Ambrose of Milan (340-397) is considered one of the four doctors of the Western Church along with Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great. Ambrose was a politician turned bishop who helped shape the Protestant Reformation (that would not occur until almost 1,200 years later) through his discipleship of Augustine, who was quoted by Luther and Calvin to support their biblical understanding of both the gospel and the church.
Born in about the year 340 in a Christian home, Ambrose was part of a military and political family of some notoriety. His father was in charge of several cohorts of Rome’s special forces known as the Praetorian Guard, and elite group responsible for guarding the Emperor’s life. His father died when he was young leaving him to be raised by his widowed mother and older sister who was a nun. They moved to Rome so that even at a young age Ambrose was around clergy constantly.
Even still, rhetoric became his wheelhouse. Considered by historians as one of the most eloquent men in history, Ambrose quickly rose in the political ranks as governor of provinces in Northern Italy in his early thirties. But providence had another path for Ambrose. The Bishop of Milan died and Ambrose attended the meeting as an important politician to help in the selection process of the next Bishop. At this time, the heresy of Arianism was in full bloom. The church was divided over the divinity of Christ even though the Nicene Creed clearly affirmed Christ’s divinity. Roughly half of the officials attending the meeting that day were Arians, the other half were orthodox. But unanimously they voted Ambrose as the next Bishop of Milan! Ambrose himself was shocked. He declined the offer, hesitating greatly, even hiding out. But the voice of the people won over the Emperor who received letters from them calling for Ambrose to be the next bishop. Sensing the pressure from the populace, the Emperor placed Ambrose under temporary arrest until he agreed to serve as Bishop. Ambrose eventually surrendered to God’s call on his life. He left the political world for the ecclesiastical. He moved from the courts of law to the courts of God.
Ambrose’s popularity both within the religious as well as the secular realm could hardly be overstated. He was living in a very interesting period of church history. In the previous century, just forty years before he was born, Diocletian ruled (284-305). His was called the “Era of the Martyrs” due to his mass persecution of Christians. However, when Constantine became the emperor of Rome (306-337), Christians were no longer persecuted or marginalized. Christianity became the main religion of the empire and the state began allowing Christian leaders to wield considerable influence. Under Constantine, reparations were made for persecuted Christians, clergy received tax cuts, and emperor worship ceased. Instead of churches being destroyed, pagan temples were torn down. A Christian calendar was instituted for society, even marking Sunday as a holy day. This was the climate Ambrose was born into.
Now as we well know, some of the things flowing from Constantine’s rule set the stage for the corruption of the church during the Middle Ages especially. However, during Ambrose’s day it was refreshing for Christians to no longer be hated, but embraced. Amazingly, shockingly really, this sudden turn of events ensured that for the next fourteen centuries the Christian faith would be the dominant religion in the Western world.
Ambrose, who wasn’t even baptized until he agreed to serve as the Bishop of Milan, soon became one who boldly called out the Emperor for injustices. On one occasion toward the end of his life, a famous chariot racer was arrested in Thessalonica. The people of the city demanded his release and began rioting, which tragically resulted in the governor himself (along with a few others) perishing. Emperor Theodosius defended the death of his governor by seeking diabolical revenge. He announced to the people a new chariot race. But once the crowds arrived, the gates were locked and soldiers of the Emperor slaughtered 7,000 townspeople in 3 hours.
Ambrose refused to be silent. Using his religious and political sway, he called the Emperor to repentance and even excommunicated him from the church. As a result, the Emperor repented. In part, Ambrose’s letter said: "I exhort, I beg, I entreat, I admonish you, because it is grief to me that the perishing of so many innocent is no grief to you. And now I call on you to repent."
The Emperor ended up loving Ambrose and reportedly died in his arms. Ambrose eulogized Theodosius saying, “I confess I loved him, and felt the sorrow of his death in the abyss of my heart.”
The legacy of Ambrose can be summed up in three primary contributions that he made to the church:
His Eloquent Preaching
First, he was known for his preaching. Using the allegorical method of the day, Ambrose quickly became known for his preaching. Throngs came to listen to him preach. Ambrose’s sermons were considered masterpieces of Latin eloquence. Though the Reformers rightly condemned allegorical preaching, there was still recognition that Ambrose faithfully taught the gospel. And this is seen in the second contribution Ambrose made to the church, perhaps his greatest.
His Role in Augustine’s Conversion
Ambrose was instrumental in Augustine’s conversion. R.C. Sproul has written, “We owe a great debt to Ambrose, who by discipling Augustine got the ball rolling for the Reformation, in a manner of speaking.” Augustine himself moved to Milan in 384 and went to hear Ambrose preach. Here are Augustine’s own words on the matter of his conversion: “Unknown to me, it was you, God, who led me to Ambrose so that I might be led to you by Ambrose.” Augustine was even baptized by Ambrose.
His Fight Against the Arians
But it was not only his preaching as well as his role in Augustine’s conversion that impacted the church. He contributed in another significant way that I’ve already touched upon. Ambrose wrote many works, most notably against the Arians. Some of the very ones who voted him in office he attacked with great force and argumentation because he rightly viewed Arians as heretics who misunderstood the person of Christ. Ambrose fought for the Son of God’s equality with God the Father.
On one occasion, Empress Justina demanded that Ambrose give up a church for her Arian followers. Ambrose simply refused. She reacted to his denial by sending soldiers to take Ambrose’s own church. With imperial soldiers surrounding the church, those inside prayed, sang psalms, and Ambrose preached. Eventually, Justina drew the solders back and Ambrose won another spiritual battle over the Arians.
Ambrose also developed antiphonal singing and authored many hymns himself. He is broadly considered to be the primary agent in influencing the Western church to adopt hymn singing in their worship. This proves that Ambrose had a devotional heart to go along with his theological mind. Taking these two characteristics together with his ability to preach makes him easily one of the most influential Christian leaders in the history of the church.