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| Intrepid Bearing of St. Ambrose in the Presence of the Emperor Theodosius. Massacre at Thessalonica. Narrative of the other Righteous Deeds of this Saint.
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Chapter XXV.—Intrepid
Bearing of St. Ambrose in the Presence of the Emperor Theodosius.
Massacre at Thessalonica. Narrative of the other Righteous Deeds of
this Saint.
After the death of Eugenius,
the emperor went to Milan, and repaired towards the church to pray
within its walls.1566
| 1566An independent chapter. Cf. Theodoret, H. E.
v. 17, 18; Ruf. H. E. ii. 18; Ambrose, Epp. Cl. i.
51.
|
When he drew near the gates of the edifice, he was met by Ambrose,
the bishop of the city, who took
hold of him by his purple robe, and said to him, in the presence of the
multitude, “Stand back! a man defiled by sin, and with hands
imbrued in blood unjustly shed, is not worthy, without repentance, to
enter within these sacred precincts, or partake of the holy
mysteries.” The emperor, struck with admiration at the boldness
of the bishop, began to reflect on his own conduct, and, with much
contrition, retraced his steps. The occasion of the sin was as follows.
When Buthericus was general of the troops in Illyria, a charioteer saw
him shamefully exposed at a tavern, and attempted an outrage; he was
apprehended and put in custody. Some time after, some magnificent races
were to be held at the hippodrome, and the populace of Thessalonica
demanded the release of the prisoner, considering him necessary to the
celebration of the contest. As their request was not attended to, they
rose up in sedition and finally slew Buthericus. On hearing of this
deed, the wrath of the emperor was excited immediately, and he
commanded that a certain number of the citizens should be put to death.
The city was filled with the blood of many unjustly shed; for
strangers, who had but just arrived there on their journey to other
lands, were sacrificed with the others. There were many cases of
suffering well worthy of commiseration, of which the following is an
instance. A merchant offered himself to be slain as a substitute for
his two sons who had both been selected as victims, and promised the
soldiers to give them all the gold he possessed, on condition of their
effecting the exchange. They could not but compassionate his
misfortune, and consented to take him as a substitute for one of his
sons, but declared that they did not dare to let off both the young
men, as that would render the appointed number of the slain incomplete.
The father gazed on his sons, groaning and weeping; he could not save
either from death, but he continued hesitating until they had been put
to death, being overcome by an equal love for each. I have also been
informed, that a faithful slave voluntarily offered to die instead of
his master, who was being led to the place of execution. It appears
that it was for these and other acts of cruelty that Ambrose rebuked
the emperor, forbade him to enter the church, and excommunicated him.
Theodosius publicly confessed his sin in the church, and during the
time set apart for penance, refrained from wearing his imperial
ornaments, according to the usage of mourners. He also enacted a law1567
prohibiting the officers entrusted with the execution of the imperial
mandates, from inflicting the punishment of death till thirty days
after the mandate had been issued, in order that the wrath of the
emperor might have time to be appeased, and that room might be made for
the exercise of mercy and repentance.
Ambrose, no doubt, performed many other actions worthy
of his priestly office, which are known, as is likely, only to the
inhabitants of the country. Among the illustrious deeds that are
attributed to him, I have been made acquainted with the following. It
was the custom of the emperor to take a seat in assemblies of the
church within the palisades of the altar, so that he sat apart from the
rest of the people. Ambrose, considering that this custom had
originated either from subserviency or from want of discipline, caused
the emperor to be seated without the trellis work of the altar, so that
he sat in front of the people, and behind the priests. The emperor
Theodosius approved of this best tradition, as did likewise his
successors; and we are told that it has been ever since scrupulously
observed.
I think it necessary to make a record of another action
worthy of mention performed by this bishop. A pagan of distinction
insulted Gratian, affirming that he was unworthy of his father; and he
was in consequence condemned to death. As he was being led out to
execution, Ambrose went to the palace to implore a pardon. Gratian was
then engaged in witnessing a private exhibition of the hunt, such as
the emperors were wont to celebrate for their private pleasure, and not
for the public pastime. On finding this to be the case, the bishop went
to the gate where they led in the beasts; he hid himself, and entered
with the hunters who took charge of the animals, and did not intermit,
although Gratian and his attendants resisted, till he had obtained an
immediate and saving consent of the emperor, which released the man who
was to be led out to death. Ambrose was very diligent in the observance
of the laws of the Church, and in maintaining discipline among his
clergy. I have selected the above two incidents from among the records
of his numerous magnanimous deeds, in order to show with what
intrepidity he addressed those in power when the service of God was in
question. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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