Ambrose Notes

Ambrose: Political Letters and Speeches from J.H Liebeschuetz

72,73, 75, 75A, 76, 77

General Introduction

• Ambrose was born in 339, Trier to a father, Ambrose, who was prefect of Gaul (c. 339)

• Though senatorial, may have been “self-made”: his father died in around 340.

• Family had one Christian martyr, the virgin Soeteris + Marcellina (Ambrose’s sister) made a profession of virginity

• Educated in Rome in liberal studies

• Attained a thorough rhetorical education could read Greek!

• Professional career:

  • Advocate at court to prefect at Sirmium

  • Served then as senator to Probus

    • Probus was a committed Christian

  • Must have helped in Ambrose’s election to bishop of Milan in 374.

• Arian controversy

  • Constantine noticed rift in Church over problem of defining unity and separateness of God the Father and Jesus the Son.

  • Greek bishops sympathised with Arius who said Jesus was subordinate to God and that there had been a time when he did not exist. (he was part of the creation)

  • Council of Nicaea (325) put pressure on Emperor he said Father and Son belonged to the same substance.

  • Despite this, Anathasius, Bishop of Alexandria, rejects this branded an Arian

  • By 361, Constantius had succeeded in having most bishops united around Homoian definition, yet this soon breaks down and goes back to Nicene Christianity.

  • Auxentius of Milan is one of the last great Homoian bishops he resisted several attempts to depose him.

Letters on the Altar of Victory

Introduction to Epistulae 72, 72A and 73

• After Actium battle (31 BC), Augustus set up in the senate house a statue and an altar of Victory.

  • On this altar, senators had traditionally burnt incense and offered libations before meetings

  • After various degradations of the senate (antagonistic towards majority pagan senators) a delegation sent to Gratian

    • Yet Damasus draws a counter-petition signed by Christian senators

• By Summer 384, Gratian was dead and the 13-year old Valentinian II became Emperor

  • Symmachus, in the situation of relative weakness (bear in mind that Praetextatus is now the highest civil official in the West [praetorian prefect of Italy, Illyricum and Africa] and a pagan.) writes this third petition to reverse Gratian’s measures.

• Ambrose hears this petition and writes a letter to the emperor opposing the request

  • He was successful and details his full refutation of Symmachus’ arguments in Collection( Ep. 73)

72

• Bishop Ambrose, to the most blessed princeps and most Christian emperor Valentinian

• 1.“As all people that are under the dominion of Rome serve you, emperors and princes of this world, so you yourselves serve almighty God and the holy faith”

  • Emperor is subject to Christianity

• 2.

• You must worship God with unwavering “zeal and devotion to the faith”.

• 3.

• As you are bound in dedication to God, it is your duty to prevent the restoration of the Altar to pagan deities and provide “money for the expenses of impious sacrifices”

• 4.

• The pagans, who spilled out blood and massacred us, are now the ones asking for money and privileges¹!

• 5.

• Abolish the privileges!

  • The privileges have been annulled by the whole world, most recently by Gratian “of august memory”

    • “do not tear down what has been decided in accordance with our faith”

• 6.

• Calls paganism as mere “superstition” and that Valentinian must show equal enthusiasm and zeal for the True Faith, since Symmachus is able to show such enthusiasm for superstition.

• 7.

• “God must be preferred to all men”.

• Man has his own opinion when it comes to God and you don’t force a man to worship against his will what he refuses to worship.

  • Thus, how can pagans force Valentinian to allow paganism if he, as a good Christian, resents it? Valentinian ought to be free to be fidele (devoted to the Faith)

• 8.

• “Do not let their [so-called Christians] meaningless words win over your mind”

  • Clearly, there are some Christians who support the Altar coming back., maybe even opposed to Ambrose?

• “The whole Christian is at risk” Ambrose argues that the Senate is composed by majority by Christians.

• 9: the strongest defence

• It would be intolerable for Christians to be present “when men are offering sacrifice, so that ash from the altar…would fill the breath and mouths of the faithful” and have to take oath on the Altar (representative of pagan idea of “common good”)

  • A Christian would, quite rightly, feel he was being persecuted.

  • The oath must be taken to acknowledge divine power and nothing else. Not pagan superstition.

• 10.

• Reinstatement of the Altar is an act of sacrilege.

• Argues the pagans had gone to Damasus asking for its reinstatement – but the many Christian senators did not sign up for this.

• How can you, a Christian Emperor, let these scheming pagans “have their profane purpose gratified?”

• 11.

• Christian senators were present but didn’t vote because of reasons of conscience.

• 12.

• Reminds Valentinian that it was his embassy to the British Magnus Maximus that persuaded him not to invade Italy in 382 (though Maximus has Gratian killed in 383).

• 13.

• If you come to Church, “when you get there you will find no bishop, or you find one who will resist you” (!!!!!)

• 14.

• Your gifts on the altar of Christ will be rejected.

  • After all, is it fair that the Vestal Virgins can claim privileges while the “Virgins consecrated to God lack your privileges”.

• 15.

• What would Gratian say?

  • “you’ve abolished my decrees: a far more painful weapon piercing my body”

• 16.

• What would Valentinian I say?

  • “I did not collaborate with the pagans. Nobody reported to me that there was an altar in that Roman senate house. I never believed that there could be such wickedness, that pagans should offer sacrifice in the council shared by Christians and pagans alike that pagans should insult the Christians present”.

• 17.

• In short, by reinstating the altar Valentinian is:

  • a) wronging God

  • b) wronging his father

  • c) wronging his brother

• “Take the action, I beg you, that you know will advance your salvation with God”.

• Ambrose...

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