With Jeronymus and Augustin, Ambrose is one of the Church's Fathers, writers who connected the new christian culture to classical tradition, fixing ethical and doctrinal questions essential for the Church. He was bishop of Milan and then patron saint of the city; he was a supporter of chastity, charity and justice. Moralist, he was the guide of episcopate in the West part of the Empire.
Life
He was born in Treviri, Augusta Treverorum in Gallia belgica (today Trier, in
Germany), at about 339 a.C. His father was prefect of the praetorium in Trier and he has received therefore a polite rhetorical education; but when the father died, he approached to Rome with his mother, sister Marcellina, who became nun about 353, and brother Satyrus. Here he finished his studies and began a juridic-administrative career. In 370 he was sent to Milan as consularis Aemiliae et Liguriae (governor of Northern Italy). At the death of the pro-arian bishop, Auxentius, in the 374, he, also being still catechumen, was chosen bishop of Mediolanum by acclamation; December 7th of the same year he received the baptism and the episcopal consecration. Today this is the date of the recurrence of S. Ambrose (but an ancient calendar assign his recurrence to April 4th, when he died, as for all other saints, except St.John Baptist). |
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He began, after an accurate theological
preparation, the compilation of his works, based often on the philosophical and
theological ideas of Plotinus, Origene and Basilius. He, for these writings that testify his cultural appointment and his pastoral and administrative ability, practiced a big influence on the Emperor Gratianus and on his successors Valentinian II and Theodosius. Between these works are of literary importance the six books of the Hexameron, that comment the biblical story of the creation.
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Ambrose's biographies:
www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/people_n2/persons3_n2/ambrose.html : perhaps the shortest online Ambrose's Life
www.evansville.edu/~ecoleweb/glossary/ambrose.html : this one too is very short
www.rc.net/org/monks/115.html : a brief narrative biography, ended with text (engl. transl.) of hymn Te Deum, pseudo-ambrosian
ccel.wheaton.edu/a/ambrose/ambrose.htm : biography short but with links to some writings
www.pottsville.com/st_ambrose/st_amb.htm : brief Life of praise
www2.gospelcom.net/chi/glimpses/twenysix.html : biography narrative and enphatic, ended with hymn Veni, redemptor gentium
www.ely.anglican.org/~sjk/lit2000/cal/m12/h07.html : didactic biography with various informations, about music in hymnography too
www.knight.org/advent/cathen/01383c.htm : Ambrose's Life of Catholic Encyclopedia
www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/AMBROSE.TXT : rich in information
www.catholicism.org/pages/leo.htm : in the first half of the essay you can read a narrative biography
www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/STAMBROS.TXT : one of the best, with many qotations from texts
By J.de Gioia & N.Ganino (transl.: M.Frittoli)