 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
however, was the war within the church against heresy, in particular, against ARIANISM. In 381, at the
Council of Aquileia, he had the Arian bishops removed. He then wrote his two major works, On Faith
and On the Holy Spirit, both of which attacked Arianism by defending the creed and the orthodox notions
established in the Nicene system.
Temporally, Ambrose was a figure of tremendous power, epitomizing the degree to which the church had
come to hold sway over the Empire. In Milan, which many emperors used as a court, the bishop served
officially as the imperial chaplain but unofficially as the advisor. Because of his following, he posed a
threat to Valentinian I, Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius. He put to use the legal and bureaucratic
system of the Empire, not for himself but for the church and its policies. Through his influence paganism
was violently opposed. A synagogue in Callinicum was burned to the ground, and when the Empress
Justina proposed that a church be given to the Arians, Ambrose and his followers took possession of it,
refusing to yield until the empress retreated.
His greatest achievement came in 382, when he convinced Gratian to remove from the Senate the Altar of
Victory and then opposed the attempts of the influential Senator Symmachus to have it returned. In 390,
when the Emperor Theodosius, angered by unrest in Thessalonica, massacred 7,000 people,
Ambrose, as the bishop of Milan, railed against him. The emperor was forced to beg for forgiveness.
Ambrose is ranked with Augustine, his greatest student, Gregory and Jerome as one of the most
important fathers of the Christian Church. See also CHRISTIANITY.
¤ AMICI PRINCIPIS The Roman concept of the "friends of the ruler," which was one of the
foundations for the growth in power of the PREFECT OF THE PRAETORIAN GUARD into the 3rd
century. In choosing the prefect (the commander of the bodyguard and, ostensibly, the most direct threat to
his person), the emperor invariably chose someone he could trust and on whom he could rely. Very often
the person given the post was a reflection of the princeps. Great emperors such as Hadrian and Constantine
were served by remarkable and able officials, such as Marcius Turbo and Asclepiodotus, respectively.
Emperors like Nero or the aged Tiberius allowed venal officers to rise to power, men such as Tigellinus
(Nero's choice) and Sejanus (serving Tiberius).
The concept extended the power of the Praetorian prefecture in ways that went beyond mere affiliation
with the emperor. For example, it was a common practice for a ruler to hand to his most trusted servant
any tasks that were too vast, too time consuming or too illegal for personal completion. In this way the
prefects, by the 3rd century, were controllers of the imperial finances, administration and taxation, all
under the guise of being the emperor's "friend."