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"7they were compelled to grope, it was corrected to this point, so that they confessed "7to have been carried away by some other discourse, because they did not understand that it was contrary to the opinion of the fathers 6.23.12 "7approved at Nicaea. For no judgment could be made "7from the number of those assembled at Ariminum, since it is established "7that neither the bishop of the Romans, whose opinion ought to have been awaited before all others, "7nor Vincentius, who for so many years guarded the episcopate without stain, "7nor the others consented to such things, especially since, as "7we have said before, these very ones, who seemed to have yielded through trickery, "7these, adopting a better opinion, testified that these things displeased them. 6.23.13 "7Therefore your Purity perceives that this faith alone, which was established at "7Nicaea according to the authority of the apostles, must be held with perpetual "7firmness, and with us the easterners, who acknowledge themselves to be of the catholic 6.23.14 "7[church], and that the westerners boast. But we believe "7that not long hence those who think otherwise will by this very attempt be separated "7from our communion and that the name of bishop will be taken away from them, "7so that the peoples, being freed from their error, may breathe again. "7For in no way will they be able to correct the error of the crowds, 6.23.15 "7since they themselves are held by error. Therefore let your opinion agree "7with all the priests of God and with your Honor, "7in which we believe you to be firm and steadfast. And that we ought thus to believe with you, "7show by the replies of your love.” 6.24.1 The priests in the west, therefore, thus anticipating those among them who were innovating, diligently guarded the faith handed down to them from the beginning, so that very few heretics arose there, and almost only those around 6.24.2 Auxentius. And not long after this man also was removed by death; and when he died the multitude was in sedition, not choosing the same person to oversee the church of Milan; and the city was in danger. For each side, being unsuccessful, threatened to do what is accustomed to happen in such disturbances. But fearing the commotion of the people, Ambrose, who was then governor of the province, came into the church and advised the crowds to cease from strife, 6.24.3 reminding them of the laws of concord and of the good things that come from peace. And while he had not yet ceased speaking about these things, suddenly everyone, laying aside their anger toward one another, cast their vote for the episcopate upon the very counselor of concord, and urged that he be baptized (for he was still uninitiated) 6.24.4 and they begged him to accept the priesthood. But when he refused and resisted and outright fled from the matter, while the people pressed on and insisted they would not otherwise give up the strife, these things were reported to the authorities in the palace. And upon the report about these things, it is said that Valentinian the emperor prayed and said he gave thanks to God because those whom he himself appointed to rule were being chosen for the priesthood. And learning of the insistence of the people and the refusal of Ambrose, he concluded that God was ordaining these things for the concord of the church in Milan, and ordered him to be ordained as quickly as possible. 6.24.5 And at the same time he was initiated and received the priesthood, he persuaded the church under him to be of one mind concerning divine matters, which for a long time had been wearied by dissension from the leadership of Auxentius. But what sort of man this Ambrose became after his ordination, and how manfully and very divinely he discharged the priesthood, will be told in its proper place in what follows. 6.24.6 But around this time the Novatians in Phrygia, contrary to their former custom, began to celebrate the feast of Passover with the Jews. For Novatus, who was the founder of the heresy, did not admit to communion those who repented of their sins, and this was his only innovation; but similarly to the church of the Romans after the

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"7ψηλαφῆσαι ἠναγκάζοντο, μέχρι τούτου διωρθώθη, ὡς ὁμολογεῖν αὐτοὺς "7ἑτέρᾳ τινὶ διαλέξει ὑφηρπάσθαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνόησαν τῇ τῶν πατέρων γνώμῃ 6.23.12 "7τῇ ἐν Νικαίᾳ ἀρεσάσῃ ἐναντίον εἶναι. οὐδὲ γὰρ πρόκριμά τι ἠδυνήθη "7γενέσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν ἐν ᾿Αριμήνῳ συναχθέντων, ὁπότε συνέστηκε "7μήτε τοῦ ῾Ρωμαίων ἐπισκόπου, οὗ πρὸ πάντων ἔδει τὴν γνώμην ἐκδέξασθαι, "7οὔτε Βικεντίου, ὃς ἐπὶ τοσούτοις ἔτεσι τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἀσπίλως ἐφύλαξεν, "7οὔτε τῶν ἄλλων τοῖς τοιούτοις συγκαταθεμένων, ὁπότε μάλιστα, καθὼς "7προειρήκαμεν, αὐτοὶ οὗτοι, οἵτινες κατὰ συσκευὴν ὑποκλίνεσθαι ἔδοξαν, "7οὗτοι καλλίονι γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι ἀπαρέσκειν αὐτοῖς ταῦτα ἐμαρτύραντο. 6.23.13 "7Συνορᾷ οὖν ἡ ὑμετέρα καθαρότης ταύτην μόνην τὴν πίστιν, ἥτις ἐν "7Νικαίᾳ κατὰ τὴν αὐθεντίαν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐθεμελιώθη, διηνεκεῖ βεβαι"7ότητι καθεκτέον εἶναι, καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν τοὺς ἀνατολικούς, οἵτινες ἑαυτοὺς 6.23.14 "7τῆς καθολικῆς εἶναι ἐπιγιγνώσκουσι, τοὺς δὲ δυτικοὺς καυχᾶσθαι. πι"7στεύομεν δὲ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν τοὺς ἄλλα νοοῦντας αὐτῇ τῇ ἐπιχειρήσει ἀπὸ "7τῆς ἡμετέρας κοινωνίας χωρισθήσεσθαι <καὶ περιαιρεθήσεσθαι> αὐτῶν τὸ "7τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὄνομα, ὥστε τοὺς λαοὺς τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ἐλευθερωθέντας "7ἀναπνεῦσαι. οὐδενὶ γὰρ τρόπῳ διορθοῦσθαι δυνήσονται τὴν πλάνην τῶν 6.23.15 "7ὄχλων, ὁπότε αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τῆς πλάνης κατέχονται. συμφωνείτω τοίνυν "7μετὰ πάντων τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἱερέων καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας τιμιότητος ἡ γνώμη, "7ἐν ᾗ ὑμᾶς παγίους καὶ βεβαίους πιστεύομεν. ὅτι δὲ οὕτως ἡμεῖς μεθ' ὑμῶν "7πιστεύειν ὀφείλομεν, τοῖς ἀμοιβαίοις τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης ἐπιδείξασθε.» 6.24.1 Οἱ μὲν οὖν πρὸς δύσιν ἱερεῖς ὧδε φθάνοντες τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῖς νεωτερίζοντας, ἐπιμελῶς ἐφύλαττον τὴν ἀρχῆθεν παραδοθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς πίστιν, ὡς κομιδῇ ὀλίγους ἐνθάδε ἑτεροδόξους γενέσθαι καὶ σχεδὸν μόνους τοὺς ἀμφὶ 6.24.2 τὸν Αὐξέντιον. οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ καὶ οὗτος θανάτῳ ἐκποδὼν ἐγένετο· τελευτήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐστασίαζε τὸ πλῆθος, οὐ τὸν αὐτὸν αἱρούμενοι τὴν Μεδιολάνου ἐκκλησίαν ἐπισκοπεῖν· καὶ ἡ πόλις ἐκινδύνευεν. ἕκαστοι γὰρ ἀποτυχόντες ἠπείλουν ποιεῖν ἃ φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις ταραχαῖς. δείσας δὲ τὴν τοῦ δήμου κίνησιν ᾿Αμβρόσιος ὁ τότε τοῦ ἔθνους ἡγούμενος, ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συνεβούλευε τοῖς πλήθεσι παύεσθαι τῆς ἔριδος, 6.24.3 νόμων ὑπομιμνήσκων ὁμονοίας τε καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθῶν. οὔπω δὲ αὐτοῦ παυσαμένου περὶ τούτων δημηγορεῖν ἐξαπίνης πάντες ἀφέμενοι τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὀργῆς ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸν σύμβουλον τῆς ὁμονοίας ἄγουσι τὴν τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ψῆφον, καὶ βαπτίζεσθαι παρεκελεύοντο (ἔτι γὰρ ἀμύητος ἦν) 6.24.4 καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην παραλαμβάνειν ἐδέοντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ μὲν παρῃτεῖτο καὶ ἀπεμάχετο καὶ ἀτεχνῶς τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀπέφευγεν, ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἐπέκειτο καὶ τῆς ἔριδος οὐκ ἄλλως ἀνήσειν ἰσχυρίζετο, μηνύεται τάδε ταῖς ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἀρχαῖς. ἅμα δὲ τῇ περὶ τούτων ἀγγελίᾳ λέγεται Οὐαλεντινιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς εὔξασθαι καὶ φάναι χάριν ὁμολογεῖν τῷ θεῷ ὡς ἱερᾶσθαι ἐπιλεγομένῳ οὓς αὐτὸς ἄρχειν προβάλλεται. μαθὼν δὲ τὴν τοῦ πλήθους ἔνστασιν καὶ τὴν ᾿Αμβροσίου παραίτησιν συνέβαλεν ἐπὶ ὁμονοίᾳ τῆς ἐν Μεδιολάνῳ ἐκκλησίας ταῦτα βραβεύειν τὸν θεόν, καὶ τὴν ταχίστην αὐτὸν χειροτονεῖσθαι 6.24.5 προσέταξεν. ἅμα δὲ ἐμυήθη καὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην παρέλαβεν, ὁμοφρονεῖν πέπεικε περὶ τὰ θεῖα τὴν ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐκκλησίαν, ἐπὶ πολλῷ χρόνῳ διχονοίᾳ καμοῦσαν ἐκ τῆς Αὐξεντίου προστασίας. ᾿Αλλ' οἷος μὲν ᾿Αμβρόσιος οὗτος μετὰ τὴν χειροτονίαν ἐγένετο καὶ ὡς ἀνδρείως καὶ μάλα θείως τὴν ἱερωσύνην διήνυσεν, ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς κατὰ χώραν 6.24.6 λελέξεται. περὶ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον οἱ ἀμφὶ τὴν Φρυγίαν Ναυατιανοὶ παρὰ τὸ πρότερον εἰωθὸς ἤρξαντο μετὰ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων τὴν τοῦ πάσχα ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελεῖν. Ναυάτος μὲν γάρ, ὃς ἀρχηγὸς ἐγένετο τῆς αἱρέσεως, τοὺς μεταμελομένους ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν εἰς κοινωνίαν οὐ προσίετο καὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἐκαινοτόμει· παραπλησίως δὲ τῇ ῾Ρωμαίων ἐκκλησίᾳ μετὰ τὴν