Letter 50006: Ambrose, Bishop, to his brothers and fellow bishops throughout Aemilia — greetings in the Lord.

From: Ambrose, Bishop of Milan To: The bishops of the province of Aemilia Date: ~378 AD Context: An early letter in which Ambrose instructs the bishops of Aemilia [a province in northern Italy, roughly modern Emilia-Romagna] on how to respond to Arian arguments, providing them with doctrinal talking points. Ambrose, Bishop, to his brothers and fellow bishops throughout Aemilia — greetings in the Lord. Brothers, I have received your letters asking for guidance on how to answer the Arians when they challenge our people. You report that their arguments are troubling the faithful — and this does not surprise me, for error always presents itself with a semblance of reason. Let me set out the main points clearly. First: when they say the Son is "like" the Father but not "of the same substance," ask them this — is a son like his father, or is a son of the same nature as his father? Every father begets according to his own kind. What God begets is God. Likeness may belong to a portrait; identity of nature belongs to a son. Second: when they cite "The Father is greater than I" (John 14:28), remind them that the Lord spoke these words in the form of a servant [referring to Christ's human nature, per Philippians 2:7]. In his divinity, the Son is equal to the Father; in his humanity, he is subject. The Arians confuse the two natures and draw false conclusions from passages that speak of Christ's incarnate state. Third: when they claim the Son was "created," point them to Proverbs 8:22 in its proper context. "The Lord created me at the beginning of his ways" — this speaks of the mission of Wisdom incarnate, not of the eternal generation of the Son. Scripture must be read whole, not in fragments torn from their meaning. Stand firm, brothers. The faith of Nicaea is the faith of the apostles. It needs no revision, no qualification, no compromise.

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