The New Student's Reference Work/Ambrose, Saint

Ambrose, Saint, one of the most prominent of the bishops of the early Christian church. He was born in Gaul about 340 A. D., and was educated for the profession of law. He was appointed preset of Liguria and Æmilia, and chose Milan as his residence. When the bishop of Milan died in 374, there was a great struggle between the orthodox and the Arian Christians in regard to the succession. Finally, Ambrose was unanimously elected, although he was not a priest. He accepted the office reluctantly, disposed of his property, and at once devoted himself to those studies which would prepare him for his office. His life was one of struggle as he opposed those in Rome, who wished to restore the worship of heathen gods, also the Arian sect which denied the divinity of Christ; and he even went on embassies to the northern tribes, which were planning to attack Italy. When the emperor, Theodosius, ordered the massacre of the Thessalonians in 390, Ambrose compelled him to perform penance for eight months, and exacted the promise that thereafter a period of thirty days should intervene before any sentence of death was executed. Ambrose left a large number of writings whose object was to defend and extend the Christian religion. It was through his preaching that Augustine was converted. He was the author of a kind of singing called the Ambrosian chant. He died in 397.