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| Letter XXII: To Marcellina on Finding the Bodies of SS. Gervasius and Protasius.
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Letter XXII.
St. Ambrose in a letter to his sister gives an account
of the finding of the bodies of SS. Gervasius and Protasius, and of his
addresses to the people on that occasion. Preaching from Psalm
xix., he allegorically expounded the “heavens” to represent
the martyrs and apostles, and the “day” he takes to be
their confession. They were humbled by God, and then raised
again. He then gives an account of the state in which their
bodies were found, and of their translation to the basilica. In
another address he speaks of the joy of the Catholics and the malice of
the Arians who denied the miracles that were being wrought, as the Jews
used to do, and points out that their faith is quite different from
that of the martyrs, and that since the devils acknowledge the Trinity,
and they do not, they are worse than the very devils themselves.
To the lady, his sister, dearer
to him than his eyes and life, Ambrose Bishop.
1. As I do not wish anything which takes
place here in your absence to escape the knowledge of your holiness,
you must know that we have found some bodies of holy martyrs. For
after I had dedicated the basilica,3522
| 3522 This was probably
the church now known as Sant Ambrogio, at Milan, where St. Ambrose and
his brother, together with SS. Gervasius and Protasius, now rest.
Of course the church has been rebuilt, though in ancient times.
The church of SS. Nabor and Felix is that now called San Francisco. | many, as
it were, with one mouth began to address me, and said: Consecrate
this as you did the Roman basilica. And I answered:
“Certainly I will if I find any
relics of martyrs.” And at once a
kind of prophetic ardour seemed to enter my heart.
2. Why should I use many words? God
favoured us, for even the clergy were afraid who were bidden to clear
away the earth from the spot before the chancel screen of SS. Felix and
Nabor. I found the fitting signs, and on bringing in some on whom
hands were to be laid,3523
| 3523 This laying
on of hands was not confirmation, but for the exorcising of those
possessed of evil spirits, the energameni. See Dict.
Chr. Ant. s.v. “Exorcism.” | the power of
the holy martyrs became so manifest, that even whilst I was still
silent, one3524
| 3524
[Urna.] But it would seem, though all ms. authority supports this reading, as though una,
“a woman,” must be the true one. For from the context
it would seem plain that one of those brought in was thrown prostrate,
and there is no connection in which an “urn” could be
brought into the narrative. See Fleury, XVIII. 47. | was seized and
thrown prostrate at the holy burial-place. We found two men of
marvellous stature, such as those of ancient days. All the bones
were perfect, and there was much blood. During the whole of those
two days there was an enormous concourse of people. Briefly we
arranged the whole in order, and as evening was now coming on
transferred them to the basilica of Fausta,3525
| 3525 Now SS. Vitalis and
Agricola. |
where watch was kept during the night, and some received the laying on
of hands. On the following day we translated the relics to the
basilica called Ambrosian. During the translation a blind man was
healed.3526
| 3526 This
statement is corroborated by St. Augustine, Conf. IX. 7; De
Civ. Dei. XXII. 8, 2; and Sermo de Diversis, CCLXXVI.
5. | I
addressed the people then as follows:
3. When I considered the immense and unprecedented
numbers of you who are here gathered together, and the gifts of divine
grace which have shone forth in the holy martyrs, I must confess that I
felt myself unequal to this task, and that I could not express in words
what we can scarcely conceive in our minds or take in with our
eyes. But when the course of holy Scripture began to be read, the
Holy Spirit Who spake in the prophets granted me to utter something
worthy of so great a gathering, of your expectations, and of the merits
of the holy martyrs.
4. “The heavens,” it is said,
“declare the glory of God.”3527
When this Psalm is read, it
occurs to one that not so much the material elements as the heavenly
merits seem to offer praise worthy of God. And by the chance of
this day’s lessons it is made clear what “heavens”
declare the glory of God. Look at the holy relics at my right
hand and at my left, see men of heavenly conversation, behold the
trophies of a heavenly mind. These are the heavens which declare
the glory of God, these are His handiwork which the firmament
proclaims. For not worldly enticements, but the grace of the
divine working, raised them to the firmament of the most sacred
Passion, and long before by the testimony of their character and
virtues bore witness of them, that they continued steadfast against the
dangers of this world.
5. Paul was a heaven, when he said:
“Our conversation is in heaven.”3528
James and John were heavens, and
then were called “sons of thunder”;3529
and John, being as it were a heaven, saw
the Word with God.3530
The Lord
Jesus Himself was a heaven of perpetual light, when He was declaring
the glory of God, that glory which no man had seen before. And
therefore He said: “No man hath seen God at any time,
except the only-begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared Him.”3531
If you
seek for the handiwork of God, listen to Job when he says:
“The Spirit of God Who hath made me.”3532
And so strengthened against the
temptations of the devil, he kept his footsteps constantly without
offence. But let us go on to what follows.
6. “Day,” it is said,
“unto day uttereth speech.”3533
Behold the true days, where no
darkness of night intervenes. Behold the days full of life and
eternal brightness, which uttered the word of God, not in speech which
passes away, but in their inmost heart, by constancy in confession, and
perseverance in their witness.
7. Another Psalm which was read says:
“Who is like unto the Lord our God, Who dwelleth on high, and
regardeth lowly things in heaven and in the earth?”3534
The Lord regarded indeed lowly
things when He revealed to His Church the relics of the holy martyrs
lying hidden under the unnoted turf, whose souls were in heaven, their
bodies in the earth: “raising the poor out of the dust, and
lifting the needy from the mire,”3535
and you see how He hath “set them
with the princes of His people.”3536
Whom are we to esteem as the
princes of the people but the holy martyrs? amongst whose number
Protasius and Gervasius long unknown are now enrolled, who have caused
the Church of Milan, barren of martyrs hitherto, now as the mother of
many children, to rejoice in the distinctions and instances of her own
sufferings.
8. Nor
let this seem at variance with the true faith: “Day unto
day uttereth the word;” soul unto soul, life unto life,
resurrection unto resurrection; “and night unto night showeth
knowledge;”3537
that is,
flesh unto flesh, they, that is, whose passion has shown to all the
true knowledge of the faith. Good are these nights, bright
nights, not without stars: “For as star differeth from star
in brightness, so too is the resurrection of the dead.”3538
9. For not without reason do many call this the
resurrection of the martyrs. I do not say whether they have risen
for themselves, for us certainly the martyrs have risen. You
know—nay, you have yourselves seen—that many are cleansed
from evil spirits, that very many also, having touched with their hands
the robe of the saints, are freed from those ailments which oppressed
them; you see that the miracles of old time are renewed, when through
the coming of the Lord Jesus grace was more largely shed forth upon the
earth, and that many bodies are healed as it were by the shadow of the
holy bodies. How many napkins are passed about! how many
garments, laid upon the holy relics and endowed with healing power, are
claimed! All are glad to touch even the outside thread, and
whosoever touches will be made whole.
10. Thanks be to Thee, Lord Jesus, that at
this time Thou hast stirred up for us the spirits of the holy martyrs,
when Thy Church needs greater protection.3539
| 3539 This would
seem to refer to the persecution stirred up by Justina, in order to
gain one of the churches for Arian use. The following
sentence: “Tales ego ambio defensores,” was
inscribed by St. Charles Borromeo on a banner of SS. Gervasius and
Protasius, which he caused to be made and carried in procession through
Milan at the time of the great plague. | Let all know what sort of
champions I desire, who are able to defend, but desire not to
attack. These have I gained for you, O holy people, such as may
help all and injure none. Such defenders do I desire, such are
the soldiers I have, that is, not soldiers of this world, but soldiers
of Christ. I fear no ill-will on account of them, the more
powerful their patronage is the greater safety is there in it.
And I wish for their protection for those very persons who grudge them
to me. Let them come, then, and see my attendants. I do not
deny that I am surrounded by such arms: “Some trust in
chariots, and some in horses, but we will boast in the Name of the Lord
our God.”3540
11. The course of divine Scripture relates
that Elisha, when surrounded by the army of the Syrians, told his
servant, who was afraid, not to fear; “for,” said he,
“they that be for us are more than those against
us;”3541
and in order to
prove this, he prayed that the eyes of Gehazi might be opened, and when
they were opened, he saw that numberless hosts of angels were
present. And we, though we cannot see them, yet feel their
presence. Our eyes were shut, so long as the bodies of the saints
lay hidden. The Lord opened our eyes, and we saw the aids
wherewith we have been often protected. We used not to see them,
but yet we had them. And so, as though the Lord had said to us
when trembling, “See what great martyrs I have given you,”
so we with opened eyes behold the glory of the Lord, which is passed in
the passion of the martyrs, and present in their working. We have
escaped, brethren, no slight lead of shame; we had patrons and knew it
not. We have found this one thing, in which we seem to excel
those who have gone before us. That knowledge of the martyrs,
which they lost, we have regained.
12. The glorious relics are taken out of an
ignoble burying-place, the trophies are displayed under heaven.
The tomb is wet with blood. The marks of the bloody triumph are
present, the relics are found undisturbed in their order, the head
separated from the body. Old men now repeat that they once heard
the names of these martyrs and read their titles. The city which
had carried off the martyrs of other places had lost her own.
Though this be the gift of God, yet I cannot deny the favour which the
Lord Jesus has granted to the time of my priesthood, and since I myself
am not worthy to be a martyr, I have obtained these martyrs for
you.
13. Let these triumphant victims be brought to the
place where Christ is the victim. But He upon the altar, Who
suffered for all; they beneath the altar, who were redeemed by His
Passion. I had destined this place for myself, for it is fitting
that the priest should rest there where he has been wont to offer, but
I yield the right hand portion to the sacred victims; that place was
due to the martyrs. Let us, then, deposit the sacred relics, and
lay them up in a worthy resting-place, and let us celebrate the whole
day with faithful devotion.
14. The people called out and demanded that the
deposition of the martyrs should be postponed until the Lord’s
day, but at length it was agreed that it should take place the
following day. On the following
day again I preached to the people on this
sort.
15. Yesterday I handled the verse,
“Day unto day uttereth speech,”3542
as my ability enabled me; to-day holy
Scripture seems to me not only to have prophesied in former times, but
even at the present. For when I behold your holy celebration
continued day and night, the oracles of the prophet’s song have
declared that these days, yesterday and to-day, are the days of which
it is most opportunely said: “Day unto day uttereth
speech;” and these the nights of which it is most fittingly said
that “Night unto night showeth knowledge.” For what
else but the Word of God have you during these two days uttered with
inmost affection, and have proved yourselves to have the knowledge of
the faith.
16. And they who usually do so have a grudge
against this solemnity of yours; and since because of their envious
disposition they cannot endure this solemnity, they hate the cause of
it, and go so far in their madness as to deny the merits of the
martyrs, whose deeds even the evil spirits confess. But this is
not to be wondered at since such is the faithlessness of unbelievers
that the confession of the devil is often more easy to endure.
For the devil said: “Jesus, Son of the living God, why art
Thou come to torment us before the time?”3543
And the Jews hearing this, even
themselves denied Him to be the Son of God. And at this time you
have heard the devils crying out, and confessing to the martyrs that
they cannot bear their sufferings, and saying, “Why are ye come
to torment us so severely?” And the Arians say:
“These are not martyrs, and they cannot torment the devil, nor
deliver any one,” while the torments of the devils are proved by
their own words, and the benefits of the martyrs are declared by the
restoring of the healed, and the proof of those that are
loosed.
17. They deny that the blind man received
sight, but he denies not that he is healed. He says: I who
could not see now see. He says: I ceased to be blind, and
proves it by the fact. They deny the benefit, who are unable to
deny the fact.3544
| 3544 The truth of
this miracle, of which, unless it took place, St. Ambrose could not
have spoken in a public address, is also supported by St. Augustine,
who was at this time in Milan, and if not himself on the spot, as he
may well have been, would at least know whether such an event had taken
place. See St. Augustine, De Civ. Dei. XXII. 8, and
specially, Sermo in natali Martyrum Gervasii et
Protasii. | The man
is known: so long as he was well he was employed in the public
service; his name is Severus, a butcher by trade. He had given up
his occupation when this hindrance befel him. He calls for
evidence those persons by whose kindness he was supported; he adduces
those as able to affirm the truth of his visitation whom he had as
witnesses of his blindness. He declares that when he touched the
hem of the robe of the martyrs, wherewith the sacred relics were
covered, his sight was restored.
18. Is not this like that which we read in
the Gospel? For we praise the power of the same Author in each
case, nor does it be a work or a gift, since He confers a gift in His
works, and works in His gift. For that which He gave to others to
be done, this His Name effects in the work of others. So we read
in the Gospel, that the Jews, when they saw the gift of healing in the
blind man, called for the testimony of his parents, and asked:
“How doth your son see?” when he said: “Whereas
I was blind, now I see.”3545
And in
this case the man says, “I was blind and now I see.”
Ask others if you do not believe me; ask strangers if you think his
parents are in collusion with me. The obstinacy of these men is
more hateful than that of the Jews, for the latter, when they doubted,
at least asked his parents; the others enquire in secret and deny in
public, incredulous not as to the work, but as to its
Author.
19. But I ask what it is that they do not
believe; is it whether any one can be aided by the martyrs? This
is the same thing as not to believe Christ, for He Himself said:
“Ye shall do greater things than these.”3546
How? By those martyrs whose
merits have been long efficacious, whose bodies were long since
found? Here I ask, do they bear a grudge against me, or against
the holy martyrs? If against me, are any miracles wrought by me?
by my means or in my name? Why, then, grudge me what is not
mine? If it be against the martyrs (for if they bear no grudge
against me, it can only be against them), they show that the martyrs
were of another faith than that which they believe. For otherwise
they would not have any feeling against their works, did they not judge
that they have not the faith which was in them, that faith established
by the tradition of our forefathers, which the devils themselves cannot
deny, but the Arians do.
21. We have to-day heard those on whom hands were
laid say, that no one can be
saved
unless he believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; that he
is dead and buried who denies the Holy Spirit, and believes not the
almighty power of the Trinity. The devil confesses this, but the
Arians refuse to do so. The devil says: Let him who denies
the Godhead of the Holy Spirit be so tormented as himself was tormented
by the martyrs.
22. I do not accept the devil’s
testimony but his confession. The devil spoke unwillingly, being
compelled and tormented. That which wickedness suppresses,
torture extracts. The devil yields to blows, and the Arians have
not yet learned to yield. How great have been their sufferings,
and yet, like Pharaoh, they are hardened by their calamities! The
devil said, as we find it written: “I know Thee Who Thou
art, Thou art the Son of the living God.”3547
And the Jews said:
“We know not whence He is.”3548
The evil spirits said to-day,
yesterday, and during the night, We know that ye are martyrs. And
the Arians say, We know not, we will not understand, we will not
believe. The evil spirits say to the martyrs, Ye are come to
destroy us. The Arians say, The torments of the devils are not
real but fictitious and made-up tales. I have heard of many
things being made up, but no one has ever been able to feign that he
was an evil spirit. What is the meaning of the torment we see in
those on whom hands are laid? What room is there here for fraud?
what suspicion of pretence?
23. But I will not make use of the voice of
evil spirits in support of the martyrs. Their holy sufferings are
proved by the benefits they confer. These have persons to judge
of them, namely, those who are cleansed, and witnesses, namely, those
who are set free. That voice is better than that of devils, which
the soundness of those utters who came infirm; better is the voice
which blood sends forth, for blood has a loud voice reaching from earth
to heaven. You have read how God said: “Thy
brother’s blood crieth unto Me.”3549
This blood cries by its colour,
the blood cries by the voice of its effects, the blood cries by the
triumph of its passion. We have acceded to your request, and have
postponed till to-day the deposition of the relics which was to have
taken place yesterday.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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