Ambrose flourished in the first half of the 3rd century CE. Our knowledge of him is based exclusively on the reports of others. Only one fragment of Ambrose’s letters survives.
Family
From Origen we learn that Ambrose had a number of siblings, that he was married to Marcella, and that the couple had children (Or. Ep. Afr. 24; Or. Mart. 37). Ambrose was wealthy, owning multiple houses and several tracts of land (Or. Mart. 14–17). In language evocative of political position, Origen…