Christian Grace and Pagan Virtue: The Theological Foundation of Ambrose's EthicsAmbrose of Milan (340-397) was the first Christian bishop to write a systematic account of Christian ethics, in the treatise De Officiis, variously translated as "on duties" or "on responsibilities." But Ambrose also dealt with the moral life in other works, notably his sermons on the patriarchs and his addresses to catechumens and newly baptized. There is a vast modern literature on Ambrose, but only in recent decades has he begun to be taken seriously as a thinker, not just as a working bishop and ecclesiastical politician. Because Ambrose was one of the few Latin Christian writers in antiquity who knew Greek, another major area of Ambrose scholarship has been the study of his sources, notably the Jewish philosopher Philo, and Christian writers such as Origen of Alexandria. In this book, Warren Smith examines the neglected biblical, liturgical and theological foundations of Ambrose's thought on ethics. Earlier studies have found little that was distinctively Christian in Ambrose's image of the virtuous person. Smith shows that though, like the pagans, Ambrose emphasized moderation, courage, justice, and prudence, for him these characteristics were shaped by the church's beliefs about God's salvific economy. The courage of a Christian facing persecution, for example, was an expression of faith in Christ's resurrection and the church's eschatological hope. Eschatology, for Ambrose, was not pagan wisdom clothed in pious language, but the very logic upon which virtue rests. |
Contents
The Ritual Context for Ambroses Soteriology | 3 |
The Loss of Harmonic Unity Ambroses Account of the Fallen Human Condition | 9 |
Raised to New Life Ambroses Theology of Baptism | 67 |
Epilogue | 223 |
Notes | 225 |
Bibliography | 287 |
309 | |
313 | |
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Christian Grace and Pagan Virtue: The Theological Foundation of Ambrose's Ethics J. Warren Smith No preview available - 2011 |
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Abraham Adam Adam’s Ambrose describes Ambrose explains Ambrose of Milan Ambrose says Ambrose’s account Ambrose’s view anointing appetites Augustine Augustine’s baptism baptized beauty believe bodily body of death body’s bono mortis catechumens Christ Christ’s death Christ’s resurrection Christian Christology Church cleansing concupiscence confession consecration corruption creation creature debt desire devotio divine nature Ennead eschatological eternal excessu fratris Expo faith Father flesh font forgiveness garment gift God’s grace Gregory of Nyssa healing heaven heavenly Hexameron Holy Spirit human nature humanity’s hylomorphic Iacob Ibid immortality impulses Incarnation incarnationis sacramento inner intellect interpretation Isaac Jesus Lord Luke man’s means merit metaphor Milan mind mind’s moral mysteriis nonrational obedience one’s Origen passions Paul Paul’s philosophy pleasure Plotinus pro-Nicene psychē rational soul receive regeneration renewed repentance righteousness sacrament sanctifying Scripture sense sins slave Song of Songs soteriology soul soul and body soul’s theological things tion tism virtue Word worldly