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On the Sacraments

St Ambrose of Milan, tr. Thompson, 1919

Book 1, Why Instruction on the Sacraments Was Deferred. The “opening of the ears.”

The sacraments which you have received are the theme of my discourse. To have given a reasoned account of these earlier would not have been right;¹ for in a Christian man faith is first. Therefore, at Rome² the title of “faithful” is given to those who have been baptized; and also our father Abraham was justified by faith, not by works.³ So you received baptism, you believed. For it is wrong for me to think otherwise; for thou wouldst not have been called to grace, had not Christ thought thee worthy of his grace.

Therefore, what did we do on the Saturday? What but “the opening”?⁴ Which mysteries of “opening” were performed, when the priest⁵ touched thine ears and nostrils. It is this which our Lord Jesus Christ indicates in the Gospel, when a deaf and dumb⁶ man was brought to him, and he touched his ears and his mouth: the ears, because he was deaf; the mouth, because he was dumb: and said, Ephpheta. It is a Hebrew word, which rendered into Latin is adaperire, that is, Be opened. The reason, therefore, that the priest touched thine ears was that thine ears might be opened to the discourse and the address of the priest.

But thou sayest to me, “Why the nostrils?” In that case, because he was dumb, he touched his mouth; that, since he could not speak heavenly mysteries, he might receive utterance from Christ. Also, in that case because it was a man; in our case, because women are baptized, and there is not the same purity in the servant⁷ as in the Lord (for what comparison can there be, when the latter forgives sins, the former has his sins remitted?), therefore, on account of the grace bestowed by his act and office, the bishop touches not the mouth but the nostrils; that thou mayest receive a sweet savour of eternal godliness, and that thou mayest say, For we are a sweet savour of Christ unto God,⁸ as the holy Apostle said; and there may be in thee the full fragrance of faith and devotion.

Notes

Cf. de Myst. i. 2 (note).
The reading “Romae” is found in most MSS. But the obvious difficulty that the name “faithful” was not peculiar to Rome suggests that there may be an error. Three MSS. read recto nomine, and the Roman edition substitutes recte (“rightly”).
A summary of Rom. iv. 2, 3, 9.
Cf. de Myst. i. 3 (note).
The following is the use of the titles of the ministry in this work. “Deacon” is not used; its place is taken by “levite.” The word presbyter is applied to the second order of the ministry. The highest order is denominated alike “bishop” and “priest” (sacerdos). In this chapter it is clear that “bishop” and “priest” are the same person (cf. §3); and it appears that throughout the book the word “priest” is applied only to the bishop. This was the older practice (T.). We find, however, occasionally in earlier times, e.g. in Tertullian, an anticipation of its later application to the presbyter, and this use of the term became generally current in the West towards the close of the fourth century. For the use of terms in de Myst. see note on ii. 6.
Mk. vii. 32 f.
Cf. de Myst. i. 4.
2 Cor. ii. 15.