ST.Ambrose And The Religion And Politics Ofthe Roman Empire

After gaining legitimacy in the late Roman Empire in the 4th century,Christianity began to take a more active approach to establishing its authority and influence in the imperial cities.Ambrose of Milan,as the local city bishop of the Empire during this period,played an essential role in the religious and political spheres of the Empire.Ambrose displayed a more radical attitude in his political and religious activities than the Church Fathers of his time.Through his skilful use of public politics and religious authority,as well as his letters of religious instruction and indoctrination,he established a firm religious authority for the Nicene church in the Western Roman Empire through his religious resistance to Arianism and polytheism.He also exerted a strong political influence on imperial power and politics through religious authority.This was a robust response to the challenges posed to the Nicene church by the Arian heretics and polytheists of this period and extended the authority of the Church further into the political sphere of the Empire.This paper mainly discusses the following four chapters:The first chapter mainly focuses on Ambrose’s age and early career.It summarises the background of the time of Ambrose and focuses on Ambrose’s family situation and experience before he became the bishop of Milan.The second chapter starts with the relationship between the late ancient classical tradition,the Christian culture,and the aristocrats’ Christianization.Then it analyses the dual cultural characteristics of Ambrose and the significant influence and effect of the two cultures on Ambrose.The third chapter starts with Ambrose’s confrontation with Arian heresy and polytheism,takes the events of the Aquilea Council,the Basilica church contest and the dispute of the altar of victory as clues,and then analyses the relationship between Ambrose and the imperial religion.The fourth chapter focuses on Ambrose’s involvement in imperial politics.It examines the links between Ambrose and imperial politics,focusing on the synagogue of Callinicum and the massacre of Thessalonica to discuss the conception of religion and politics in Ambrose’s practice.This analysis of Ambrose’s religious and political activities in the late 4th century,and their impact on the religion and politics of the empire,allows for an exploration of Ambrose’s position and influence in the development of Nicene Christianity and clarify the effect of the implementation of the way.On the other hand,the study of the activities of Ambrose as a representative figure of local bishops in the western part of the late Roman Empire is a microcosm for understanding the complex relationship between religion and politics within the late Roman Empire.