CHAP. CVI.

AMBROSE, BISHOP OF MILAN.

1. His time and history. II. and III. Scriptures of the Old and New Testament received by him. IV. Respect for them. V. General titles and divisions. VI. Select

passages.

1. AMBROSE, born, as some think, about 333, or rather, as others, about 340, and made bishop of Milan in 374, died in 397. For a more particular account of him, and his writings, with their character, I refer toa others.

2. Ambrose was living when Jerom wrote his Catalogue of Ecclesiastical Writers in 392; for which reason he declined giving a distinct account of his works: nevertheless, upon divers occasions he has made mention of several of them, and takes notice of his frequently borrowing from Origen, without naming him.

3. Beside Basil, partly contemporary with him, and some other Greek writers, Tillemont says, he must also have read the works of ancient heretics; for he quotes the 38th tome of Apelles, disciple of Marcion.

4. The eminence of this bishop of Milan, and the share he

a Vid. Cav. Hist. Lit. T. i. and Livcs of the Fathers, in English. Vol. II. Du Pin Bib. des Aut. Ec. T. ii. Tillem. Mem. T. x. Vit. S. Ambros. a Benedictin. adornat. Pagi, Ann. 369. xiii. 374. iii. et alibi. S. Basnag. ann. 374. n. x. et alibi. Ja. Basnag. Hist. de l' Eglise 1. xix. ch. 4. n. ix. p. 1171. Beausobre Hist. de Manich. T. i. p. 366. not. '.

b Ambrosius Mediolanensis episcopus, usque in præsentem diem scribit. De quo, quia superest, meum judicium subtraham, ne, in alterutram partem, aut adulatio in me reprehendatur, aut veritas. De V. I. c. 124.

Ad Eustoch. ep. 18. al. 22. T. 4. P. ii. p. 37. al. 17. p. 20. et ep. 30. al. 50. p. 237, 238. 240. f. T. iv. P. ii. p. 198, in. al. ep. 151.

Ad Damas. Pap. ep. 14.
Vid. et ad Algas. Qu. vi.

d Nuper sanctus Ambrosius sic Hexaëmeron illius compilavit, ut magis Hippolyti sententias Basiliique sequeretur. Ad Pamm. et Ocean. ep. 41. al. 65. T. iv. p. 346.

Habuit Ambrosium, cujas pene omnes libri hujus sermonibus pleni sunt. Adv. Ruf. 1. i. p. 351. fin.

Nemo tibi objicit, quare Origenem interpretatus es: alioqui Hilarius et Ambrosius hoc crimine tenebuntur: sed, quia interpretatus hæretica, præfationis tuæ laude firmásti. Ibid. 1. ii. p. 505. in.

e St. Ambroise, art. 10. T. x.

Plerique enim, quorum auctor Apelles, sicut habes in trigesimo et octavo tomo ejus, has quæstiones proponunt. De Parad. cap. vi. T. i. p. 155. F.

had in the public transactions of his time, have secured him a place in the Greek ecclesiastical historians: not to insist on Paulinus, Rufinus, Augustine, and others among the Latins.

II. 1. Ambrose quotes much the generally received books of the Old Testament, particularly the book of Ruth, and the Canticles: which last he quotes very often, and explains largely.

2. He ascribes to Solomon three books only, the Proverbs, the Ecclesiastes, and the Canticles.

3. He likewise quotes often the apocryphal books of the Old Testament, as Baruch, Tobit, the Maccabees, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, the fourth book of Esdras, and sometimes with marks of great respect.

4. He speaks of the book of Tobit, as a prophetical book; and in like manner of the book of Wisdoin, and P Ecclesiasticus. The last-mentioned book he has quoted as ¶ a part of the divine oracles. He quotes it also as of authority, or by way of proof.

5. Once at least, if not oftener, he has quoted the book of Ecclesiasticus as Solomon's; though, as before shown, he ascribed no more than three books to Solomon. More

g Vid. Socr. 1. iv. c. 30. Soz. 1. vii. c. 25. Thdrt. 1. iv. c. 7. 1. 5. c. 18. In Luc. 1. ii. T. i. p. 1326. ter quaterve. Et passim.

rum.

Unde et Salomon oraculum divinum secutus scripsit in Canticis Cantico-
In Ps. 118. T. i. p. 986. C. Et passim.

* Unde et Salomonis tres libri ex plurimis videntur electi: Ecclesiastes de naturalibus, Cantica Canticorum de mysticis, Proverbia de moralibus. In Ps. 36. Pr. T. i. p. 777.

Quid etiam tres libri Salomonis, unus de Proverbiis, alius Ecclesiastes, tertius de Canticis Canticorum, nisi trinæ hujus ostendunt nobis sapientiæ sanctum Salomonem fuisse solertem? In Lucain, Pr. T. i. p. 1262. A.

In Ps. 43. T. i. p. 901. In. Ps. 118. p. 1194. E.

m Si hinc faciunt quæstionem, quod creatum Spiritum dixit, quia creatur Spiritus Esdras docuit, dicens in quarto libro: Et in die secundo iterum creâsti spiritum firmamenti.' [4 Esdr. vi. 41.] De Sp. S. 1. ii. c. vi. T. ii. p. 643. C. D. " Lecto prophetico libro, qui inscribitur Tobias, &c. De Tobia, cap. i. T. i. p. 591. B. Prophetæ dicunt: in lumine tuo videbimus lumen. [Ps. xxxv. 10. al. xxxvi. 9.] Prophetæ dicunt : Splendor est enim lucis æternæ, et speculum sine maculâ Dei majestatis, et imago bonitatis illius.' [Sap. vii. 26.] De Fide, l. i. c. 7. T. ii. p. 453. C.

P Prophetia dicit : Et tu cum consilio omnia fac.' [Eccles. xxxii. 19.] In Ps. xxxvi. T. i p. 808. C.

Dicit

Proprietatis autem generationem esse, oracula divina declarant. enim Sapientia Dei: Ex ore Altissimi prodivi.' [Eccles. xxiv. 3.] De Fide, 1. iv. c. 8. T. ii. p. 537. A.

-testimoniis scripturarum docemur. Siquidem lectum est. [Eccles. ii. 5.] In Ps. cxviii. T. i. p. 1224. E. • Pulchre autem istud exposuit nobis Salomon, dicens: Narratio justi semper justitia. Stultus autem sicut luna mutatur. [Eccles. xxvii. 11.] In Ps. xxxvi. p. 807. E.

over, in other places he ascribes the book of Ecclesiasticus to Sirach. Why" he there calls it Solomon's is not certain; whether because it was so called by many, or that he supposed Sirach's collection to consist very much of thoughts and observations of king Solomon.

6. He has likewise quoted the book of Wisdom as Solomon's, without thinking it to be really his; but, probably, in compliance with a common way of speaking, as it was called Solomon's Wisdom byw many, the vulgar sort of people especially.

7. However, from particulars just taken notice of, it appears, that Ambrose has quoted the apocryphal books of the Old Testament with tokens of great respect.

III. 1. I formerly transcribed and translated Origen's observations upon St. Luke's preface, or introduction to his gospel, both the Greek and the Latin. And I then said, that Ambrose bad the like observations in his explication of the beginning of St. Luke's gospel. I do not intend to translate him, but I shall transcribe below the passage 'Considera illum, de quo ait in Ecclesiastico Sirach. De interpell. Job. 1. i. c. iii. T. i. p. 627. E.

Nam et alibi dixit Sirach Sapientiâ. In Ps. cxviii. p. 1135. u Vid. ib. a Benedictinis annotata. p. 807. ▾ Quid sit scientia, doceat te Salomon, qui ait de Domino nostro: Ipse enim mihi dedit eorum quæ sunt cognitionem veram.' [Sap. vii. 17.] In. Ps. cxviii. p. 1082. D.

▾ Alii vero duo [libri] quorum unus Sapientia, alter Ecclesiasticus dicitur, propter eloquii nonnullam similitudinem, ut Salomonis dicantur, obtinuit consuetudo. Non autem esse ipsius, non dubitant doctiores. Aug. de Civ. Dei, 1. vii. c. 20. * Vol. ii. p. 533, 534.

y Nam sicut multi in illo populo divino infusi spiritu prophetârunt: alii vero prophetare se pollicebantur, et professionem destituebant mendacio: (erant enim pseudo-prophetæ potius quam prophetæ, sicut Ananias, filius Azor,) erat autem populi gratia discernere spiritus, ut cognosceret quos referre · deberet in numerum prophetarum: quos autem quasi bonus nummularius improbaret, in quibus materia magis corrupta sorderet, quam veri splendor luminis resultaret: sic et nunc in Novo Testamento multi evangelia scribere conati sunt, quæ boni nummularii non probârunt. Unum autem tantummodo in quatuor libros digestum ex omnibus arbitrati sunt eligendum. Et aliud quidem fertur evangelium, quod duodecim scripsisse dicuntur. Ausus est etiam Basilides evangelium scribere, quod dicitur secundum Basilidem. Fertur etiam aliud evangelium, quod scribitur secundum Thomam. Novi aliud scriptum secundum Matthiam. Legimus aliqua, ne legantur. Legimus, ne ignoremus. Legimus, non ut teneamus, sed ut repudiemus: et ut sciamus, qualia sint, in quibus magnifici isti cor exaltant suum. Sed ecclesia, cum quatuor evangelii libros habeat, per universum mundum evangelistis redundat. Hæreses, cum multa habeant, unum non habent.- Quoniam multi,' inquit, 'conati sunt.' Conati utique illi sunt, qui implere nequiverunt. Ergo multos cœpisse, nec implevisse, etiam sanctus Lucas testimonio lucupletiore testatur, dicens, plurimos esse conatos'--Non conatus est Matthæus, non conatus est Marcus, non conatus est Joannes, non conatus est Lucas: sed divino spiritu ubertatem dictorum rerumque omnium ministrante, sine ullo molimine complêrunt. Expos. Ev. Luc. T. i. p. 1265, 1266.

very much at large, that they who are curious may with the greater ease compare all together.

2. St. Ambrose's style is somewhat more prolix and verbose; but I suppose, none can doubt that he here copied Origen, though he does not mention him: a proceeding, that can very seldom be warrantable in authors; and in this instance it appears not a little strange.

3. However, it is fit we should observe, that Ambrose rejects the gospel according to the Twelve, the gospels according to Basilides, according to Thomas, and according to Matthias. And says, that the church had one gospel in four books, spread all over the world, and written by Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke, with the assistance of the Spirit of God.

4. He elsewhere likewise says, that there is one gospel, and four books.

5. In the prologue to his Exposition of St. Luke's gospel, he mentions the symbols of the evangelists, as supposed to be represented by the four living creatures in Rev. iv. 7.

6. In the same prologue, like many others, Ambrose admires the transcendent sublimity of the beginning of St. John's gospel and on that account seems to give him the preference above the other three evangelists: though he ascribes also great wisdom to cach one of them. In another place he says, that the beginning of St. John's gospel confuted all heresies, particularly Arianism, Sabellianism, and Manichæism.

7. It is said, that Ambrose is the first Latin who wrote

z Sed etiam evangelium unum est, et quatuor libros esse negare non possuIn Ps. xl. T. i. p. 883. B.

mus.

Unde etiam ii qui quatuor animalium formas, quæ in Apocalypsi revelantur, quatuor evangelii libros intelligendos arbitrati sunt, hunc librum volunt vituli specie figurari.Et congruit vitulo hic evangelii liber, qui a sacerdotibus inchoavit.-Plerique tamen putant, ipsum Dominum nostrum in quatuor evangelii libris quatuor formis animalium figurari, quod idem homo, idem leo, idem vitulus, idem aquila comprobatur. Prolog. in Expos. Luc. n. 7, 8. p. 1264.

b Est enim vere sapientia naturalis in libro evangelistæ [an evangelii ?] secundum Joannem. Nemo enim, audeo dicere, tantà sublimitate sapientiæ majestatem Dei vidit, et nobis proprio sermone reseravit. Transcendit nubes, transcendit virtutes cœlorum, transcendit angelos, et Verbum apud Deum vidit. Quis autem moralius secundum hominem singula persecutus, quam sanctus Matthæus, qui edidit nobis præcepta vivendi ? Quid rationabilius illo admirabili copulato, quam quod sanctus Marcus in principio statim locandum putavit? &c. Ibid. p. 1262, 1263.

Omnes autem hæreses hoc capitulo brevi piscator noster exclusit. De Fide, l. i. c. 8. p. 454. T. ii.

d-quod apud Latinos ipsius tantum, et non alterius in Lucam commentarius fertur. Rufin. Invectiv. in Hieron. ap. Hieron. T. iv. p. 432.

a commentary upon St. Luke's gospel: and it is supposed to have been written in the year 386. R. Simone has made remarks upon it.

8. The book of the Acts of the Apostles is very often quoted by St. Ambrose, and not seldom by that title at length and it is ascribed by him to St. Luke.

9. He supposes St. Luke to be " the brother," intended by St. Paul, 2 Cor. viii. 18," whose praise is in the gospel, throughout all the churches."

10. This Italian bishop received fourteen epistles of the apostle Paul: concerning which I need not add any thing farther in particular, than that he has quoted the epistle to the Ephesians expressly with that inscription; and that he often quotes the epistle to the Hebrews as Paul's, without hesitation.

11. He frequently quotes the first epistle of Peter, and the first epistle of John; and sometimes as if they were the only epistles of those apostles. Nevertheless, he has also quoted the second epistle of Peter.

m

12. In the Benedictine edition of St. Ambrose's works is put a reference to the 7th verse of John's second epistle: but the quotation, I think, better suits the words of 1 John iv. 3.

e Hist Crit. des Commentateurs du N. T. ch. 14. p. 206-209.

Ut legimus in Actibus Apostolorum. In Ps. xl. n. 37. T. i. p. 882. Et adversum apostolos in Actibus eorum, quod seniores Israël convenerunt, Petrus sanctus, et Lucas evangelista testantur. [Cap. iv. 1, et seq.] In Ps. cxviii. n. 14. p. 1135.

h

Denique etiam a sancto apostolo Paulo testimonium meruit diligentiæ. Sic enim laudat Lucam: Cujus laus,' inquit, est in evangelio per omnes ecclesias.' Expos. Ev. Luc. 1. i. n. 11. p. 1269. E.

Sicut et apostolus, scribens ad Ephesios, ait. De Sp. S. 1. i. c. 6. T. ii. p. 616. C. D.

* Ad Hebræos scribens, apostolus dicit. De Sp. S. 1. iii. c. 8. p. 674. F. Apostoli illud exemplum est: non est meum. [Hebr. i. 3.] De Fide, 1. i. c. 13. T. ii. p. 460. A.

Unde præclare Petrus de Domino Jesu in epistolâ suâ posuit. [1 Pet. ii. 23.] In Ps. xxxvii. n. 45. T. i. p. 835.

-quia caritas est Deus, ut dixit Joannes in epistolâ. In Ps. xxxviii. n. 10. p. 846.

Alibi quoque Joannes in epistolâ suâ dicit. De Fide, 1. i. c. 8. T. ii. p. 454. E.

Accipe tamen quid etiam scripserit evangelista Joannes in epistolâ suâ dicens: [1 Jo. v. 20.] De Fide, 1. i. c. 17. p. 467. A. B.

Et Petrus vult nos, ut legimus, divinæ consortes fieri naturæ. [2 Pet. i. 4.] De Fide, 1. i. c. 19. T. ii. p. 469. C. Vide eund. loc. iterum citat. De Fide, 1. 5. c. 14. p. 583. A. et de Sp. S. 1. i. c. 6. p. 616. F.

Etiam Petrus sanctus adseruit, dicens: Quapropter satagite, fratres, certam vestram vocationem et electionem facere,' &c. [2 Pet. i. 10, 11.] De Fide, 1. iii. c. 12. p. 514. A. "Omnis, qui negat Jesum Christum Expos. Ev. Luc. T. i. p. 1337. B.

in carne venisse, de Deo non est.