St. Ambrose of Milan—Letter to His Sister: State Authority Over Public Edifices, Not Sacred Ones
By James T. Majewski ( bio - articles - email ) | Aug 19, 2021 | In Catholic Culture Audiobooks (Podcast)
Listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
Episodes in this podcast beyond the most recent 15 are limited to Catholic Culture subscribers only. Log in or subscribe now (free) to get all the episodes!
This is a listener-supported podcast! Thanks for your help!
“We beg, O Augustus, we do not battle. We are not afraid, but we are begging. It befits Christians to hope for the tranquility of peace and not to check the steadfastness of faith and truth when faced with danger of death.”
Alongside Gregory the Great, Augustine of Hippo, and Jerome, Ambrose of Milan has long been considered one of the four great Doctors of the Church. In particular, Ambrose is perhaps best known for having set the model for the Church’s relationship to the state. He’s famous for having said, “The emperor is within the Church, not above the Church.”
In this letter to his sister, St. Ambrose relates events at Milan connected with the demand of the Empress Justina for a basilica for the Arians, and how the people rose up in opposition. It includes sketches of two addresses he gave: the first, comparing their trials to those of Job; and the second, adapting the story of Jonah to the present circumstances, and relating the joy of the people at recovering their church.
Throughout, Ambrose makes clear the limits of the emperor’s authority: “You have been given authority over public edifices, not over sacred ones.”
Links
Way of the Fathers, Ep. 33—Ambrose of Milan, How the Church Regards the State: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/33ambrose-milan-how-church-regards-state/
Letters, by St. Ambrose: https://verbum.com/product/120426/saint-ambrose-letters
Letter to His Sister full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2073
Follow this link to join the Online Great Books VIP waiting list and get 25% off your first 3 months: https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/
Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes.
Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio
Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.
James T. Majewski is Director of Customer Relations for CatholicCulture.org, the host and “voice” of Catholic Culture Audiobooks, and co-host of Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. A film and voice actor based in New York City, he holds a BA in Philosophy and an MFA in Acting. See full bio.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
