St. Ambrose of Milan - His Role As Bishop

 

            Of all the prominent Catholic figures of the 4^th Century, few can compare to Ambrose of Milan, both in academic achievement, and more significantly so, in his lasting impact on Catholic Theology in the coming centuries. Born around 340 AD, Ambrose would go on to serve as Governor of both Liguria and Emilia in 372; However, his most notable achievements came when he served as Bishop of Milan beginning in 374.[1] In his service to God’s people in Milan as Bishop, Ambrose would prove to play an extremely important role both in defending the Church against Arianism, but also in his personal influence on the great St. Augustine of Hippo. In the paragraphs ahead, this discussion will focus primarily on how these two aspects of Ambrose’s life played a particularly important role in defining his significance as Bishop.

            Recognizing his newfound responsibilities as Bishop, some of Ambrose’s most significant work came in his defense of the Church against the threat of Arianism, which in time proved to be one of the more trying battles of his time as Bishop of Milan. This threat became all too obvious when the Emperor Valentinian II began demanding that Ambrose dedicate some of Milan’s Churches to Arian ideology.[2] Refusing to abide, Ambrose would appear before the council stating: “If you demand my person, I am ready to submit; carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succor me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage, but God alone can appease it.”[3] Truly, in his determination to defend the Church and its faithful in Milan against the potential harms of heresy and religious tyranny, Ambrose made clear his recognition of Christ’s universal Church, effectively setting an example of Catholic faithfulness and loyalty for centuries to come.  

Turning now to consider his more personal impact on the faithful at the time of his ministry, we find that Ambrose played a particularly important role in the conversion of St. Augustine, the later Bishop of Hippo. The two saints first met around 385 when Augustine approached Ambrose to discuss Christian ideology.[4] Thoroughly impressed by Ambrose’s talent as a public speaker, and by his academic achievement, St. Augustine began to reconsider his personal criticisms of the Catholic Faith. Following his conversion to the Faith in 386, Augustine was personally baptized by Ambrose in April of 387. [5] In his own words describing his experiences listening to Ambrose preach, Augustine once wrote: “as I opened my heart in order to recognize how eloquently he was speaking it occurred to me at the same time (though this idea came gradually) how truly he was speaking… I began to see that the points which he made were capable of being defended.” [6] Thus, Ambrose was exactly the model of Catholic authority that Augustine needed to recognize in order to be convinced of the significance of Christian doctrine. Truly, if it weren’t for the work of St. Ambrose in his work as Bishop of Milan, it is doubtful to say that St. Augustine ever would have converted at all.

Now, although the work of Ambrose of Milan extends far beyond the limits of the two examples posed above, it is in these two examples that the faithful might more accurately assess the character and the significance of the great Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was undeniably faithful to the Catholic Church, both in his pastoral dedication and in his personal concern for the faithful under his care. Truly dedicated to his ministry, Ambrose made defending Catholic doctrine his full-time vocation, and following his death in 397, the Church began to immediately take notice of the significance of his life’s work. Today he is venerated as the patron Saint of Milan, as well as one of the earliest Doctors of the Catholic Church.  

 

 

[1] St. Ambrose, Catholic Online (2021), https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=16

[2] St. Ambrose, Catholic Online

[3] In Praise of Ambrose, iBenedictines (December 7, 2012), https://www.ibenedictines.org/2012/12/07/in-praise-of-ambrose/

[4] St. Ambrose, Catholic Online

[5] St. Ambrose, Catholic Online

[6] Paulgaard, James, The Impact of Ambrose of Milan on the Young Augustine, (February 9, 2009), https://jamespaulgaard.com/2009/02/09/the-impact-of-ambrose-of-milan-on-the-young-augustine/