Ambrose [The Early Church Fathers] [Paperback]

Boniface Ramsey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415118425 | ISBN-13: 978-0415118422 | Publication Date: September 10, 1997 | Edition: 1

St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397, was one of the most important figures of the fourth century Roman empire. This volume explores the enormous impact of Ambrose on Western civilization, and examines the complexity of his ideas and influence; as a poet, ascetic, mystic and politician. Ambrose combines an up-to-date account of his life and work, with translations of key writings. Ramsey's volume presents a comprehensive and accessible insight into a relatively unexplored persona and argues that Ambrose has influenced the Western world in ways as yet unrealized.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The book offers a very good introduction to a very interesting body of work.' - The Expository Times

About the Author

Boniface Ramsey is a Dominican priest and pastor of St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City. He has written numerous articles on patristic themes, and is the author of Beginning to Read the Fathers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (September 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415118425
• ISBN-13: 978-0415118422
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,086,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Peoples Ambrose, April 3, 2005

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Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ambrose [The Early Church Fathers] (Paperback)

In this new Church Fathers series, Boniface Ramsey, a Dominican priest, presents selections from some of St Ambrose's key works, all of which are conveniently rendered into comfortable, contemporary English. To begin, Father Ramsey offers us a finely written fifty-page intro that will acquaint readers with all the essentials of Ambrose's life and times; he also hands us helpful chapter headings for every text available with exhaustive footnotes for further aid; and at last, he furnishes a complete critical catalogue of all St Ambrose's works, listing those reasoned to be genuine, doubtful, or utterly spurious. Of St Ambrose's writings, three of his treatises will be discovered here: (1) On Naboth (2) On Virgins and (3) On the Mysteries. One of his exegetical pamphlets is given, The Prologue to the Commentary on Luke, and four of his outstanding Hymns, are available in both the original Latin and the new English. And finally, the famous Letters Concerning the Altar of Victory are present within this compact edition. Yet on top of this, Father Ramsey places a valuable complement to this selection of works--he adds the very reliable account of the Life of St Ambrose written by Paulinus of Milan, a first-hand source for the time and an acquaintance of both Ambrose and Augustine. Now the overall estimate for Father Ramsey's Ambrose is a good one, since it readily makes a portion of the saint's writings accessible to general readers, namely those less likely to encounter Ambrose in the original Latin or in the older rigorous English translations. His choice of Ambrose's oeuvre, however, could certainly have been broadened a bit. It would have been a mark in the positive direction to have seen excerpts from On the Duties of the Clergy or On the Holy Spirit provided as well. But this might have proved too excessive for Father Ramsey's purpose--to display the many attributes of St Ambrose within a "limited number of pages." So in respect of the writings selected here and in the fashion they are presented, it would be an injustice to deem this book anything less than worthy of honor and good repute. For it should be regarded as priority seek and a privilege to possess. (Other volumes printed concern Irenaeus of Lyons and St Maximus the Confessor. Forthcoming volumes in this Church Fathers series will be on Origen and Gregory of Nyssa.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suitable Introduction to Ambrose, August 2, 2010

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Collin S. Garbarino (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ambrose [The Early Church Fathers] (Paperback)

Boniface Ramsey has produced a useful introduction to Ambrose of Milan. After reading this book, one will have gained a decent understanding of the events of Ambrose's life and will have received a flavor for his writings. Ramsey begins this book with a fifty page introduction to Ambrose, which strikes a good balance--informative yet brief. Ramsey makes the case that we should view Ambrose, who was a very political bishop, through a lens of theological motivation. After this brief biography, Ramsey lists all Ambrose's writings, indicating where the Latin text is published and what English translations are available.

The translations included in this book are ON VIRGINS, ON NABOTH, ON THE MYSTERIES, THE PROLOGUE FROM THE COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE, Ambrose's hymns, and the letters concerning the altar of Victory in the Roman Senate. Honestly, these are not necessarily the works I would have picked for a well-rounded introduction, but this isn't a bad list. ON VIRGINS, the hymns, and the letters about the altar are key works that many people will be interested in. ON THE VIRGINS is an important work for understanding early Christian sexual renunciation. The hymns are some of the earliest Christian hymns we have, and Ramsey is to be thanked for including the Latin text here along with his faithful translation. The letters concerning victory give insight into the relationship between Christianity and lingering paganism of the time. I think Ramsey includes ON NABOTH because it points to the Church's tradition of being concerned with social justice. ON THE MYSTERIES gives interesting details on how baptism was performed in Milan, but Ramsey is quick to point out that baptismal practices were not uniform at this time since Ambrose doesn't conform exactly to current Catholic practices. The prologue on Luke's Gospel provides an example of some of his exegetical work.

This volume concludes with a new translation of Paulinus of Milan's LIFE OF SAINT AMBROSE. Some people will wish to have had more works of Ambrose himself included instead of this work, but I was quite glad that Paulinus's interesting work is easily accessible now. Paulinus was a friend of Ambrose, and Augustine asked Paulinus to write this brief biography. Naturally, the work is hagiographical (and a bit fantastical at points), but it provides the framework for understanding Ambrose's life.

Also, if you're interested in learning more about Ambrose, I'd suggest Neil McLynn's Ambrose of Milan: Church and Court in a Christian Capital (Transformation of the Classical Heritage). McLynn's book is the best book-length biography of Ambrose, but he does admittedly view Ambrose mostly through the lens of his political interactions with the imperial court in Milan.