Ambrose of Milan — Commentary on Scripture

Psalms 94:3

We have discussed the prayer of holy Job; now let us approach that prayer that we have found in the psalms. David spoke out in many passages in regard to worldly vanity; he often asserted that the supposed goods of this world were vain, especially in the thirty-eighth psalm, in which he says, “And indeed all things are vanity, every one living. Although a person walks in the image of God, yet he is troubled vainly. He stores up, and he knows not for whom he is gathering these things.” And in another passage he says, “How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners glory?”—because here they have a shadow of glory, but, when they have departed from life, they will not have the benefit of consolation. Still, the same David introduced into the collection Psalm 72 [LXX]. In it he declares, under the title Asaph, that at first he almost fell, being afflicted with great pain. For he saw that sinners were wealthy and rich in this world and enjoyed prosperity and abundance, whereas he, who was just in his heart, was in afflictions and tribulations. He had committed a rather serious off…

We have discussed the prayer of holy Job; now let us approach that prayer that we have found in the psalms. David spoke out in many passages in regard to worldly vanity; he often asserted that the supposed goods of this world were vain, especially in the thirty-eighth psalm, in which he says, “And indeed all things are vanity, every one living. Although a person walks in the image of God, yet he is troubled vainly. He stores up, and he knows not for whom he is gathering these things.” And in another passage he says, “How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners glory?”—because here they have a shadow of glory, but, when they have departed from life, they will not have the benefit of consolation. Still, the same David introduced into the collection Psalm 72 [LXX]. In it he declares, under the title Asaph, that at first he almost fell, being afflicted with great pain. For he saw that sinners were wealthy and rich in this world and enjoyed prosperity and abundance, whereas he, who was just in his heart, was in afflictions and tribulations. He had committed a rather serious offense in the beginning; later he had been corrected and enlightened through the scourges of the Lord and had learned the course of true surrender by the gift of God’s knowledge.

The Prayer of Job and David 4.1.1

Psalms 95:10-11

“See, O people, the grace of Christ about you. Even while you are harassed on earth, you have possessions in heaven. There, then, let your heart be, where your possession is.” This is the rest that is due the just and is denied the unworthy. Wherefore says the Lord, “As I swore in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my rest.” For they who have not known the ways of the Lord shall not enter into the rest of the Lord, but to the individual who has fought the good fight and has finished his course it is said, “Turn to your rest.” It is a blessed rest to pass by the things of the world and to find repose in the celestial fellowship of the mysteries that are above the world. This is the rest toward which the prophet hastened, saying, “Who will give me wings like a dove and I will fly and be at rest?” The holy person knows that his rest is in heaven, and to this rest he says his soul must turn. Therefore his soul was in its rest, to which he says it must return. This is the rest of the great sabbath, in which each of the saints is above the sensible things of the world, devoting himse…

“See, O people, the grace of Christ about you. Even while you are harassed on earth, you have possessions in heaven. There, then, let your heart be, where your possession is.” This is the rest that is due the just and is denied the unworthy. Wherefore says the Lord, “As I swore in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my rest.” For they who have not known the ways of the Lord shall not enter into the rest of the Lord, but to the individual who has fought the good fight and has finished his course it is said, “Turn to your rest.” It is a blessed rest to pass by the things of the world and to find repose in the celestial fellowship of the mysteries that are above the world. This is the rest toward which the prophet hastened, saying, “Who will give me wings like a dove and I will fly and be at rest?” The holy person knows that his rest is in heaven, and to this rest he says his soul must turn. Therefore his soul was in its rest, to which he says it must return. This is the rest of the great sabbath, in which each of the saints is above the sensible things of the world, devoting himself entirely to deep and invisible mystery and cleaving to God. This is that rest of the sabbath on which God rested from all the works of his world.

ON THE DEATH OF THEODOSIUS 29

Psalms 99:5

And the apostles worshiped, and, therefore, they who bore the testimony of the faith received authority of faith. And the angels worshiped God, of whom it is written: “And let all his angels worship him.”But they worship not only his Godhead but also his footstool, as it is written: “And worship his footstool, for it is holy.” Or, if they deny that in Christ the mysteries also of his incarnation are to be worshiped, in which we observe as it were certain express traces of his Godhead and certain ways of the heavenly Word, let them read that even the apostles worshiped him when he rose again in the glory of his flesh.

On the Holy Spirit 3.11.75-76

Psalms 102:25-27

But when a man falls asleep, he does not rise until the heaven is sewn. This seems to indicate that until the heaven is renewed; for there will be a new heaven and a new earth, as it is written. For what is sewn is old: what is old will be changed. Lastly, listen to David saying: In the beginning you founded the earth, O Lord, and the works of your hands are the heavens. They will perish: but you endure, and all will grow old like a garment, and you will change them as a covering, and they will be changed. We can also add this, that what is old is patched; what is new is forced. But from the days of John the Baptist the kingdom of heaven is forced, and those who force it plunder it. Therefore, the Synagogue was accustomed to this in few, the Church forces it in thousands. Or because now the sky seems patched with clouds and fog, with nocturnal darkness and with the diverse and variegated appearance of the rising saffron-colored day, often woven together. But then there will be no more night, and lamps will not need light, nor sunlight; because the Lord will illuminate them, as John s…

But when a man falls asleep, he does not rise until the heaven is sewn. This seems to indicate that until the heaven is renewed; for there will be a new heaven and a new earth, as it is written. For what is sewn is old: what is old will be changed. Lastly, listen to David saying: In the beginning you founded the earth, O Lord, and the works of your hands are the heavens. They will perish: but you endure, and all will grow old like a garment, and you will change them as a covering, and they will be changed. We can also add this, that what is old is patched; what is new is forced. But from the days of John the Baptist the kingdom of heaven is forced, and those who force it plunder it. Therefore, the Synagogue was accustomed to this in few, the Church forces it in thousands. Or because now the sky seems patched with clouds and fog, with nocturnal darkness and with the diverse and variegated appearance of the rising saffron-colored day, often woven together. But then there will be no more night, and lamps will not need light, nor sunlight; because the Lord will illuminate them, as John says. Woe to those who take pillows to destroy the souls of the people. The Holy Spirit poured out upon the prophet lamenting the misfortune of our frailty, which neither had rest in this life nor retained anything in the sudden encounter with death, that humanity would not rise again until the one came who did not patch the new onto the old nor put a new piece of cloth on an old garment; but rather made all things new, as he himself said: Behold, I make all things new. For he is the resurrection, he is the firstborn from the dead, in whom we have indeed received a foretaste of the future resurrection, yet he alone has already risen with eternal resurrection.

Interrogation of Job and David

Psalms 102:25-27

But this opinion of prophecy could not withstand the evidence, which the divine majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ also confirmed in the Gospel. For David said: In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, O Lord, and the works of your hands are the heavens. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, and like clothing you will change them, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end. The Lord approved so much in the Gospel that He said: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Six Days of Creation

Psalms 102:25-27

Heaven is of the world, man above the world; for the former is a portion of the world, the latter is an inhabitant of Paradise, and the possession of Christ. Heaven is thought to be undecaying, yet it passes away; man is deemed to be incorruptible, yet he puts on incorruption; the fashion of the first perishes, the latter rises again as being immortal; yet the hands of the Lord, according to the authority of Scripture, formed them both. For as we read of the heavens, "And the heavens are the work of Thy hands;" so also man says, "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me;" and again, "The heavens declare the glory of God." And as the heaven is resplendent with stars, so are men bright with the light of good works, for their works shine before their Father Which is in heaven. The former is the firmament of heaven which is on high, and the latter firmament is not unlike to it, whereof it is said, "Upon this rock will I build My Church;" the one is the firmament of the elements, the other of virtues, and the last is more excellent; "they sucked honey out of the firm rock," for "the Rock"…

Heaven is of the world, man above the world; for the former is a portion of the world, the latter is an inhabitant of Paradise, and the possession of Christ. Heaven is thought to be undecaying, yet it passes away; man is deemed to be incorruptible, yet he puts on incorruption; the fashion of the first perishes, the latter rises again as being immortal; yet the hands of the Lord, according to the authority of Scripture, formed them both. For as we read of the heavens, "And the heavens are the work of Thy hands;" so also man says, "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me;" and again, "The heavens declare the glory of God." And as the heaven is resplendent with stars, so are men bright with the light of good works, for their works shine before their Father Which is in heaven. The former is the firmament of heaven which is on high, and the latter firmament is not unlike to it, whereof it is said, "Upon this rock will I build My Church;" the one is the firmament of the elements, the other of virtues, and the last is more excellent; "they sucked honey out of the firm rock," for "the Rock" is the flesh "of Christ," which redeemed the heaven and the whole world.

Letter 43

Psalms 103:1-5

However, rightly so, a man has not many, but two feet; for four feet belong to wild animals and beasts, and two to birds. Therefore, a man is like a bird, who seeks lofty things with his sight and flies with a certain stroke of the senses' keenness. And therefore it is said about him: Your youth will be renewed like the eagle's; because he is closer to heavenly things and higher than eagles, who can say: But our conversation is in heaven.

The Six Days of Creation

Psalms 103:1-5

And that the writer was speaking of baptism is evident from the very words in which it is stated that it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were fallen, inasmuch as we are renewed by means of the laver of baptism, whereby we are born again, as Paul says: “For we are buried with him through baptism into death, that, as Christ rose from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we, too, should walk in newness of life.” And in another place: “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new person that is created after God.” And elsewhere again: “Your youth shall be renewed like the eagle,” because the phoenix after death is born again from its ashes, as we being dead in sin are through the sacrament of baptism born again to God and created anew. So, then, here as elsewhere, he teaches one baptism. “One faith,” he says, “one baptism.”

Concerning Repentance 2.2.8

Psalms 103:1-5

But let us speak of death as common to all people. Why should we be afraid of it, when it generally does not harm the soul? For it is written, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Now through death the soul is freed, while it separates itself from the dwelling place of the body and divests itself of the wrappings of disquiet. And so let us too, while we are in the body, following the way of death, raise up our bodies from this fleshly couch and arise from the tomb, as it were. Let us withdraw from the bond of the body and leave all things whatsoever that are of earth, so that when the adversary comes he may find nothing of his in us. Let us strive for the eternal and fly up to the divine on the wings of love and the oars of charity. Let us rise up from here, that is, from the things of the age and those of the world. For the Lord has said, “Arise, let us go from here,” teaching that each one should arise from the earth, raise up his soul that lies on the ground, lift it to the things that are above and call forth his eagle, the eagle of whom it is s…

But let us speak of death as common to all people. Why should we be afraid of it, when it generally does not harm the soul? For it is written, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Now through death the soul is freed, while it separates itself from the dwelling place of the body and divests itself of the wrappings of disquiet. And so let us too, while we are in the body, following the way of death, raise up our bodies from this fleshly couch and arise from the tomb, as it were. Let us withdraw from the bond of the body and leave all things whatsoever that are of earth, so that when the adversary comes he may find nothing of his in us. Let us strive for the eternal and fly up to the divine on the wings of love and the oars of charity. Let us rise up from here, that is, from the things of the age and those of the world. For the Lord has said, “Arise, let us go from here,” teaching that each one should arise from the earth, raise up his soul that lies on the ground, lift it to the things that are above and call forth his eagle, the eagle of whom it is said, “Your youth will be renewed like the eagle’s.”

DEATH AS A GOOD 5:16

Psalms 103:6-14

So do not forget the weak. Remember, Lord, that you have made me weak; remember that you have formed me from dust. How can I stand unless you always strengthen this clay, so that my strength may come forth from your face? When you turn your face away, everything is thrown into turmoil; if you pay attention, woe is me; you have nothing in me to look at, except the stains of sin; it is neither useful to abandon me, nor is it beneficial to behold me; for while we are seen, we offend. However, we can estimate that he does not reject those whom he sees; for he cleanses those whom he beholds. The fire burns before him, which consumes the crime.

Interrogation of Job and David

Psalms 103:15-18

Concerning the resurrection more will be said later; but now let us return to our immediate subject. We have shown that even holy people have, without any consideration for their merits, suffered many difficult things in this world, together with toil and misery. So David, in self-reflection, says, “Remember, Lord, that we are dust; as for [a] man, his days are but as grass”; and in another place, “[A] man is like a breath, his days pass away as a shadow.” For what is more wretched than we, who are sent into this life as it were plundered and naked, with frail bodies, deceitful hearts, weak minds, anxious in regard to cares, slothful as to labor, prone to pleasures.

On the Death of Satyrus 2.29

Psalms 104:18-26

This world is an example of the workings of God, because, while we observe the work, the Worker is brought before us. The arts may be considered in various aspects. There are those that are practical. These relate to the movement of the body or to the sound of the voice. When the movement or the sound has passed away, there is nothing that survives or remains for the spectators or the hearers. Other arts are theoretical. These display the vigor of the mind. There are other arts of such a nature that, even when the processes of operation cease, the handiwork remains visible. As an example of this we have buildings or woven material that, even when the craftsman is silent, still exhibit his skill, so that testimony is presented of the craftsman’s own work. In a similar way, this work is a distinctive mark of divine majesty from which the wisdom of God is made manifest. On beholding this, raising the eyes of his mind at the same time to the things invisible, the psalmist says, “How great are your works, O Lord; you have made all things in wisdom.”

The Six Days of Creation 1:5.17

Psalms 104:18-26

Consider that the sun, the moon and the stars, the lights of the sky which, though they shine with brilliant splendor, are yet creatures, and, whether they rise or fall in their daily performance of duty, they serve the will of the eternal Creator, bringing forth the beauty with which they are clothed and shining by day and by night. How often is the sun covered by clouds or taken from the gaze of the earth when the ray of its light is dispelled in the sky or an eclipse occurs, and as Scripture says: “The moon knows its going down.” It knows when it should shine in full light or weakened light. The stars, which are engaged in service to this world’s advantage, disappear when they are covered by clouds, not willingly, surely, but in hope, because they hope for gratitude for their labor from him who made them subject [to him]. Thus, they persevere for his sake, that is, for his will.

LETTER 51

Psalms 104:27-30

So when the Spirit was moving on the water, the creation was without grace; but after this world being created underwent the operation of the Spirit, it gained all the beauty of that grace wherewith the world is illuminated. And that the grace of the universe cannot abide without the Holy Spirit the prophet declared when he said, “You will take away your Spirit, and they will fail and be turned again into their dust. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be made, and you will renew all the face of the earth.” Not only, then, did he teach that no creature can stand without the Holy Spirit but also that the Spirit is the Creator of the whole creation.

On the Holy Spirit 2.5.33

Psalms 104:27-30

One who has sought God and has found him exists among those good things. For where a person’s heart is, there also is his treasure;43 the Lord is not accustomed to deny his good gift to those who pray. And so, because the Lord is good and especially good to those who await him, let us cling to him and be with him with our whole soul, our whole heart and our whole strength that we may be in his light and see his glory and enjoy the gift of heavenly joy. Accordingly, let us lift up our spirits to that good and be in it and live in it; let us cling to it, for it is above every thought and every reflection and enjoys an everlasting peace and tranquility, and that peace, moreover, is beyond every thought and every understanding. This is the good that enters into all things; in it we all live and on it we all depend;46 moreover, it possesses nothing beyond itself but is of God, for “no one is good but only God.” Therefore, what is good is of God, and what is of God is good. And for that reason it is said, “When you open your hand, all things shall be filled with goodness.” For, through God…

One who has sought God and has found him exists among those good things. For where a person’s heart is, there also is his treasure;43 the Lord is not accustomed to deny his good gift to those who pray. And so, because the Lord is good and especially good to those who await him, let us cling to him and be with him with our whole soul, our whole heart and our whole strength that we may be in his light and see his glory and enjoy the gift of heavenly joy. Accordingly, let us lift up our spirits to that good and be in it and live in it; let us cling to it, for it is above every thought and every reflection and enjoys an everlasting peace and tranquility, and that peace, moreover, is beyond every thought and every understanding. This is the good that enters into all things; in it we all live and on it we all depend;46 moreover, it possesses nothing beyond itself but is of God, for “no one is good but only God.” Therefore, what is good is of God, and what is of God is good. And for that reason it is said, “When you open your hand, all things shall be filled with goodness.” For, through God’s goodness, all good things are deservedly granted to us, and in them there is no admixture of evil. Scripture promised these good things to the faithful when it said, “You shall eat the good things of the land.” That we may obtain the good things, let us be like that good, the good that is without iniquity and without deceit and without severity but is with grace and holiness and purity and benevolence and love and justice. Thus goodness, like a prolific mother, embraces all the virtues.

FLIGHT FROM THE WORLD 6:36

Psalms 105:17-19

Not nature but foolishness makes the slave. Not manumission but learning makes a person free. Esau was born free, but he became a slave; Joseph was sold into slavery, but he was raised to power8 so that he might rule those who had purchased him. Yet he did not slight his obligation to work zealously; he clung to the heights of virtue; he preserved the liberty of innocence, the stronghold of blamelessness. So the psalmist beautifully says, “Joseph had been sold into slavery. They had bound his feet with fetters.” “He had been sold into slavery,” he says; he did not become a slave. They had bound his feet, but not his soul.How is his soul bound when he says, “The iron pierced his soul”? Although the souls of others were pierced with sin (iron is sin, because it pierces within), the soul of blessed Joseph did not lie open to sin but pierced through sin. He was not swayed by the beauty of his mistress’s charms, and so he did not experience the flames of passion, for he was aflame with the greater flame of divine grace. Thus, it is said very aptly of him, “Because the word of the Lord bur…

Not nature but foolishness makes the slave. Not manumission but learning makes a person free. Esau was born free, but he became a slave; Joseph was sold into slavery, but he was raised to power8 so that he might rule those who had purchased him. Yet he did not slight his obligation to work zealously; he clung to the heights of virtue; he preserved the liberty of innocence, the stronghold of blamelessness. So the psalmist beautifully says, “Joseph had been sold into slavery. They had bound his feet with fetters.” “He had been sold into slavery,” he says; he did not become a slave. They had bound his feet, but not his soul.How is his soul bound when he says, “The iron pierced his soul”? Although the souls of others were pierced with sin (iron is sin, because it pierces within), the soul of blessed Joseph did not lie open to sin but pierced through sin. He was not swayed by the beauty of his mistress’s charms, and so he did not experience the flames of passion, for he was aflame with the greater flame of divine grace. Thus, it is said very aptly of him, “Because the word of the Lord burned him,” and with this he quenched the fiery darts of the devil.

Letter 53

Psalms 110:1

If reasoning does not move you, at least let the plain aspect of the judgment move you! Raise your eyes to the Judge, see who it is that is seated, with whom he is seated, and where. Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father. If you cannot perceive this with your eyes, hear the words of the prophet: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit on my right hand.’ ” The Son, therefore, sits at the right hand of the Father. Tell me now, you who hold that the things of God are to be judged as the things of this world are judged, whether you think that he who sits at the right hand is lower? Is it any dishonor to the Father that he sits at the Son’s left hand? The Father honors the Son, and you make it to be an insult! The Father would have this invitation to be a sign of love and esteem, and you would make it an overlord’s command! Christ has risen from the dead and sits at the right hand of God.

Exposition of the Christian Faith 2.12.102

Psalms 110:3-4

We read that the Son is begotten, inasmuch as the Father says, “I brought you forth from the womb before the morning star.” We read of the “firstborn” Son, of the “only-begotten”54—firstborn, because there is none before him; only-begotten, because there is none after him. Again, we read, “Who shall declare his generation?” “Generation,” mark you, not “creation.” What argument can be brought to meet testimonies so great and mighty as these?

Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.14.89

Psalms 110:3-4

Again, immediately before the declaration “the Lord created me,” he says, “I will tell of the things that are from eternity,” and before saying, “he begat,” he said, “In the beginning, before he made the earth, before all hills.” In its extent, the preposition “before” reaches back into the past without end or limit, and so “Before Abraham was, I am,” clearly need not mean “after Adam,” just as “before the morning star” need not mean “after the angels.” But when he said “before,” he intended not that he was included in anyone’s existence but that all things are included in his, for thus it is the custom of holy Scripture to show the eternity of God. Finally, in another passage you may read, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, you are from everlasting to everlasting.”58Before all created things, then, the Son is begotten; within all and for the good of all is he made; begotten of the Father, above the law, brought forth of Mary, under the law.

Exposition of the Christian Faith 3.9.61-62

Psalms 111:10

I think I shall not seem to be taking too much on myself, if, in the midst of my children, I yield to my desire to teach, seeing that the master of humility himself has said, “Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Therein one may observe both the humility and the grace of his reverence for God. For in saying “the fear of the Lord,” which seems to be common to all, he has described the chief mark of reverence for God. As, however, fear itself is the beginning of wisdom and the source of blessedness—for they that fear the Lord are blessed—he has plainly marked himself out as the teacher for instruction in wisdom and the guide to the attainment of blessedness.

On the Duties of the Clergy 1.1