Ambrose made his studies in Rome and pleaded cases in the courts with such eloquence that the emperor Valentinian appointed him to govern the province of Liguria-Emilia. After his arrival in Milan, the capital of the province, the bishop of the city died and the populace gathered in the cathedral to choose a new bishop. A noisy disturbance broke out, however, between the Arians and the Catholics over the election, and Ambrose went to the church to quell the commotion. As he entered, a child’s voice was heart, crying “Ambrose the bishop!” All present took up the cry and unanimously acclaimed Ambrose to be their bishop.
Ambrose thereupon tried to frighten the people into changing their minds. He left the church, went straight to the tribunal, and there, contrary to his usual moderate practice, sentenced several persons to be tortured. The populace, undeterred, shouted: “Your sin be upon us!” Deeply troubled, Ambrose went home and tried to pose as a mere teacher of philosophy, but the public would have none of it and called him out again. Then he publicly had women of the street brought to his house, hoping that the people, seeing this, would revoke their decision; but this, too, failed, and the crowds continued to take his sin upon themselves. Then he determined to flee the city by night, but in the morning, when he thought he had reached Pavia, he found himself at the gate of Milan called the Porta Romana. There the people found him and would not let him out of their hands…
Today’s the feast of St Ambrose, 4th Century Bishop of Milan and one of the Four Latin Doctors. Very popular in medieval Norfolk, his figure survives on no fewer than sixteen screens or pulpits, including here at East Ruston, a @TheCCT church: https://t.co/JrsLHif4rg 1/3 pic.twitter.com/iXWQawcrUO
— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) December 7, 2024
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