Author(s):
Markschies, Christoph
[German Version] (333/334, Trier – 397) was an important bishop and is regarded as one of the four teachers of the Western Church since the end of the 7th century. Ambrose was from a prominent family of Roman (city?) Christians; educated in Rome, he was the governor of Aemilia Liguria with a seat in Milan between 372 and 374. In 374, as the compromise candidate probably of the Nicene minority (Nicea) of the locality, he advanced to the bishopric in the imperial residence. In surprisingly purposeful and rapid fashion, he adopted a neo-Nicene course in Cappadocian form (Cappadocia) immediately after his election as a bishop, but retained the clergy of his homoean predecessor in office. With great energy, he completed his theological formation in the subsequent years by absorbing the works of Eastern authors; he fought against homoean theology (Homoeans) both in the imperial household and among his colleagues in office in northern Italy and Illyria (Synod of Aquileia, 381). He brought Emperor Gratian to a neo-Nicene course (378–381) and thwarted the attempt of the pagan Senate to re-erect an important pagan symbol in the altar of victory (384). He related to the emperors, especially, with great authority: Efforts of the Empress-mother Justin to justify a basilica for her homoean court congregation failed twice because of the passive resistance of the Milan congregation (385/386). Its bishop, however, hindered the punishment of an anti-Jewish pogrom in Syria (388) by intervening with Emperor Theodosius and compelled the emperor to do penitence because of brutal riots on the part of his military (390). Despite his activities in church politics, Ambrose was primarily a pastor and preacher for his Milan congregation. Consequently, he occupied himself with social-diaconal activities and ethical questions, although he also propagated asceticism. His exegesis of the Song of Songs is a sign of his deep piety. He was also poetically gifted; he not only introduced hymn-singing on an Eastern model to Milan, but also composed hymns and “tituli.” As an exegete and theologian, he is often undervalued, although he shows a degree of independence in discussion of theological tradition (e.g. Alexandrian exegesis – Alexandrian theology – or neo-Nicene Trinitarian theology). His significance is clear, not least through the fact that Augustine, who converted under the influence of his preaching, remained beholden to him for his entire life and commissi…