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Life of St Ambrose
Paulinus the Deacon, tr. Kaniecka, 1928
He is Elected Bishop of Milan, Not Without the Will of God. He Tries to Evade But in…
At the same time, Auxentius being dead, a bishop of the Arian heresy, who, after Dionysius the confessor of blessed memory had been sent into exile, held possession of the Church, Ambrose, since the people in seeking a bishop were rising to revolt and it was his care to quell sedition lest the people of the city should be turned to do harm to themselves, proceeded to the church; and there while he was addressing the populace, the voice of a child is said to have suddenly cried out among the people: “Ambrose Bishop.” At the sound of this voice the mouths of all the people were changed, all crying: “Ambrose Bishop.” Thus those who disagreed most violently before, because both the Arians and the Catholics wished the other party to be defeated and a bishop of their own to be appointed, suddenly insisted on this one man with miraculous and incredible harmony.
When he noticed this, leaving the church, he had a tribunal prepared for himself,—naturally about to become a bishop he mounted higher things; then contrary to his custom he ordered tortures to be applied to certain persons. Although he was doing this, the people nevertheless kept shouting: “Your sin be upon us.” But those people then shouted not in a manner like that of the Jews; for the latter by their words shed the blood of the Lord, saying: “His blood be upon us”; but the former knowing that he was a catechumen, with the voice of faith assured him the forgiveness of all sins through the grace of baptism. Then returning home disturbed he wished to declare himself a philosopher; but he was to be a true philosopher of Christ, because despising worldly pomp he was about to follow the footsteps of the Fishermen, who united the people to Christ not by the ornaments of expression but by artless speech and by the doctrine of the true faith; being sent without wallet, without staff, they converted even the philosophers themselves. When he was prevented from doing this, he had common women come publicly to him for this purpose only—that when they were seen, the purpose of the people might be changed. But the people kept shouting more and more: “Your sin be upon us.”
But when he saw that he could not carry out his resolution he prepared himself for flight, leaving the city at midnight. Since he intended to proceed to Ticinum, in the morning he was found at the gate of the city of Milan which is called Roman; for God, Who was preparing a bulwark for His Catholic Church against its enemies and erecting a tower of David against the face of Damascus, that is, the faithlessness of the heretics, prevented his flight. After he was found and while he was being guarded by the people a relation was sent to the most kind emperor then Valentinian, who heard with the greatest joy that the judges sent out by him were sought for the episcopacy. Probus the Prefect also rejoiced because his word was being fulfilled in Ambrose; for he had said to him when he was giving him his commission on setting out—as is the custom—“Go, act not as judge but as bishop.”
And so while the relation was pending he again prepared for flight and hid himself for some time on the estate of a certain Honorable Leontius. But when the answer was made to the relation he was betrayed by the same Leontius; for the lieutenant of the Praetorian Prefect had received orders that he should insist on carrying out the matter, and since he wished to fulfill what had been enjoined upon him, having published an edict he warned all, saying that if they wished to look to themselves and their welfare, they should give up the man. And so when being handed over and brought to Milan he recognized the will of God toward him, and that he could not resist longer, he demanded that he should not be baptized save by a Catholic bishop; for he carefully guarded against the heresy of the Arians. And so on being baptized he is said to have fulfilled all the ecclesiastical offices and on the eighth day was consecrated bishop with the greatest favor and joy of all. Now a few years after his ordination he proceeded to the city of Rome, that is, to his estate and there found in his home with his sister—just as when he had left—the holy virgin of whom we have spoken above and to whom he was accustomed to hold out his hand, his mother having since died. And when she kissed his hand he said to her, smiling: “Behold, as I used to tell you, you are kissing the hand of a bishop.”
At the same time when he was invited to the home of a very noble lady across the Tiber to offer the Holy Sacrifice in her house, a certain woman, caretaker of baths, who lay in bed paralyzed, having heard that a bishop of the Lord was there, had herself carried in a litter to the same house to which he had come on invitation and touched his garments as he prayed and placed his hands upon her. When she kissed them eagerly, her health was restored immediately and she began to walk, so that the words of our Lord which were said to His Apostles were fulfilled: “You shall do even greater things, believing in my name.” Yet just as this miraculous cure was wonderful, so also was it not kept secret; for in this same district many years after, while living in the city, I learned this on the authority of holy men.
But when he had come to Sirmium to consecrate Anemius bishop and there by the power of Justina, the empress at that time, and by a multitude which had been gathered together, was being driven from the church, that there might be no consecration by him but that an Arian bishop might be consecrated by the heretics in that very church; and when he had taken his place on the tribunal, caring nothing for the turmoil which was being stirred up by a woman, one of the Arian girls, more imprudent than the rest, after ascending the tribunal, and seizing the garment of the bishop, since she wished to drag him to a group of women, so that he might be beaten by them and driven from the church, heard these words—as he himself was wont to relate—“Even if I am unworthy of so great an episcopal office, yet it does not become you or your profession to lay hands on any bishop whatsoever; wherefore, you should fear the judgment of God lest something may happen to you.” The event confirmed his words; on the following day he conducted her dead to the grave repaying kindness for insult. And this event threw no little fear in his opponents and brought great peace to the Catholic Church at the consecration of the bishop.