Chapter XCV: Letter XCI: A GRACEFUL letter of affection (4)

230 – ‘Ecce ego mittam servum meum, Oriens nomen Ejus.’ Vulg.
has ‘Ecce ego adducam servum meum Orientem.’ ‘Oriens
nomen Ejus’ comes in v. 12. ‘Behold I will bring forth
my servant the Branch.’ The same word in the original is
used also in Is. iv. 2. Jerem. xxiii. 5. xxiii. 15. and
in all those passages the Vulg. renders it by ‘Germen.’
In the passages of Zech. and Jerem. the LXX. have the word
ἀνατολή. The word in the original means ‘a sprout’ or
‘shoot.’

231 – See Letter xxxii. 1.

232 – He is quoting from a letter of Cicero’s. Ep. ix. 3. Longi
subsellii, ut noster Pompeius appellat, judicatio et mora.

233 – He is here quoting from Cicero De off. iii. 1, where
Cicero gives as a saying of Scipio Africanus, on the
authority of Cato, ‘numquam se minus otiosum esse quam
quum otiosus, nec minus solum quam quum solus esset.’ It
is quoted again by S. Ambrose in De off. Min. iii. 1, 107.

234 – This is the reading of most MSS, according to the
Benedictine Editors. And, though the connection of ideas
is somewhat abrupt, they explain it to be, that, as the
gift of faith was bestowed on Abraham the Chaldean, so
the gift of prophecy was bestowed on Balaam. All the
other Editions have ‘Balaam’ instead of ‘Abraham’. This
makes the connection easier, but then ‘adscitur ad fidem’
is strangely applied to him, and it could only mean,
‘is employed to utter the truth.’ He might be called a
Chaldean as the common name among the Romans for Eastern
diviners generally.

235 – The Magister officiorum was a sort of Chief Secretary of
state, both for home and foreign affairs. A summary of his
duties may be seen in Gibbon ch. xvii, iv, 2. It was the
influence which this post gave him over Theodosius which
enabled Rufinus to stir the Emperor’s passionateness to
the crime of Thessalonica.

236 – The adjective Portuensis generally refers to the town
called Portus, which grew up in the times of the Emperors
on the harbour of Ostia. It is probable therefore that the
reference is to some work of which the person spoken of
had the superintendence.

237 – As Lake Larius was sometimes called Lacus Comacinus in
the times of the Emperors, (Dict. of Geogr. voc. Comum.)
it is probable that the ‘Comacinæ rupes’ were some familiar
rocks on its margin. The comparison to a bull is simply an
adaptation of Virgil’s ‘Et faciem tauro propior,’ Georg.
iii. 58.

238 – The word ‘bonis’ must certainly here be inserted in the
text, ‘uterque alienae magis ordinationis vitiis quam suis
bonis fretus,’ as suggested by the Benedictine Editors.
It occurs just below in the corresponding sentence, ‘suis
potius bonis quam alieno vitio defendi.’

239 – He is sometimes spoken of as Bishop of Nairsus in Dacia
Mediterranea (see Note in p. 67.) but Tillemont (note 43
in Life of S. Ambrose) has made it probable that there
were two Bishops of the name of Bonosus, one of Nairsus,
and the other of Sardica, the latter of whom is the one
dealt with by the Synod of Capua.

240 – He is referring to the ‘Memorial of Symmachus.’ p. 94. The
‘two petitions,’ libellos duos, are Letters 17 and 18.

241 – He means that the reason why he declines all communication
with Eugenius, who wished to secure his great political
influence on his side, was, that he felt sure that
Eugenius, though at present temporising with both parties,
would in the end yield to the pressure of the pagan
party, and restore the revenues to the heathen temples.
‘Extorquendum’ is, in accordance with late Latin idiom, a
mere future passive.

242 – confusus fuerit.

243 – confundar.

244 – See Letter xliv. 9, and note c there.

245 – compares.

246 – The argument here turns on the Latin words. ‘Avunculus,’
uncle, is a mere diminutive of ‘avus,’ grand-father;
and the one word ‘neptis’ is used both for niece and
grand-daughter without any distinction.

247 – The ‘not’ is inserted according to the suggestion of the
Benedictine Editors. There seems a contradiction in terms
without it.

248 – agnatio.

249 – agnatio.

250 – cognatio.

251 – ‘Apices’ here and in § 5 undoubtedly means ‘a letter.’
‘Apex,’ in late Latin, is used for a single letter written,
and ‘apices’ like ‘literae,’ for a continuous writing.
Aulus Gellius (xiii. 30, 10. xvii. 9, 12.) quoted in
White’s Dictionary, uses the phrase ‘literarum apices,’
and in Cod. Just. ii. 8, 6. we find ‘Augusti apices’ for
‘the Emperor’s rescripts.’

252 – Theodoret, v. 24. gives a detailed account of the ways in
which the special intervention of heaven was displayed in
Theodosius’ campaign against Eugenius. S. Aug. De Civ. Dei,
v. 26. says that Theodosius ‘contra robustissimum Eugenii
exercitum magis orando quam feriendo pugnavit,’ and, after
mentioning stories told by eye-witnesses of the manifest
intervention of God on his behalf, quotes the well-known
lines of Claudian,

O nimium dilecte Deo cui fundit ab antris
Æolus armatas hyemes, cui militat æther,
Et conjurati veniunt ad classica venti.

253 – The word here used is plural, Venetiarum. From this it has
been argued that this letter must be of later date than S.
Ambrose’s time, as Venetiæ is the usual name for the city,
which was not founded till the time of Attila. (Gibbon
ch. xxxv. vol. iv. p. 242 ed. Smith.) But he certainly uses
the plural form in Letter xviii. 21, which is undoubtedly
his, and therefore, as Tillemont has pointed out, no
argument can be founded on this against the present letter.
It is possible that under the plural form he intends to
include Venetia and Histria, which are reckoned together
as one consular province in the civil division of the
empire, (see Marquardt’s Table, in Smith’s Gibbon vol. ii.
p. 315.) and also as one ecclesiastical province in the
Exarchate of Milan, (see Bingham ix. 1, 6.) By ‘finitimis
Italiæ partibus’ he probably means Flaminia and Picenum
Annonarium, which were also included in the ‘Diocese’ of
Italy and Exarchate of Milan.

254 – intentio.

255 – It is to be noted that Eusebius, who died in A.D. 371, was
not the last Bishop of Vercellæ, but Limenius, whose name
occurs among the Bishops who took part in the Council of
Aquileia. This has also been made an argument against S.
Ambrose’s authorship, but there does not seem much weight
in it. Eusebius was much the more famous man of the two,
and his teaching and example and the memory of his labours
and martyrdom are naturally appealed to by S. Ambrose.

256 – These were, it appears, followers of Jovinian. See above,
Introd. to Letter of Siricius, p. 280.

257 – reprobus.

258 – reprobum.

259 – Nothing is known of this man, nor is even the name certain,
as there are many various readings. The Benedictines
suggest that it may mean Philodemus, who is mentioned by
Diog. Laert. x. 3. as a follower of Epicurus, and is also
spoken of by Cicero, De fin. 11, 35. and by Horace, Sat. 1,
2, 21.

260 – sobrii estote. Vulg.

261 – Nothing is known of Demarchus, whom S. Ambrose here quotes.
The Benedictines suggest that it may be a mistake for
Hermarchus, who was Epicurus’ successor as head of his
school, and who wrote books in defence of the Epicurean
philosophy. He is mentioned several times by Cicero.

262 – Though the so-called Epicureans of later days perverted
his theory to what is generally known as Epicureanism,
Epicurus himself certainly did not mean by pleasure
sensual pleasure. ‘Pleasure was not with him a momentary
and transitory sensation, but he conceived it as something
lasting and imperishable, consisting in pure and noble
mental enjoyments.’ ‘He was a man of pure simple and
temperate habits.’ Dict. of Biog. in voc. Vol.ii. p. 34, 35.

263 – This must be the sense if we retain the interrogation.
If it is omitted the passage would mean, ‘Men then are
recalled from that, in which’ &c., i. e., it is plainly
unfitting for men to do that, in which &c.

264 – S. Ambrose is alluding apparently to Ezra proclaiming and
keeping a fast to remove God’s anger against his people.
Should we not read ‘memoriae’ for ‘memoriâ?’ Ezra did
restore the Scriptures _to_ the memory of the people, but
it does not appear that he restored them _from_ memory?

265 – Sobrietatis inebrietas.

266 – Sola.

267 – Mary and Miriam are really the same name, the former
having come through the Greek form Μαρία.

268 – laqueus.

269 – A reminiscence of Virgil’s,

Ante expectatum positis stat in agmine castris.
Georg. iii. 348.

270 – The reading here varies. Ben. has ‘in Concilio Nicaeni
tractatus,’ which may mean ‘the Council which made the
Nicene Creed,’ (for the phrase ‘Nicaenus tractatus’
as applied to the Creed see note 1 on Acts of Council
of Aquileia.) Another reading is ‘in Concilii Nicaeni
tractatu,’ and another ‘in Concilio Nicaeno tractatus.’

There is a difficulty about S. Ambrose’s statement,
as there is nothing on the subject in the Canons of
Nicaea. The Benedictine editors, after discussing other
explanations, suggest that S. Ambrose may have had an
inaccurate copy of the Canons, with the one he here
quotes inserted from some other Council. Some unauthentic
documents professing to give Nicene regulations on the
subject are quoted in Dict. of Christian Antiq. Art.
Digamy.

271 – impressio.

272 – praescriptio.

273 – The most conspicuous instance was Nectarius. See note 54,
on Letter xiii.

274 – Eusebius and Dionysius Bishop of Milan were driven into
exile by the Emperor Valens, because they refused at
the third Council of Milan, A.D. 355, to subscribe the
condemnation of Athanasius. There is a brief but graphic
account of the circumstances in Bright’s History of the
Church, pages 70–73.

275 – longaevi super terram.

276 – The expression ‘aula regalis,’ applied to the Mother of
our Lord, may be illustrated from De Instit. Virg. ch. xii.
§ 79. Ipse ergo Rex Israel transivit hanc portam, ipse Dux
sedit in ea, quando Verbum caro factum est et habitavit
in nobis, quasi Rex sedens in aula regali uteri virginalis.
Compare also the expression in S. Ambrose’s Hymn on the
Nativity, Procedit e thalamo suo, Pudoris aula regia, &c.

277 – With this Letter begins what the Benedictines have called
a second division of the Letters, containing those which
furnish no internal evidence of their date sufficient
to justify their being assigned a place in chronological
order. They are arranged according to their matter,
1st, those which contain expositions of passages of
Holy Scripture, (lxi–lxxv.), 2nd, those which discuss as
important, and mostly doctrinal subjects, (lxxvi–lxxxiii.),
3rd, a few brief letters of ordinary friendly intercourse,
(lxxxiv–xci.)

278 – See note 222 on Letter xliv. 10.

279 – Whether the true reading here be ‘traditio’ as Ben. has,
or ‘editio’ as Rom., the reference must be to the ἐκδόσεις
or versions which Origen brought together in his Hexapla,
of which the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh, (for there
was a seventh,) were only known by their numbers. See Art.
by Tregelles on ‘Ancient Versions,’ in Smith’s Dict. of
the Bible, vol. iii. p. 1623.

280 – a diebus saeculi.

281 – Saeculum.

282 – i. e. the priesthood. cf. 1 Tim. iii. 13.

283 – Bethlehem.

284 – institutis.

285 – castellum.

286 – עֳנִי signifying affliction; עֲנִי one humbled by affliction and
so, it was inferred, brought to obedience.

287 – Baehr on Herod. ii. 37. quotes with apparent approval
Wesseling’s opinion that in fact, though Herodotus does
not expressly state it, among the Egyptians only the
priests and those initiated in the mysteries received
circumcision. It is to this perhaps that S. Ambrose is
here alluding. See also the art. on ‘Circumcision’ in
Smith’s Dict. of the Bible.

288 – confusus fuerit.

289 – subditus fiat. Vulg.

290 – in Christo. εἰς χριστόν.

291 – Why this letter, which plainly declares itself in the
first section to be a sequel of the previous one, is
addressed to a different name, it is difficult to say.
There is a similar difficulty about Letter xxvi, and
possibly the same solution may apply here as is suggested
by the Ben. Edd. there. See Introd. to Lett. xxvi.

292 – The phrase ‘cernere hereditatem’ is a well-known law-term,
meaning literally ‘to decide to accept an inheritance,’
and then ‘to enter upon it.’ But as this sense will
not agree with the context, it seems necessary to take
‘cernere,’ as the Benedictine note does, in its common
sense of ‘to see.’

293 – The words ἁρμονίᾳ τοῦ Λόγου δεδεμένον seem to be a gloss
on S. Paul’s compound συναρμολογούμενον. They are not part
of his text, though S. Ambrose seems here to be quoting
them as if they were.

294 – laborat.

295 – cleros.

296 – It seems necessary to the sense here to insert ‘quae’
before ‘obtexerent.’

297 – v. c. here is an abbreviation for vir clarissimus, a title
of official rank. See note in p. 101.

298 – lætus.

Transcriber’s Notes.

The following corrections have been made in the text:

Page TOC:
Sentence starting: The Council which is assembled....
– ‘Marbonese’ replaced with ‘Narbonese’
(first and second Narbonese Provinces)

Page TOC:
Sentence starting: To the most precious Prince....
– ‘Theodorius’ replaced with ‘Theodosius’
(his Majesty Theodosius,)

Page TOC:
Sentence starting: AMBROSE to Atticus.....
– ‘Allicas’ replaced with ‘Atticus’
(AMBROSE to Atticus.)

Page 20:
Sentence starting: 1. YOUR question,...
– Paragraph number added.
(1. YOUR question,)

Page 74:
Sentence starting: And I would that you could....
– duplicated word removed ‘what’
(to rescind what they ought)

Page 101:
Sentence starting: 1. THE honourable[77] Symmachus,...
– Paragraph number added.
(1. THE honourable[77] Symmachus,)

Page 116:
Sentence starting: Since their prayers ought....
– ‘it’ replaced with ‘is’
(whose religion is different.)

Page 125:
Sentence starting: The Philistines having discovered....
– ‘discoverd’ replaced with ‘discovered’
(having discovered through her means)

Page 131:
Sentence starting: 13. The groans of the people....
– Paragraph 13 not marked in this edition.
(13. The groans of the people)

Page 137:
Sentence starting: I replied, ‘May God grant....
– ‘enunch’ replaced with ‘eunuch’
(act as befits an eunuch.)

Page 150:
Sentence starting: Christ then, invited by these....
– ‘scuorge’ replaced with ‘scourge’
(takes His scourge and drives)

Page 155:
Sentence starting: Jesus saw the penny was Cæsar’s,...
– duplicated word removed ‘the’
(unto Cæsar the things that are)

Page 156:
Sentence starting: Blind they are and....
– duplicated word removed ‘and’
(Blind they are and lame,)

Page 158:
Sentence starting: 1. AS I am wont to keep....
– Paragraph number added.
(1. AS I am wont to keep)
Sentence starting: I found the suitable tokens;...
– Footnote 124 not marked in text.
(seized[124])

Page 159:
Sentence starting: 4. _The heavens_....
– Number ‘3’ skipped in paragraph numbering.
(4. _The heavens_)

Page 164:
Sentence starting: How much have they suffered,...
– ‘Pharoah’ replaced with ‘Pharaoh’
(and like Pharaoh,)

Page 173:
Sentence starting: Therefore even according to the....
– ‘mouth’ replaced with ‘month’
(this is the first month.)

Page 175:
Sentence starting: Let us with fervent spirit keep....
– ‘docrtine’ replaced with ‘doctrine’
(in pious doctrine with one accord)

Page 187:
Sentence starting: In the prophet Hosea also....
– ‘sojouners’ replaced with ‘sojourners’
(and licentious train of sojourners.)

Page 188:
Sentence starting: When a man condemns....
– ‘condems’ replaced with ‘condemns’
(man condemns in another)

Page 190:
Sentence starting: When the criminal is put to death,...
– ‘trangression’ replaced with ‘transgression’
(the transgression which is punished,)

Page 191:
Sentence starting: Thus as wisdom and continence....
– ‘incontient’ replaced with ‘incontinent’
(foolish and incontinent man)

Page 199:
Sentence starting: Hence we read that he was addressed....
– ‘Pharoah’ replaced with ‘Pharaoh’
(god to Pharaoh.)

Page 201:
Sentence starting: 8. Wherefore the Lord....
– Number ‘7’ skipped in paragraph numbering.
(8. Wherefore the Lord)

Page 218:
Sentence starting: He cried first in Eve,...
– ‘Pharoah’ replaced with ‘Pharaoh’
(he cried in Pharaoh,)
‘Corah’ replaced with ‘Korah’
(Dathan, Abiram, Korah.)

Page 219:
Sentence starting: He cried in Solomon,...
– duplicated word removed ‘of’
(in the power of Wisdom,)

Page 227:
Sentence starting: And shall we not believe....
– ‘ministeries’ replaced with ‘ministries’
(fulfil divers ministries,)

Page 234:
Sentence starting: The good physician knows....
– ‘physican’ replaced with ‘physician’
(The good physician knows)

Page 239:
Sentence starting: ....
– ‘LX.’ replaced with ‘LXX.’
(Prov. xvii. 2. LXX.)

Page 240:
Sentence starting: And Job says,...
– ‘immost’ replaced with ‘inmost’
(Take wisdom into thine inmost parts.)

Page 275:
Sentence starting: 18. Now the Church ceases....
– ‘19’ replaced with ‘18’
(18. Now the Church ceases)

Page 282:
Sentence starting: 1. In your Holiness’ Letter....
– ‘2.’ replaced with ‘1.’
(1. In your Holiness’ Letter)

Page 291:
Sentence starting: You will easily discover that....
– ‘harrassed’ replaced with ‘harassed’
(is not harassed by suspicion)

Page 296:
Sentence starting: For when we read that God....
– ‘ariving’ replaced with ‘arriving’
(to aim at arriving thither)

Page 300:
Sentence starting: Solon however made ten periods....
– ‘vigourous’ replaced with ‘vigorous’
(vigorous in faculties)
– ‘it’ replaced with ‘in’
(and in speech and wisdom)

Page 327:
Sentence starting: Again when David was possessed....
– ‘af’ replaced with ‘of’
(the blood of Abner)

Page 333:
Sentence starting: S. Ambrose does not write....
– ‘Ecclesiatic’ replaced with ‘Ecclesiastic’
(he would address an eminent Ecclesiastic.)

Page 333:
Sentence starting: He also considers me to be....
– ‘physican’ replaced with ‘physician’
(to be a physician )

Page 339:
Sentence starting: The case of Bonosus had been....
– ‘Amysius’ replaced with ‘Anysius’
(Anysius Bishop of Thessalonica,)

Page 342:
Sentence starting: I presented two petitions....
– ‘supersition’ replaced with ‘superstition’
(for the uses of superstition.)

Page 342:
Sentence starting: 3. My petitions were read....
– Number ‘2’ skipped in paragraph numbering.
(3. My petitions were read)

Page 344:
Sentence starting: You, whom no man constrained,...
– ‘certaintly’ replaced with ‘certainly’
(ought certainly to have referred)

Page 367:
Sidenote starting: Dan. i. 8;...
– The following 2 references are in error and do not exist
as listed.
(xiv. 30; iii. 40.)

Page 385:
Sentence starting: Nor does the mode of your....
– ‘trangression’ replaced with ‘transgression’
(of your transgression signify,)

Page 409:
Sentence starting: The earth also is iron,...
– ‘witholds’ replaced with ‘withholds’
(for it withholds its produce,)

Page 416:
Sidenote: S. Matt. xxv. 40.
– ‘xxx’ replaced with ‘xxv’
(S. Matt. xxv. 40.)

Page 416:
Sentence starting: Until the time that....
– duplicated word removed ‘that’
(Until the time that she)

Page 424:
Sentence starting: For the ground of the truth....
– ‘intelligibe’ replaced with ‘intelligible’
(by an intelligible mystery,)

Page 435:
Sentence starting: It was superfluous....
– ‘superflous’ replaced with ‘superfluous’
(It was superfluous herein)

Page 456:
Sentence starting: Thus that which is in part has ceased,...
– ‘circumscised’ replaced with ‘circumcised’
(the Cross has circumcised not one )

Page 460:
Quote starting: Go, wash in....
– duplicated word removed ‘in’
(wash in the pool of Siloam,)

Page 472:
Sentence starting: 7. Joseph also, in order to....
– Number ‘6’ skipped in paragraph numbering.
(7. Joseph also, in order to)

Page 478:
Sentence starting: 1. PROSPICIENDUM esse ne de nostro....
– Paragraph number added.
(1. PROSPICIENDUM esse ne de nostro)

Page 483:
Sentence starting: Quid autem præstantius,...
– ‘præcipunm’ replaced with ‘præcipuum’
(cujus præcipuum opus verecundia,)

Page 486:
Sentence starting: Vale, frater, et nos dilige;...
– ‘qula’ replaced with ‘quia’
(quia nos te diligimus.)

Page 490:
Sentence starting: Cæsa itaque vigintiquinque millia,...
– ‘virgintiquinque’ replaced with ‘vigintiquinque’
(Cæsa itaque vigintiquinque millia,)

Index Aaron:
Sentence starting: Took precedence of Moses....
– ‘predecence’ replaced with ‘precedence’
(Took precedence of Moses)

Index Ambrose:
Sentence starting: Prevents a reply to ....
– ‘Symmachius’ replaced with ‘Symmachus’
(reply to Symmachus’ memorial,)

Index Arian heresy:
Sentence starting: Refuses to believe....
– ‘evidenec’ replaced with ‘evidence’
(believe the evidence of)

Index Auxentius:
Sentence starting: Challenges Ambrose to....
– ‘arbirtation’ replaced with ‘arbitration’
(Challenges Ambrose to arbitration,)

Index Bassianus:
– duplicated word removed ‘’
– ‘Paladius’ replaced with ‘Palladius’
(His condemnation of Palladius,)

Index Cabillonum:
Sentence starting: Châlons-sur-Saône,...
– ‘sub’ replaced with ‘sur’
(Châlons-sur-Saône,)

Index Castulus:
Sentence starting: _Castulus_, an Arian presbyter....
– ‘Castalus’ replaced with ‘Castulus’
(_Castulus_, an Arian presbyter)

Index Eutropius:
Sentence starting: Eutropius....
– ‘Entropius’ replaced with ‘Eutropius’
(_Eutropius_)

Index Morasthite:
Sentence starting: _Morasthite_, son of the....
– ‘Morashthite’ replaced with ‘Morasthite’
(_Morasthite_, son of the)

Index Plotinus:
Sentence starting: Plotinus....
– ‘Photinus’ replaced with ‘Plotinus’
(_Plotinus_)

Index Priest:
Sentence starting: Regard worldly loss as gain,...
– ‘wordly’ replaced with ‘worldly’
(Regard worldly loss as gain,)

Index Exodus:
Sentence starting: xvii. 6....
– ‘673’ replaced with ‘367’
(xvii. 6 284, 367)

Index Psalm:
Sentence starting: xcii. 11....
– ‘cii’ replaced with ‘xcii.’
(xcii. 11 253)

Index confundar:
Sentence starting: confundar,...
– ‘conusuas’ replaced with ‘confusus’
(confundar, confusus fuerit,)

Footnote 50:
Sentence starting: Meanwhile Meletius had returned....
– duplicated word removed ‘the’
(the Church at Antioch)

Footnote 53:
Sentence starting: Fleury remarks on this....
– closing quote mark not identified.
(‘This letter plainly shews)

Footnote 54:
Sentence starting: Maximus, called the Cynic....
– ‘conscrated’ replaced with ‘consecrated’
(was irregularly consecrated at Constantinople,)

Footnote 109:
Sentence starting: Valentinian was in official attendance....
– ‘Valentian’ replaced with ‘Valentinian’
(Valentinian was in official attendance)

Footnote 115:
Sentence starting: This refers to a story....
– ‘puprose’ replaced with ‘purpose’
(failed of their purpose,)

Footnote 128:
Sentence starting: ....
– ‘espe’ replaced with ‘esse’
(‘Nam incipit esse contrarium.’)