Ambrose of Milan

Who Was Ambrose of Milan?

Ambrose of Milan was one of the most consequential figures of the early church — a bishop, theologian, hymn-writer, and political actor whose career shaped both the theology and the institutional character of Western Christianity. Born into a Roman administrative family, he was serving as governor of Liguria and Aemilia when, in 374, a disputed episcopal election in Milan ended in the congregation demanding that Ambrose himself become bishop — despite the fact that he was not yet baptized. He was baptized, ordained, and consecrated within eight days.

What followed was one of the most remarkable episcopal careers in church history. Ambrose proved to be a bishop of extraordinary courage, theological depth, and political acumen. He resisted the Arian heresy that dominated much of the imperial court, defended the independence of the church from imperial control, and on two famous occasions confronted Emperor Theodosius directly — refusing him communion after the massacre at Thessalonica until he had performed public penance.

He is also significant as the man who baptized Augustine of Hippo in 387 — a fact that places him at the hinge point of Latin Christianity’s most decisive intellectual development. His sermons, his hymns, and his theological writings shaped the liturgical and doctrinal formation of the Western church for centuries.

In Their Own Words

Selected Bibliography

• De Officiis Ministrorum — On the Duties of the Clergy, c. 391
• De Fide — On the Faith, 378–380
• De Spiritu Sancto — On the Holy Spirit, 381
• Hexaemeron — Commentary on the Six Days of Creation