Ambrose: De Officiis Two Volume Set

The De officiis of Ambrose of Milan (c. 339-397) is one of the most important texts of Latin Patristic literature. Modelled on the De Officiis of Cicero, it sets out Ambrose's ethical vision for his clergy, synthesizing ancient Stoic assumptions on virtue and expediency with Biblical patternsof humility, charity, and self-denial to present a paradigm of a church hierarchy capable of making the right impact on its social world. Ambrose aspires to demonstrate that the age of profound principles is now available.This new edition constitutes the first Modern English translation of Ambrose's Latin. The Text and Translation in Volume 1 are accompanied by a detailed Commentary (Volume 2) that concentrates on Ambrose's debts to Cicero and his attempts to renovate his philosophical inheritance. An extensiveIntroduction analyses his ethical ideals and sets them in their social context.

Ivor J. Davidson is a Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology, University of Otago, New Zealand.