Saint Ambrose of Milan

On the Duties of the Clergy

Name: On the Duties of the Clergy
Author: Saint Ambrose of Milan

4th c.

Classic translation Public domain

Moral & Pastoral · English translation, 1890

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Introduction
Book I.
Chapter I. A Bishop's Special Office is to Teach; St. Ambrose Himself, However…
Chapter II. Manifold Dangers Are Incurred by Speaking; the Remedy for Which…
Chapter III. Silence Should Not Remain Unbroken, nor Should it Arise From…
Chapter IV. The Same Care Must Be Taken That Our Speech Proceed Not From Evil…
Chapter V. We Must Guard Also Against a Visible Enemy When He Incites Us by…
Chapter VI. In This Matter We Must Imitate David's Silence and Humility, So as…
Chapter VII. How Admirably Ps. Xxxix. [Xxxviii.] Takes the Place of an…
Chapter VIII. The Word “Duty” Has Been Often Used Both by Philosophers and in…
Chapter IX. A Duty is to Be Chosen From What is Virtuous, and From What is…
Chapter X. What is Seemly is Often Found in the Sacred Writings Long Before it…
Chapter XI. It is Proved by the Witness of Scripture That All Duty is Either…
Chapter XII. To Prevent Any One From Being Checked in the Exercise of Mercy, He…
Chapter XIII. The Ideas of Those Philosophers Are Refuted Who Deny to God the…
Chapter XIV. Nothing Escapes God's Knowledge. This is Proved by the Witness of…
Chapter XV. Those Who Are Dissatisfied With the Fact That the Good Receive…
Chapter XVI. To Confirm What Has Been Said Above About Rewards and Punishments…
Chapter XVII. The Duties of Youth, and Examples Suitable to That Age, Are Next…
Chapter XVIII. On the Different Functions of Modesty. How it Should Qualify…
Chapter XIX. How Should Seemliness Be Represented by a Speaker? Does Beauty Add…
Chapter XX. If We Are to Preserve Our Modesty We Must Avoid Fellowship With…
Chapter XXI. We Must Guard Against Anger, Before it Arises; if it Has Already…
Chapter XXII. On Reflection and Passion, and on Observing Propriety of Speech…
Chapter XXIII. Jests, Although at Times They May Be Quite Proper, Should Be…
Chapter XXIV. There Are Three Things to Be Noticed in the Actions of Our Life…
Chapter XXV. A Reason is Given Why This Book Did Not Open With a Discussion of…
Chapter XXVI. In Investigating the Truth the Philosophers Have Broken Through…
Chapter XXVII. The First Source of Duty is Prudence, From Whence Spring Three…
Chapter XXVIII. A Community Rests Upon Justice and Good-will. Two Parts of the…
Chapter XXIX. Justice Should Be Observed Even in War and With Enemies. This is…
Chapter XXX. On Kindness and its Several Parts, Namely, Good-will and…
Chapter XXXI. A Kindness Received Should Be Returned With a Freer Hand. This is…
Chapter XXXII. After Saying What Return Must Be Made for the Service of the…
Chapter XXXIII. Good-will Exists Especially in the Church, and Nourishes…
Chapter XXXIV. Some Other Advantages of Goodwill Are Here Enumerated
Chapter XXXV. On Fortitude. This is Divided Into Two Parts: as it Concerns…
Chapter XXXVI. One of the Duties of Fortitude is to Keep the Weak From…
Chapter XXXVII. An Even Mind Should Be Preserved in Adversity as Well as in…
Chapter XXXVIII. We Must Strengthen the Mind Against Troubles to Come, and…
Chapter XXXIX. One Must Show Fortitude in Fighting Against All Vices…
Chapter XL. Courage in War Was Not Wanting in Our Forefathers, as is Shown by…
Chapter XLI. After Praising Judas' and Jonathan's Loftiness of Mind, the…
Chapter XLII. The Powers That Be Are Not Needlessly to Be Irritated. One Must…
Chapter XLIII. On Temperance and its Chief Parts, Especially Tranquillity of…
Chapter XLIV. Every One Ought to Apply Himself to the Duties Suited to His…
Chapter XLV. On What is Noble and Virtuous, and What the Difference Between…
Chapter XLVI. A Twofold Division of What is Seemly is Given. Next it is Shown…
Chapter XLVII. What is Seemly Should Always Shine Forth in Our Life. What…
Chapter XLVIII. The Argument for Restraining Anger is Given Again. Then the…
Chapter XLIX. We Must Reserve the Likeness of the Virtues in Ourselves. The…
Chapter L. The Levites Ought to Be Utterly Free From All Earthly Desires. What…
Book II.
Chapter I. Happiness in Life is to Be Gained by Living Virtuously, Inasmuch as…
Chapter II. The Different Ideas of Philosophers on the Subject of Happiness. He…
Chapter III. The Definition of Blessedness as Drawn From the Scriptures is…
Chapter IV. The Same Argument, Namely, That Blessedness is Not Lessened or…
Chapter V. Those Things Which Are Generally Looked on as Good Are Mostly…
Chapter VI. On What is Useful: Not That Which is Advantageous, but That Which…
Chapter VII. What is Useful is the Same as What is Virtuous; Nothing is More…
Chapter VIII. Nothing Has Greater Effect in Gaining Good-will Than Giving…
Chapter IX. Though Justice and Prudence Are Inseparable, We Must Have Respect…
Chapter X. Men Entrust Their Safety Rather to a Just Than to a Prudent Man. But…
Chapter XI. A Third Element Which Tends to Gain Any One's Confidence is Shown…
Chapter XII. No One Asks Counsel From a Man Tainted With Vice, or From One Who…
Chapter XIII. The Beauty of Wisdom is Made Plain by the Divine Testimony. From…
Chapter XIV. Prudence is Combined With All the Virtues, Especially With…
Chapter XV. Of Liberality. To Whom it Must Chiefly Be Shown, and How Men of…
Chapter XVI. Due Measure Must Be Observed in Liberality, That it May Not Be…
Chapter XVII. What Virtues Ought to Exist in Him Whom We Consult. How Joseph…
Chapter XVIII. We Learn From the Fact of the Separation of the Ten Tribes From…
Chapter XIX. Many Are Won by Justice and Benevolence and Courtesy, but All This…
Chapter XX. Familiarity With Good Men is Very Advantageous to All, Especially…
Chapter XXI. To Defend the Weak, or to Help Strangers, or to Perform Similar…
Chapter XXII. We Must Observe a Right Standard Between Too Great Mildness and…
Chapter XXIII. The Good Faith of Those Who Are Easily Bought Over With Money or…
Chapter XXIV. We Must Strive for Preferment Only by Right Means. An Office…
Chapter XXV. Benefits Should Be Conferred on the Poor Rather Than on the Rich…
Chapter XXVI. How Long Standing an Evil Love of Money is, is Plain From Many…
Chapter XXVII. In Contempt of Money There is the Pattern of Justice, Which…
Chapter XXVIII. Mercy Must Be Freely Shown Even Though it Brings an Odium of…
Chapter XXIX. The Property of Widows or of All the Faithful, That Has Been…
Chapter XXX. The Ending of the Book Brings an Exhortation to Avoid Ill-will…
Book III.
Chapter I. We Are Taught by David and Solomon How to Take Counsel With Our Own…
Chapter II. The Discussions Among Philosophers About the Comparison Between…
Chapter III. The Rule Given About Not Seeking One's Own Gain is Established…
Chapter IV. As it Has Been Shown That He Who Injures Another for the Sake of…
Chapter V. The Upright Does Nothing That is Contrary to Duty, Even Though There…
Chapter VI. We Ought Not to Allow the Idea of Profit to Get Hold of Us. What…
Chapter VII. Strangers Must Never Be Expelled the City in a Time of Famine. In…
Chapter VIII. That Those Who Put What is Virtuous Before What is Useful Are…
Chapter IX. Cheating and Dishonest Ways of Making Money Are Utterly Unfit for…
Chapter X. We Are Warned Not Only in Civil Law, but Also in the Holy…
Chapter XI. Having Adduced Examples of Certain Frauds Found in a Few Passages…
Chapter XII. We May Make No Promise That is Wrong, and if We Have Made an…
Chapter XIII. Judith, After Enduring Many Dangers for Virtue's Sake, Gained…
Chapter XIV. How Virtuous and Useful Was That Which Elisha Did. This is…
Chapter XV. After Mentioning a Noble Action of the Romans, the Writer Shows…
Chapter XVI. After Saying a Few Words About Tobit He Demonstrates That Raguel…
Chapter XVII. With What Virtuous Feelings the Fathers of Old Hid the Sacred…
Chapter XVIII. In the Narration of That Event Already Mentioned, and Especially…
Chapter XIX. The Crime Committed by the Inhabitants of Gibeah Against the Wife…
Chapter XX. After the Terrible Siege of Samaria Was Ended in Accordance With…
Chapter XXI. Esther in Danger of Her Life Followed the Grace of Virtue; Nay…
Chapter XXII. Virtue Must Never Be Given up for the Sake of a Friend. If…

Contents