Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/701

Rh AMBROSE 663 superstitions. Upon the accession of Valentinian II., many of the senators who remained attached to the pagan idolatry made a vigorous effort to restore the worship of the heathen deities. Symmachus, a very opulent man and a great orator, who was at that time prefect of the city, was intrusted with the management of the pagan cause, and drew up a forcible petition, praying for the restoration of the altar of Victory to its ancient station in the hall of the senate, the proper support of seven vestal virgins, and the regular observance of the other pagan ceremonies. In the petition he argued that this form of religion had long been profitable to the Roman state, and reminded the emperor how much Rome had been indebted to Victory, and that it had been the uniform custom of the senators to swear fidelity to the government upon that altar. He likewise adduced many facts to prove the advantages accruing to the state from its ancient religious institutions, and pleaded that, as it was one divinity that all men worshipped under different forms, ancient practice should not be rashly laid aside. He even proceeded so far as to assert the justice of increasing the public revenue by robbing the church, and attributed the late famine which had overtaken the empire to the neglect of the ancient worship. To this petition Ambrose replied in a letter to Valentinian, arguing that the devoted worshippers of idols had often been forsaken by their deities ; that the native valour of the Roman soldiers had gained their victories, and not the pretended influence of pagan priests ; that these idolatrous worshippers requested for themselves what they refused to Christians; that voluntary was more honourable than constrained virginity ; that as the Christian ministers declined to receive temporal emoluments, they should also be denied to pagan priests ; that it was absurd to suppose that God would inflict a famine upon the empire for neglecting to support a religious system con trary to His will as revealed in the Scriptures ; that the whole process of nature encouraged innovations, and that all nations had permitted them, even in religion ; that heathen sacrifices were offensive to Christians; and that it was the duty of a Christian prince to suppress pagan ceremonies. In the epistles of Symmachus and of Ambrose both the petition and the reply are preserved, in which sophistry, superstition, sound sense, and solid argument are strangely blended. It is scarcely necessary to add that the petition was unsuccessful. The increasing strength of the Arians proved too formidable for Ambrose. In 384 the young emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity professing the Arian faith, requested from the bishop the use of two churches, one in the city, the other in the suburbs of Milan. The prelate believing the bishops to be the guardians both of the temporal and spiritual interests of the church, and regarding the religious edifices as the unquestionable property of the church, positively refused to deliver up the temples of the Lord into the impious hands of heretics. Filled with indig nation, Justina resolved to employ the imperial authority of her son in procuring by force what she could not obtain by persuasion. Ambrose was required to answer for his conduct before the council. He went, attended by a numerous crowd of people, whose impetuous zeal so over awed the ministers of Valentinian that he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the Basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian church in the suburbs. As he still continued obstinate, the court proceeded to violent measures : the officers of the household were com manded to prepare the Basilica and the Portian churches to celebrate divine service upon the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter. Perceiving the growing strength of the prelate s interest, the court deemed it prudent to restrict its demand to the use of ono of the churches. But all entreaties proved in vain, and drew forth the following characteristic declaration from the bishop : &quot; If you demand my person, I am ready to submit : carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist ; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me ; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage ; but God alone can appease it.&quot; Many circumstances in the history of Ambrose are strongly characteristic of the general spirit of the times. The chief causes of his victory over his opponents were his great popularity and the superstitious reverence paid to the episcopal character at that period. But it must also be noted that he used several indirect means to obtain and support his authority with the people. He was liberal to the poor ; it was his custom to comment severely in his preaching on the public characters of his times ; and he introduced popular reforms in the order and manner of public worship. It is alleged, too, that at a time when the influence of Ambrose required vigorous support, he was admonished in a dream to search for, and found under the pavement of the church, the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius. The vulgar crowded to behold these venerable relics, and, according to report, a number of sick persons were healed by touching the bones. Ambrose exulted in these miracles, and appealed to them in his eloquent sermons ; while the court derided and called in question their existence. It is remarkable that these and many other miracles obtained current credit among the Christian historians of the second, third, and fourth centuries; and Dr Cave, in speaking of them, says &quot; I make no doubt but God suffered them to be wrought at this time on purpose to confront the Arian impieties.&quot; Although the court was displeased with the religious principles and conduct of Ambrose, it respected his great political talents ; and when necessity required, his aid was solicited and generously granted. When Maximus usurped the supreme power in Gaul, and was meditating a descent upon Italy, Valentiuian sent Ambrose to dissuade him from the undertaking ; and the embassy was successful. On a second attempt of the same kind Ambrose was again employed ; and although he was unsuccessful, it cannot be doubted that, if his advice had been followed, the schemes of the usurper would have proved abortive ; but the enemy was permitted to enter Italy, and Milan was taken.. Justina and her son fled ; but Ambrose remained at his post, and did good service to many of the sufferers by causing the plate of the church to be melted for their relief. Theodosius, the emperor of the East, espoused the cause of Justina, and regained the kingdom. In the year 390 a tumult happened at Thessalonica, in. which Botheric, one of the imperial officers, was slain. Theodosius was so enraged at this that he issued a royal mandate for the promiscuous massacre of the inhabitants of the place, and about 7000 persons were butchered without distinction or mercy. The deed called forth a severe rebuke from Ambrose, who charged the emperor not to approach the holy communion with his hands stained with innocent blood. The emperor reminded him that David had been guilty of murder and of adultery. The bishop replied, &quot; You have imitated David in his guilt ; go and imitate him in his repentance.&quot; The prince obeyed, and after a course of eight months penance he was absolved, on condition that in future an interval of thirty days should intervene before any sentence of death or con fiscation was executed. The generosity of Ambrose was favourably exhibited in