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ER 2270

Ambrosiaster commenting on 1 Timothy 3:12-13 offers explanation of the celibacy required from bishops, presbyters, and deacons based on the ritual purity. He also mentions that there should be two presbyters in every church in the city. The "Commentaries do the Pauline Epistles", written in Rome, the 370s or 380s.

1 Tim 3: 12-13: "Diacones sint unius uxoris viri, filios bene regentes et domos proprias; qui enim bene ministraverint, gradum bonum sibi adquirunt et multam fiduciam in fide, quae est in Christo Iesu."

1. ea, quae minus dixerat de ordinatione diaconii (diaconatus), nunc subiecit ostendens (ostendit) etiam istos unius uxoris viros esse debere, ut hi ad ministerium dei eligantur, qui non sunt egressi constitutum dei. homini enim unam uxorem decrevit deus, cum qua benedicatur; nemo enim cum secunda benedicitur. qui si filios bene gubernaverint et domos suas, id est vernaculos aut domesticos, poterunt digni fieri sacerdotio et fiduciam habere apud deum, ut sciant se posse inpetrare quod postulant, iam de cetero se ab usu feminae cohibentes.

2. veteribus enim idcirco concessum est levitis aut sacerdotibus uxores ad usum habere, quia multum tempus otio vacabant a ministerio aut sacerdotio. multitudo enim sacerdotum erat (erat sacerdotum) et magna copia levitarum et unusquisque certo tempore serviebat divinis cerimoniis secundum institutum David; hic enim viginti et quattuor classes constituit sacerdotum, ut vicibus deservirent; unde Abia octavam classem habuit, cuius vice Zacharias fungebatur sacerdotio, sicut continetur in Paralipomenon, ita ut tempore, quo non illos contingebat deservire altari, domorum suarum agerent curam.

3. adubi autem tempus inminebat deservitionis (ministerii), purificati aliquantis diebus accedebant ad templum offerre deo. nunc autem septem diaconos esse oportet, aliquantos presbyteros, ut bini sint per ecclesias et unus in civitate episcopus. ac per hoc omnes a conventu feminae abstinere debere, quia necesse est eos quotidie praesto esse in ecclesia nec habere dilationem, ut post conventum legitime purificentur sicut veteres.

4. omni enim hebdomada offerrendum est, etiam si non quotidie, peregrinis in locis tamen vel bis in hebdomada; et {de non sunt, qui prope quotidie baptizentur aegri. nam} veteribus ideo concessum est, quia multo tempore in templo non videbantur, sed erant privati. si enim plebeis hominibus orationis causa ad tempus abstinere se praecipit, ut vacent orationi, quanto magis levitis aut sacerdotibus, quos die noctu que pro plebe sibi conmissa oportet orare! {mundiores ergo esse debent ceteris, quia actores dei sunt}.

(ed. Vogels 1969: 267)

1 Tim 3: 12-13: "Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."

1. These things, which he had not [yet] said about the ordination of deacons, now he completes showing that also they should be "husbands of one wife", so that only those persons be elected to the ministry of God who have not departed from the precept of God. Because God decreed that a man should have only one wife with whom he may be blessed; no one is blessed with the second. If they governs well their children and households, that is their domestic servants, they can become worthy of the priesthood and have trust in God so that they know that they are able to achieve themselves what they ask others to do, among others already holding back from sleep with women.

2. The Levites and priests of the Old Testament were allowed to sleep with their wives because there were long periods when they did not perform ministerial or priestly duties. There were plenty of priests and even more Levites, and each of them at a given time celebrated the divine ceremonies according to David's constitution. He established twenty four classes of priests so that they could serve in turns. Therefore, Abias was of the eighth class and he performed priestly duties interchangeably with Zacharias, as it is said in Paralipomenon; in the times when they were not obliged to serve at the altar, they took care of their households.

3. When the time of service was approaching, they first purify themselves for several days, and only then they went to the temple to make offerings to God. Now there should be seven deacons, so many presbyters that there are two in every church, and one bishop for the city. And all of them should abstain from sexual relations with women because it is necessary that they are in church every day, and they do not have time to purify themselves after intercourse according to the Law as the priests of the Old Testament did.

4. The sacrifice has to be offered every week, if not every day, in distant places twice a week {and there are some who almost every day baptize the sick}. In the Old Testament, priests were allowed [to have relations with women] because there were long periods when they were not in the temple but were private persons. If he mandated even common people to abstain temporarily [from sex] for the prayer so that they could fully give themselves to prayer, all the more Levites and priests should do that, who are obliged to pray day and night for the people entrusted to them! {these who are acting on God's behalf should be more chaste than others}.

(trans. M. Szada)

Place of event:

Region

Rome

City

Rome

About the source:

Author: Ambrosiaster
Title: Commentary to the Letters of Paul, Commentaries to the Pauline Epistles, Commentaria in Pauli epistulas
Origin: Rome (Rome)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

"Ambrosiaster" is a name given in the scholarship (probably since the 17th-century edition of the Maurines) to the author of the Commentaries to the Letters of Paul which where attributed to Bishop Ambrose of Milan throughout the Middle Ages. Some proposed to identify Ambrosiaster with one of the known authors but none of these identifications is supported by compelling evidence. From the remarks scattered in the Commentaries we can deduce that he lived in Rome during the pontificate of Pope Damasus (366-384). As he sometimes speaks disapprovingly about the Roman deacons, it is possible that he was himself a presbyter (Hunter 2017). The Commentaries follow a Latin translation of the Pauline epistles common in Italy before the Vulgate revision. The Commentaries survived in several recensions. Their editor Vogels distinguishes three recensions in the commentary to the Romans, alpha, beta and gamma, and two recensions, alpha and gamma, for the remaining letters. The text given here takes into account both revisions.

Also the Quaestiones Veteris and Novi Testamenti, transmitted under the name of Augustine, are now unanimously attributed to Ambrosiaster.

Edition:

H.I. Vogels ed., Ambrosiaster, Commentarius in xiii Epistulas Paulinas, Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Lationorum 81, Wien 1966–9

Bibliography:

D.G. Hunter, "The Significance of Ambrosiaster," Journal of Early Christian Studies 17 (2009), 1-26

D.G. Hunter, "Rivalry between Presbyters and Deacons in the Roman Church: Three Notes on Ambrosiaster, Jerome, and The Boasting of the Roman Deacons," Vigiliae Christianae 71 (2017), 495–510

S. Lunn-Rockliffe, Ambrosiaster's Political Theology, Oxford 2007

A. Merkt, "Wer war der Ambrosiaster?" Wissenschaft und Weisheit 59 (1996) 19-33

A. Polliastri, "Ambrosiaster", in: Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity, ed. A. Di Berardino, Downers Grove 2013

Categories:

Family life - Marriage

Family life - More than one marriage

Family life - Offspring

Sexual life - Sexual abstinence

Described by a title - Sacerdos/ἱερεύς

Specific number of presbyters from the same church

Ritual activity - Baptism and instructing catechumens

Ritual activity - Eucharist

Ritual activity - Presiding at prayer

Relation with - Wife

Relation with - Slave/Servant

Relation with - Woman

Described by a title - Minister/λειτουργός/ὑπηρέτης

Intercession

Theoretical considerations - On priesthood

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER2270, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=2270