven to earth, and the Lord, looking and promising the earth for his possession. So, in a short dream, he comprehended what his heirs later obtained with great difficulty. The sleep of saints is free from all bodily pleasures and from all inner turmoil, it brings peace to the soul, silence to the mind, and it, freed from the shackles of the body, easily soars upward and unites with Christ. 5. The life of saints is such a dream. Saint Acholy lived such a life, and his old age was blessed. Truly honorable is that old age that shines with the whiteness not of gray hair, but of piety. 1137 Honorable is the gray hair that has been silvered by godly thoughts and deeds of the soul. What really is the age of true old age, if not an impeccable life, 1138 lasting not days, not months, but centuries that have no end, if not longevity without decrepitude? And the longer it lasts, the faster the person will grow into a perfect husband. 6. So, let the Lord, not only in honor, but also in character, recognize you as the heir of Acholy and strengthen him with the highest grace, so that nations will flock to you in the same way, and you would say about them: Who are they that fly like clouds and like doves with their chicks (Is. 60.8)? Let them come like the ships of Tarshish, 1139 carrying grain, which the true Solomon gave 20 measures for wheat. May they accept the oil 1140 and the wisdom of Solomon, and may there be peace between you and the people, and may you keep the covenant of peace. Be healthy, brother, and love us, because we love you too. 53 (Maur. 91). Ambrose to Brother Candidian 1141 There is a radiance of grace in your conversation, but special grace is in your love for me. Time and again in your letters I see the radiance of your soul, most venerable and blessed brother. May the Lord bless you and grant you His mercy. But from your letters I would rather learn about your benevolence than about my merits. How can they compare with your beautiful words 9 Love us, brother, because I love you too. Mailing list 1–7 letter books Anatoliy, Muneriy and others – clergy of Thessalonica – 51. Anisius - Bishop of Thessalonica (elected in 382 or 393) - 52. Atticus - possibly Nonius Atticus Maximus, consul of 397 - 42. Bellicius – catechumen – 9. Valentinian II – Emperor (371–392) – 30. Eusebius - friend of St. Ambrose, resident of Bononia – 26, 38. Irenaeus - priest of the Mediolan Church - 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Candidian - possibly bishop - 53. Clerics of the Mediolan Church – 17. Constantius - unknown person, possibly bishop of Klaterna - 36. Orontsian – presbyter – 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 31. Sabinus is the bishop of Placentia, who participated in the Council of Aquileia in 381 - 7. 32, 33, 34, 37, 39. Romulus - Flavius Pisidius Romulus, consul of Emilia-Liguria in 385, committee of sacred bounties in 392 - 44, 48. Sever - probably the bishop of Naples - 49. Simplician - presbyter, later bishop, successor of St. Ambrose at the episcopal see of Mediolanus (in 397, d. 401) – 2, 3, 7, 10. Sisinnius - friend of St. Ambrose – 35. Siricius – Pope (384–399) – 41, 46. Studios – unknown person, probably a magistrate – 50. Titian - the Moors identified him with Tatian, praetorian prefect - 45. Favstin – resident of Bononia – 8. Fegadiy and Delfin - bishops of the city. Agena and Burdigals – 47. Felix - Bishop of the city of Coma, participant in the Council in Mediolan (393) - 5, 43. Theodosius I – Emperor (346–395) – 25. Chromatius - Bishop of Aquileia (from 388), as a presbyter participated in the Council of Aquileia 381 - 28. Justus - bishop of Lugdunum (d. 390?), participated in the Council of Aquileia 381, - 1. There is no consensus about this addressee. Perhaps he was the bishop of Claterna, a city in Cisalpine Gaul. St. Ambrose likens the bishop to a helmsman (cf.: epist. 29.18). See: Virgil, Aen. 5. 150: illisa... fragore. See: Proverbs. 14.3. The idea given by St. Ambrose, differs from the reading of both the Hebrew text and the Septuagint: but the lips of the wise guard them. Compare: Proverbs. 15.5. Correspondence to the thought of St. Ambrose's quote is again very approximately. Saturday is a day of special preparation for the Day of the Lord. See: Courcelle P. Connais-toi toi-mкme, de Socrate and Saint Bernard. P., 1974–1975. See: Ref. 22. 22 ; Zach. 7. 10 ; Lion. 19.11. Wed: epist. 1. – Note. ed. Wed. in Seneca, epist. 102.24. Satis superque - cf. in Catullus (carm. 7.2). Wed. in Seneca, epist. 102.21–22. See: Philo (los. 23 (140)). Wed: Gen. 37. 28. To the history of Patriarch Joseph St. Ambrose addresses this in his treatise “On Joseph.” Wed. in Virgil, Aep. 5. 202: namque furens animi dum proram ad saxa suburget. Wed. in Philo (los. 9.40–48). Wed. in Philo (los. 9.41). Wed. at Philo, los. 22.126: “This dream, in truth, is human life. For as in a dream vision, when we look, we do not see, and when we listen, we do not hear, and while we enjoy or are carried away, we do not enjoy and are not carried away, and when we speak, we do not speak.” Compare: Gen. 41.39 et seq., and also in Philo, los. 22 123: “Who would have thought that one day he would become a master from a slave, and the most revered person from a prisoner.” Wed: 1 Sam. 16.11 et seq. Wed: 1 Sam. 18.20 et seq. This means Solomon. Wed: 2 Samuel 12.24. See: Isa. 53.4; Matt. 8.17. Wed. at Philo, los. 22.144: “You have a surplus, share it. For the beauty of wealth is not in purses, but in caring for those in need.” The town of Forum Cornelii, now Imola, is located near Klaterna. According to M. Zelzer, perhaps this contains a hint of the massacre at Adrianople in August 378 (see: Zelzer. T. 2. R. 18, not.). Bird trap image. – Note. ed. Wed. in Virgil, ecl. 1. 75: uiridi proiectus in antro. Sabin, Bishop of Plachentsy. Letters 27, 32–34, 39 were also addressed to him. - Note. ed. Wed. in Virgil, Aen. 6. 159: et paribus curis uestigia figit. Wed. names of the messages of the Ap. Paul: to the Romans, to the Corinthians, etc. For Eusebius, see note. to epist. 26. Written at the end of March 392 (see: Zelzer. T. 2. R. 23, n. 1). Since very little is known about the individuals mentioned in this letter, not all names, characteristics and facts mentioned in it can be commented on. That is, brother and sister, Ambrose and Ambrose. We are probably talking about the son and grandchildren of Eusebius, whose moral qualities were distributed as follows: the father (Favstin the elder) is distinguished by valor, the son (Favstin the younger) by humility; Ambrosy and Ambrosia in character represent a cross between a father and a younger son. It is known about Ambrose that she chose the path of a dedicated virgin (see note to epist. 26, and also: inst. u. 1). See: Gen. 9.26; 10. 1 et seq. Wed: Gen. 9.27, as well as in Jerome (nom. hebr. 7). Wed: hymn. 5. 29: geminae gigas substantiae. Wed. in Virgil, georg. 3. 58: et faciem tauro propior. See note. to epist. 27, 32–34, 37. St. Ambrose informs Sabinus about the events in Mediolan. The address is not to the addressee of the letter, but to the opponent in the dispute. In Synod, trans.: who are not gods in essence. See: 2 Cor. 5.21 (sin); Gal. 3.13 (by oath, curse); Ps. 21.7; 30.12 (reproach). Here the partridge is the name given to a heretic who was defeated in a dispute with St. Ambrose. In epist. 40 The partridge serves as an allegory for the devil. – Note. ed. Despite the manuscript tradition naming Irenaeus as the addressee, O. Faller (following the ed. Romana, 1579–1587) proposed replacing his name with Sabina, since the last lines of the previous letter contained the same quotation about the partridge. – Note. ed. See: exam. 6.3.13; Aristoteles, hist. anim. 9.6; Plinius M. nat. hist. 10. 33: Basilius Caes. hcxaem. 8. 172 (Banterle. P. 59, not. 3). Folk etymology: the Greek name for partridge πέρδιξ is loosely associated with the Latin verb perdere (to destroy). Wed: Jer. 17.11. See also: obit. Th. 46. This refers to the Latin proverb: cornici oculiim effodere - that is, to surpass someone in his own art. Letters 41–53 translated by N. A. Kulkova. The translator expresses sincere gratitude to the editor of these letters, N. G. Golovnina. The letter is addressed to Pope Sirius (384–398), whom St. Ambrose calls him a brother (cf. epist. 46, in which Siricius is called a “loving parent”). Compare: Virgil, Aen. 5. 452: aequaeuumque ab humo miserans attollit amicum. Perhaps the letter was addressed to Nonius Atticus Maximus, praetorian prefect of Italy in 384, consul of 397. Several letters of Symmachus were addressed to him (see: Z elzer. T. 2. P. XXVIII). The name Priscus in Latin means “ancient, ancient.” To Felix, Bishop of Kom, epist is also addressed. 5, in which St. Ambrose invites Felix to come to the consecration of the church. In his letter to St. Ambrose uses legal terms: querclam... iure excitatam, rem exposui, causam probaui. The Latin word tuber (“morel” or “truffle”) also means “hump, tumor, defect.” Here is a play on words - “so as not to get into even greater trouble!” The addressee of the letter may be Flavius Pisidius Romulus, consular of the province of Emilia-Liguria in 385, committee of sacred bounties in 392 at the court of Emperor Theodosius the Great, praetorian prefect Gallius in 400, prefect of Rome in 405. Three letters from senator Symmachus were addressed to him (see: epist. 8. 38. 62; 9. 62) and a letter from Bl. Augustine (see: epist. 247) (see: Zelzer. Prolegomena. P. XXIX). Wed: Deut. 28. 23. In a quote from St. Ambrose connects two lines of Scripture. Here is a play on words: aer, aeris - air and aes, aeris - copper. Wed. Virgil, georg. 3. 136: sit genitali aruo et sulcos oblimet inertis. Wed. Virgil, Aen. 5. 452: et fotum gremio dea tollit in altos. Wed. Virgil, georg. 2. 142: Nec galeis densisque uirum seges horruit hastis. M. Zelier believes that the letter was addressed to a certain Titian (see: Zelzer. Prolegomena. P. XXIX). Faller and the Maurinists assumed that the letter was addressed to Flavius Eutholmius Tatiana, praetorian prefect under the emperor Theodosius (Zosimus - hist. eccl. 45.1; 52.1–4), who lost his influence in September 392. The letter is dated 392, since Flavius Romulus Rufinus, consul of 392, became Praetorian Prefect of the East in 392 Flavius Romulus Rufinus, master of office at the court of Emperor Valentinian II in Vienne (388), consul in 392, in 392–395. Praetorian Prefect of the East. The final address to the addressee as a parent confirms the attribution of the addressee of the letter to Pope Sirius. Fegadiy (Thebadiy), Bishop of Aginensky (now the city of Ajan, France), he is mentioned by Blessed. Jerome (see: vir. ill. 108), Sulpicius Severus (see: chron. 2. 44) (see: Zelzer. Prolegomena. P. XXIX). Delphine, Bishop of Burdigala (now Bordeaux, France), who baptized St. Pavlin Nolansky (see: Zelzer. T., 2. R. 47, not.). Polybius, proconsul in Africa between 380 and 398. (see: Zelzer. T. 2. R. 47, not.). Obviously a copy of the same letter. In the Latin text the alliteration is: et inaures aureas, quae sunt in aures. The Latin expression male audire (literally, “bad to hear”) means “to be considered bad, to have a bad reputation” and continues the semantic series “ears - to hear.” Perhaps the golden calf was created under the influence of the Egyptian cult of the Apis bull (see Philo, Mos. 2(37), 270). Moses gave the people water with the ashes of the calf to drink (see: Ex. 32.20). See: In. 19.30; cf.: Matt. 27.34; OK. 23.36. Perhaps we are talking about Severus, the bishop of Naples, whom Symmachus in his letter (7.51) calls “frater meus”. Listed in: Acta Sanctorum Bolland. pridie Kal. Mai. Researchers find it difficult to date the letter, since the threat of invasion came from both the tyrant Maximus (387/388) and the tyrant Eugene (393/394). Depending on the dating of this letter, the year of birth of St. Ambrose or 333/334 (Faller, Paredi), or 339/340 (Moors, Im (Ihm), Palank, etc.) (see: Zelzer. Prolegomena. P. XXX et not. 22). Perhaps the addressee of the letter was Studius, who in 401 was committee of private imperial property and in 404 prefect of Constantinople. For the date of the letter, see: Zelzer. Prolegomena. P. XXX; p. 56, no. Responsum (referre) – legal. an official explanation by a lawyer on a particular legal incident. Wed. the famous principle “Nemo qui condemnare potest, absoluere non potest” - “He who can judge, can liberate” (see: Ulpian. D. 50. 17. 37) (see: M. Kartoshek. Roman law: Concept, terms, definitions. M., 1989. P. 378). Jehoiachin, king of Judah, spent 37 years (597–560 BC) in captivity in Babylon. lnterpellare - legal. bring a claim, prosecute; adire - to make a request to the court. In this letter, written at the end of 382 or the beginning of 383, the saint speaks of the death of the Bishop of Thessalonica Acholia (Ascholia), famous for his baptism of Emperor Theodosius the Great (380). Several letters were addressed to Acholy to St. Basil the Great (see: epist. 154, 164, 165: St. Basil. The Letters / With ail English transi, by R. J. Deferrari. T. 2. L.; Cambridge (Mass.): Harvard Univ. Press, 19^0). On Acholia, see: Socrates, hist. eccl. 5. 6, 8. The attack of the Goths was prevented with the help of a peace treaty concluded on the fifth nones of October 382 (see: Zelzer. T. 2. R. 60 not.). About the flight of the soul after the death of St. Ambrose writes often in his works (Isaac 7. 61, 62; 8. 71, 78; bon. mort. 5. 16; uirgt. 18. 115–116). He develops Virgil's metaphor of remigium alarum Aen. 1. 301; 6. 19): remigium caritatis, remigia spiritalia. See also: Aen. 5. 515–516: et alis / plaudentem... columbam. Wed. also in Cicero (tusc. 1.50–55). Translation with minor changes from: Psalter of the Prophet and the Tsar with parallel translation into Russian. M.: PSTGU, 2003. P. 185. See: Passio apostolorum Petri et Pauli 12 (see: Zelzer. T. 2. P. 61, not.). See: 2 Kings. 6.32: Elisha was sitting in his house. The following letter was addressed to Anisius (see: epist. 52). Perhaps these two letters were sent together. Before the Roman Council of 382 (see Theodoret, hist. eccl. 5. 9. 1) (see: Zelzer. P. 65. not.). Obviously, St. Ambrose also came to Rome to participate in the council, but immediately upon arrival he fell ill and lay in his sister’s house. The lifestyle of sailing on the sea is often found among St. Ambrose, (see: Jacob 1.6. 24.; 2. 8. 36: bon. mort. 4. 15.; 8. 31, and also: N azznro A. V. Simbologia e poesia dell’acqua e del mare in Ambrogio di Milano. Napoli, 1977). Banterle (see: Banterle. P. 91. n. 5) draws attention to the fact that in patr. 3. 15. St. Ambrose quotes this verse differently: Date Leui sortem suffragii sui et ueritatem eius uiro sancto. Achaia is a region in Greece. St. Ambrose turns to the images of Moses' blessing to the sons of Israel (see: Deut. 33); Moses compares Joseph to the firstborn calf. The addressee of the letter is Anisius (bishop of Thessaloniki in 383–406), successor of the deceased bishop Acholy. Perhaps the letter was written and sent along with a previous letter. Letters from Popes Siricius and Innocent I addressed to Anisius have been preserved (see: Zakharov G. E. Illyrian churches in the era of Armenian disputes (IV-early 5th centuries). M.: PSTGU, 2012. pp. 335–339 and notes). Provinces of New Epirus and Old Epirus. See: Matt. 7.24; 12.50; OK. 8.21. Wed: Deut. 33.9. Perhaps the addressee is Bishop Candidian, whom Pope Siricius sent with a message to Anisius, Bishop of Thessaloniki and who died on the road (Sir. epist. 4 // PL 13: 1148sq.), (see: Zelzer. T. 2. P. 71, not.). You might be interested in: