All Origen's Mentions of "Ambrose"

In this post, we explore the various references to Ambrose in the writings of Origen, showcasing the significant role Ambrose played in Origen's life and work. These references span multiple works and demonstrate the deep respect and affection Origen had for his patron and friend.

1. Against Celsus (Preface 1)

   • Greek: σὺ δ' ὦ φιλόθεε Ἀμβρόσιε, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως πρὸς τὰς Κέλσου κατὰ Χριστιανῶν ἐν συγγράμμασι ψευδομαρτυρίας καὶ τῆς πίστεως τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐν βιβλίῳ κατηγορίας ἐβουλήθης ἡμᾶς ἀπολογήσασθαι, ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἐναργοῦς ἐλέγχου ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ πάντων γραμμάτων κρείττονος λόγου, τοῦ τε τὰς ψευδομαρτυρίας ἀφανίζοντος καὶ ταῖς κατηγορίαις μηδὲ πιθανότητα εἰς τὸ δύνασθαί τι αὐτὰς ἐνδιδόντος.
   • Translation: You, O God-loving Ambrose, I do not know how you desired us to defend against the false testimonies of Celsus against Christians and the accusations against the faith of the churches in his book, as if there was not a clear refutation in the facts and a better argument than all writings, which eliminates the false testimonies and gives no plausibility to the accusations.

2. Commentary on Romans

   • Greek: Ὁ ἱερὸς καὶ θεῷ γνησίως ἀνακείμενος Ἀμβρόσιος πολλὰ προσαγορεύει σε· ὅστις νομίζων με φιλόπονον εἶναι καὶ πάνυ διψᾶν τοῦ θείου λόγου ἤλεγξε τῇ ἰδίᾳ φιλοπονίᾳ καὶ τῷ πρὸς τὰ ἅγια μαθήματα ἔρωτι.
   • Translation: The sacred and genuinely devoted to God, Ambrose, speaks much to you; who, believing me to be diligent and very thirsty for the divine word, admonished with his own diligence and love for holy teachings.

3. Commentary on John (20.1.1)

   • Greek: Εἰκοστὸν ὑπαγορεύοντες εἰς τὸ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγέλιον τόμον, φιλοθεώτατε καὶ φιλομαθέστατε ἐν κυρίῳ Ἀμβρόσιε, εὐχόμεθα ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς ὃν εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι, λαβεῖν νοήματα πλήρη καί, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, ναστὰ καὶ μηδὲν ἔχοντα διάκενον, ἵνα τὸ εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ τὰ ἐξεταζόμενα ἡμῖν ἀποκαλυφθῇ, καὶ μήτε παραλειπόντων τι ἡμῶν τῶν δεόντων ἐξετάζεσθαι καὶ ὑπομνηματικοῖς γράμμασιν πιστεύεσθαι, μήτε ὡς οὐ χρὴ πλεοναζόντων, μήτε παρεκδεχομένων τὸν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ νοῦν.
   • Translation: As we dictate the twentieth volume on the Gospel of John, most God-loving and most learned in the Lord Ambrose, we pray from the fullness of the Son of God, in whom all fullness was pleased to dwell, to receive complete and, so to speak, substantial thoughts, containing nothing empty, so that the gospel may be revealed according to our examination, and that we neither omit anything necessary to be examined and recorded, nor add anything unnecessary, nor distort the mind of our Savior Jesus.

4. Commentary on John (28.1.1)

   • Greek: ἐφ' ὅν, ἱερὲ ἀδελφὲ Ἀμβρόσιε, φθάσαντες τῶν εἰς τὸ κατὰ Ἰωάννην ἐξηγητικῶν (οὗτος γὰρ ἔσται, θεοῦ χαριζομένου, εἰκοστὸς ὄγδοος εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τόμος), ἐπικαλεσάμενοι τὸν τέλειον καὶ τελειότητος χορηγὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ τελείου ἀρχιερέως ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵν' ἡμῶν τὸν νοῦν δῷ εὑρεῖν τὴν περὶ τῶν ἐξετασθησομένων ἀλήθειαν καὶ κατασκευὴν αὐτῶν, καὶ οὕτως ὁδεύσωμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.
   • Translation: Upon this, holy brother Ambrose, as we reach the interpretative works on John (for this, by the grace of God, will be the twenty-eighth volume on the gospel), we call upon the perfect and the giver of perfection God through our perfect high priest Jesus Christ, that He may grant our mind to find the truth about what will be examined and its structure, and so we may proceed further.

5. Commentary on John (32.1.2)

   • Greek: Ἀπὸ θεοῦ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εὐοδούμενοι ἐρχώμεθα τὴν μεγάλην τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ὁδὸν καὶ ζῶσαν ἡμῖν, εἰ καὶ γνωσθείη καὶ ὁδευθείη ὑφ' ἡμῶν, <ὡς> φθάσαι αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος. νῦν μέντοι γε οἱονεὶ δευτέρας καὶ τριακοστῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐν τοῖς λεχθησομένοις ἐπιβῆναι πειρώμεθα· καὶ παρείη γε ἡμῖν ὁ στύλος τῆς φωτεινῆς νεφέλης Ἰησοῦ, προάγων ἡμᾶς ὅτε δεῖ, καὶ ἱστὰς ὅτε χρή, ἕως ὅλον καὶ τῇ ὑπαγορεύσει τῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἱερὲ ἀδελφὲ <καὶ θεοῦ> ἄνθρωπε Ἀμβρόσιε, διεξέλθωμεν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, μὴ ἐκκακοῦντες ἀπὸ τοῦ μακροῦ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας μηδὲ ἀποκάμνοντες διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀσθένειαν, ἀλλ' ἐκβιαζόμενοι κατ' ἴχνη βαίνειν τοῦ στύλου τῆς ἀληθείας.
   • Translation: By God's will through Jesus Christ, we are coming to the great and living way of the gospel for us, if it would be known and traveled by us, to reach its end. Now, however, we attempt to embark on the thirty-second encampment of the things to be said; and may the pillar of the luminous cloud of Jesus be with us, leading us when necessary and standing when required, until we fully and in the dictation of the gospel, holy brother and man of God Ambrose, proceed through the gospel, not discouraged by the length of the journey nor fatigued by our weakness, but striving to walk in the footsteps of the pillar of truth.

6. De Oratione (On Prayer)

   • Greek: Ἀλλ' εἰκὸς, Ἀμβρόσιε θεοσεβέστατε καὶ φιλοπονώτατε καὶ Τατιανὴ κοσμιωτάτη καὶ ἀνδρειοτάτη (ἀφ' ἧς ἐκλελοιπέναι «τὰ γυναικεῖα» ὃν τρόπον ἐκλελοίπει τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ ἤδη εὔχομαι), ὑμᾶς ἀπορεῖν τί δή ποτε, περὶ εὐχῆς προκειμένου ἡμῖν τοῦ λόγου, ταῦτα ἐν προοιμίοις περὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἀνθρώποις δυνατῶν χάριτι θεοῦ γινομένων εἴρηται.
   • Translation: But probably, most God-fearing and industrious Ambrose, and most modest and courageous Tatiana (from whom I pray that "the womanly things" have already departed as they did from Sarah), you are puzzled as to why, when the subject of our discourse is prayer, these things about impossibilities made possible by the grace of God are said in the prefaces.

7. To Africanus (End)

   • Greek: Προσαγορεύει σε ὁ συναγωνισάμενος τῇ ὑπαγορεύσει τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, καὶ παρατυχὼν πάσῃ αὐτῇ, ἐν οἷς βεβούληται διορθωσάμενος, κύριός μου καὶ ἀδελφὸς ἱερὸς Ἀμβρόσιος. Ἀσπάζεται δέ σε καὶ ἡ πιστοτάτη σύμβιος αὐτοῦ Μαρκέλλα ἅμα τοῖς τέκνοις, καὶ Ἀνίκητος. Σὺ τὸν καλὸν ἡμῶν πάπαν Ἀπολλινάριον ἄσπασαι, καὶ τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ἡμᾶς.
   • Translation: The one who labored with me in the dictation of the letter, and who was present for all of it, correcting where necessary, my lord and holy brother Ambrose, greets you. His faithful wife Marcella, together with their children, and Anicetus also greet you. Greet our beloved pope Apollinaris and those who love us.

8. Exhortation to Martyrdom (1)

   • Greek: «Οἱ ἀπογεγαλακτισμένοι ἀπὸ γάλακτος, οἱ ἀπεσπασμένοι ἀπὸ μαστοῦ, θλῖψιν ἐπὶ θλίψει προσδέχου, προσδέχου ἐλπίδα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι, ἔτι μικρὸν ἔτι μικρὸν, διὰ φαυλισμὸν χειλέων, διὰ γλώσσης ἑτέρας.» καὶ ὑμεῖς τοίνυν κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν ὡς οὐκέτι σάρκινοι οὐδὲ «ἐν Χριστῷ» νήπιοι προκόψαντες «ἐν τῇ» νοητῇ ὑμῶν «ἡλικίᾳ», Ἀμβρόσιε θεοσεβέστατε καὶ Πρωτόκτητε εὐσεβέστατε, καὶ μηκέτι «χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος» ἀλλὰ «στερεᾶς τροφῆς», ἀκούετε ὡς «ἀπογεγαλακτισμένοι ἀπὸ γάλακτος» καὶ «ἀπεσπασμένοι ἀπὸ μαστοῦ», τίνα τρόπον ὡς ἀθληταῖς τοῖς ἀπογεγαλακτισμένοις οὐχ ἁπλῆ θλῖψις ἀλλά τις «θλῖψις ἐπὶ θλίψει» προφητεύεται.
   • Translation: "Those weaned from milk, those taken from the breast, expect distress upon distress, expect hope upon hope, still a little, still a little, through the scorn of lips, through a foreign tongue." And you, according to Isaiah, having advanced as no longer fleshly nor "infants in Christ" but having grown in your "intellectual age," most God-fearing Ambrose and most devout Protoktistos, and no longer "needing milk" but "solid food," hear as "those weaned from milk and taken from the breast," how not simple distress but "distress upon distress" is prophesied for athletes like the weaned.

9. Exhortation to Martyrdom (14)

   • Greek: Καὶ ἐπέκεινα οὖν τις προμαρτύρων πλεῖόν τι παρὰ πολλοὺς μάρτυρας ἐχόντων τὸ ἐν Χριστῷ φιλομαθὲς τάχιον ἀναβήσεται. σοὶ δὲ, ἱερὲ Ἀμβρόσιε, ἐνιδόντι ἐξητασμένως εὐαγγελικῇ φωνῇ πάρεστιν ἰδεῖν, ὡς ἄρα τάχα ἢ οὐδεὶς τῶν πώποτε ἢ πάνυ ὀλίγοι χύσεως μακαρισμοῦ ἐπιτεύξονται ἐξαιρέτου τινὸς καὶ πλείονος.
   • Translation: And beyond this, some of the pre-martyrs will rise higher than many of those who have a zeal for learning in Christ. For you, holy Ambrose, who carefully examines the gospel voice, it is present to see, as perhaps either no one ever or very few will attain a special and greater blessing of martyrdom.

Conclusion

These references paint a picture of Ambrose as a deeply respected and influential figure in Origen's life. Ambrose's dedication to the divine word, his encouragement and support, and his role in the dictation and examination of Origen's works underscore his significance in early Christian scholarship. Origen's affectionate and reverent mentions of Ambrose highlight the profound impact Ambrose had on his intellectual and spiritual journey.