St. Ambrose of Milan

One of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church. Bishop of Milan who translated Basil's Hexaemeron into Latin.

Works

• Commentary on Psalm 1
• De Hexaemeron
• De Paradiso
• Epistles
• On Cain and Abel

Preliminaries

• TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Translated Basil's Hexaemeron, giving Latin ears "not so much his own work as that of Saint Basil" in his treatise On the Work of the Six Days

  "Saint Ambrose translated them, and gave to Latin ears not so much his own work as that of Saint Basil, in his treatise On the Work of the Six Days."

Preface and Praise of Sacred Scripture

• Chapter IV: The Judgments and Examples of the Fathers — Urged Augustine after his conversion to study Isaiah

  "at the urging of St. Ambrose, book IX of the Confessions, chapter 5"

• Chapter IV: The Judgments and Examples of the Fathers — Listed among Fathers who labored night and day; studied under Basil

  "Ambrose under Basil"

• Chapter V: On the Dispositions Required for This Study — Paulinus reports he was seen assisted by an angel while treating Scripture in a sermon

  "Ambrose, if we believe St. Paulinus in his account of his deeds, when he was treating the Scriptures in a sermon, was seen assisted by an angel."

• The Author's Method (paragraph 48) — Renders almost exclusively the mystical sense

  "Ambrose and Gregory render almost exclusively the mystical sense"

• The Fathers' Defense of the Old Testament — Wrote Hexaemeron books as follower/interpreter of Basil

  "Basil and his follower or interpreter St. Ambrose wrote Hexaemeron books on Genesis"

• The Fathers' Defense of the Old Testament — As Ambrose says in Epistle 44, divine Scripture is a sea with profound meanings

  "as St. Ambrose says in Epistle 44, the divine Scripture is a sea"

• Praises of Moses from Scripture and the Fathers — In book 1 of On Cain and Abel, chapter 11, praises Moses as figure of the teacher to come; suggests Moses did not die but was translated

  "Hear Saint Ambrose, book 1 of On Cain and Abel, chapter 11"

Commentary on the Pentateuch of Moses

• Canons Bearing a Torch Before the Pentateuch — Teaches with Augustine that David's adultery was a type of Christ's love for the Church

  "David's adultery, which St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, and others teach was a type"

Chapter I (The Six Days of Creation)

• In the Beginning: Nine Interpretations — Cited for the first interpretation of "In the beginning"

  "Ambrose and Basil, homily 1 on the Hexameron"

• In the Beginning: Nine Interpretations — Cited for the second interpretation "In the Son"

  "the same Augustine, Ambrose, and Basil in the same place"

• In the Beginning: Nine Interpretations — Cited for the sixth interpretation "In a moment"

  "St. Ambrose and St. Basil, homily 1 on the Hexameron"

• In the Beginning: Nine Interpretations — Cited for the seventh interpretation "As principal things"

  "So St. Ambrose, Procopius, and Bede."

• Verse 3: And God said: Let there be light — Quoted from Book I of the Hexaemeron, ch. 9, on light as the first grace of a dwelling

  "St. Ambrose gives another in Book I of the Hexaemeron, ch. 9: "From what other source should the adornment of the world take its beginning but from light? "

• Verse 8: And God called the firmament Heaven — Cited on the etymology of "coelum" as "caelatum" (engraved with stars)

  "as St. Ambrose says, 'coelum' is called as if 'caelatum,' that is, engraved with various stars."

• Verse 12: And the earth brought forth — Cited alongside Basil for the view that the earth actually brought forth all species on the third day

  "So St. Basil and Ambrose."

• Verse 12: And the earth brought forth — Cited for teaching that poisonous herbs and thorns were created before the fall

  "the contrary is taught by St. Basil and St. Ambrose"

• Verse 16: And God Made Two Great Lights — Quoted on time: "You sleep and your time walks"

  ""You sleep," says St. Ambrose on Psalm 1, "and your time" does not sleep, but "walks;""

• Verse 20: Let the Waters Bring Forth — Cited from Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 14, on the kinship between birds and fish

  "as St. Ambrose rightly teaches, Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 14."

• Verse 22: And He Blessed Them, Saying: Increase and Multiply — Cited from Book V of the Hexaemeron for descriptions of bees, cranes

  "and following him St. Ambrose, Book V of the Hexaemeron"

• Verse 22: And He Blessed Them, Saying: Increase and Multiply — Cited on storks cherishing their aging parents

  ""This is the conveyance of filial piety," says St. Ambrose."

• Verse 22: And He Blessed Them, Saying: Increase and Multiply — Cited from Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 20, on vultures reproducing without mating

  "St. Ambrose says the same, Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 20."

• Verse 22: And He Blessed Them, Saying: Increase and Multiply — Quoted from Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 13, on geese protecting the Capitol

  "St. Ambrose, Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 13: "Rightly, he says, to them (the geese), O Rome, you owe your sovereignty. "

• Verse 22: And He Blessed Them, Saying: Increase and Multiply — Quoted from Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 20, on the nightingale and coots

  "St. Ambrose says, Book V of the Hexaemeron, chapter 20: "Whence, he says, comes the voice of the parrot, and the sweetness of blackbirds? "

• Verse 24: Let the Earth Bring Forth the Living Creature — Quoted from Book VI of the Hexaemeron, chapter 4, on the she-bear shaping her young

  "St. Ambrose, Book VI of the Hexaemeron, chapter 4, where among other things he says: "The she-bear, although crafty, as Scripture says "

• Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Cited from Letter 38 to Horontianus on God furnishing the world before creating man

  "See St. Ambrose, Letter 38 to Horontianus"

• Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Quoted from Letter 38 on man as last created, as king of the elements

  "St. Ambrose, in the letter 38 already cited, teaches that man was created last"

• Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Cited for placing the image of God in free will

  "The fourth, that it possesses free will: St. Ambrose places it in this."

• Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Quoted from beginning of Book VI of the Hexameron on man's dominion over elephants, lions, tigers

  "Hear St. Ambrose at the beginning of Book VI of the Hexameron: "Nature seemed to have nothing taller or stronger than elephants,"

• Verse 31: And God Saw All Things That He Had Made, and They Were Very Good — Cited from his book On Paradise, ch. 10, on why God did not say "it was good" of Adam alone before Eve

  "St. Ambrose gives the fourth reason in his book On Paradise, ch. 10"

• Heaven and Earth: Four Interpretations — Listed among those who thought angels were created before the world

  "so held Origen, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, Ambrose, Jerome, Hilary."

Related

• St. Basil the Great
• De Hexaemeron