The Presbyters Project

XXVIIII (Maur. 43)

Ambrosius Orontiano.

1. Moveri te insinuasti mihi lecto ΕΞΑΗΜΕΡΩ quod ipse scripsi, quia cum tantum divinae scripturae serie vel stilo sermonis mei conlatum adverteres homini, quantum nulli in hac terra animantium, prius omnia vel volatilia vel terrestria vel quae in aquis sunt produxerit terra vel aqua, quam homo, propter quem illa creata sunt, generaretur, eiusque rei rationem de me requirere, quam et Moyses siluerit et ego non auserim adtingere.

In what follows, Ambrose continues his theological and exegetical commentary.

20. [...] Vale, fili, et nos dilige, quia nos te diligimus.

(ed. Faller 1968: 195-207)

XXVIIII (Maur. 43)

Ambrose to Orontianus.

1. After reading the Hexaemeron which I wrote, you told me that you were disturbed in the course of the sacred narrative and in my discussion of it because more was bestowed upon man than upon any living creature on earth, yet the earth and water produced all those things that fly or are on land or in water before man was produced for whose sake everything was made. You are asking me the reason for this: Moses was silent and I dared not touch on it.

In what follows, Ambrose continues his theological and exegetical commentary.

20. [...] Farewell, son, and love us, because we love you.

(trans. Beyenka 1954: 254-; in the translation Letter 49)

Discussion:

The present letter, as can be inferred from its first sentence, was written after the Hexaemeron of Ambrose. The composition of this work is variously dated. Scholars proposed dates from 386 to 396, for a summary of the discussion see Gosserez 2012. Gosserez himself opts for a later date, even 396.

For Orontianus' ecclesiastical status see discussion in [1874].

Place of event:

Region

Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia

City

Milan

About the source:

Author: Ambrose of Milan
Title: Letters, Epistulae
Origin: Milan (Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Ambrose was a bishop of Milan from 374 until his death in 397. We have a collection of his letters organized in three parts. The first one consists of 77 letters organized in ten books most probably by Ambrose himself. He published his letters at some point after the death of Theodosius in 395. From this collection, Book 4 is missing, as are some letters of Books 2 and 4. The second part is the group of letters that survived outside the collection (extra collectionem), and the third is a group of letters concerning the council of Aquileia in 381 (together with the acts of this council). For a detailed discussion on the letters and further reading see Liebeschuetz 2010: 27–48 and Nauroy 2016: 146–160.

Edition:

O. Faller ed., Epistulae et acta, epistularum libri I-VI, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Lationorum 82/1, Wien 1968

Translation:

Saint Ambrose, Letters, trans. M. M. Beyenka, Washington D.C. 1954

Bibliography:

L. Gosserez, "La date de l’Exameron d’après les lettres d’Ambroise de Milan”, [in :] La correspondance d’Ambroise de Milan, ed. A. Canellis, Saint-Étienne 2012, 307–325.

J.H.W.G. Liebeschuetz, Ambrose of Milan: political letters and speeches, Liverpool 2010.

J.-P. Mazières, "Les lettres d’Ambroise de Milan à Irenaeus.”, Pallas. Revue d’études antiques 26 (1973), 103–114.

G. Nauroy, "The Letter Collection of Ambrose of Milan", [in:] Late Antique Letter Collections: A Critical Introduction and Reference Guide, ed. C. Sogno, B.K. Storin, E.J. Watts, Oakland, CA 2016, 146–160.

G. Nauroy, "Édition et organisation du recueil des lettres d’Ambroise de Milan: une architecture cachée ou altérée?", in: La correspondance d'Ambroise de Milan, textes réunis et préparés par A. Canellis, Saint-Étienne 2012, 19-61.

J.-R. Palanque, "Deux correspondants de saint Ambroise: Orontien et Irénée”, Revue des Études Latines 11 (1933), 153–163.

A. Paredi, S. Ambrogio e la sua età, Milano 1960.

Categories:

Writing activity - Correspondence

PR851.

Reverenced by

PR851.

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

PR851.

Education - Theological interest

PR851.

Devotion - Reading the Bible and devotional literature

PR851.

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1908, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1908