Editing Ambrosiaster

{{Short description|Exegete of St. Paul's epistles}}
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'''Ambrosiaster''' or '''Pseudo-Ambrose''' is the name given to the unknown author of a commentary on the [[epistles of Saint Paul]], written some time between 366 and 384{{nbsp}}AD.<ref name="OCD"/> The name "Ambrosiaster" in Latin means "would-be [[Ambrose]]". Various conjectures have been made as to Ambrosiaster's true identity, and several other works have been attributed to the same author, with varying degrees of certainty.

== Identity ==
Pseudo-Ambrose was the name given by [[Erasmus]] to refer to the author of a volume containing the first complete Latin commentary on the [[Pauline epistles]].<ref name="FitzgeraldCavadini1999">{{cite book|author1=Allan D. Fitzgerald|author2=Allan Fitzgerald John C. Cavadini|title=Augustine Through the Ages: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GcVhAGpvTQ0C&pg=PA19|accessdate=13 November 2012|year=1999|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-3843-8|pages=19–}}</ref> 

Attempts to identify Ambrosiaster with known authors has continued, but with no success. Because Augustine cites Ambrosiaster's commentary on [[Romans 5]]:12 under the name of "Hilary", many critics have attempted to identify Ambroasiaster with one of the many writers named "Hilary" active in the period. In 1899, [[Germain Morin]] suggested that the writer was Isaac, a converted Jew and writer of a tract on the Trinity and Incarnation, who was exiled to [[Spain]] in 378–380 and then relapsed to [[Judaism]]. Morin afterwards abandoned this theory of the authorship in favour of [[Decimus Hilarianus Hilarius]], proconsul of [[North Africa during the Classical Period|Africa]] in 377.<ref name="EB1911"/> Alternatively, [[Paolo Angelo Ballerini]] attempted to sustain the traditional attribution of the work to Ambrose, in his complete edition of that Father's work. This is extremely problematic, though, since it would require Ambrose to have written the book before he became a bishop, and then added to it in later years, incorporating later remarks of [[Hilary of Poitiers]] on Romans.<ref>[[Alexander Souter]], ''Study of Ambrosiaster'' (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1905)</ref> No identifications, therefore, have acquired lasting popularity with scholars, and Ambrosiaster's identity remains a mystery.

Internal evidence from the documents has been taken to suggest that the author was active in Rome during the period of [[Pope Damasus I|Pope Damasus]], and, almost certainly, a member of the clergy.<ref name="FitzgeraldCavadini1999"/>

==Works==
===Commentary on Paul===
The ''Commentary on Thirteen Pauline Letters'' is considered valuable as evidence of the state of the [[Latin]] text of Paul's epistles before the appearance of the [[Vulgate]] of [[Jerome]], and as an example of Pauline interpretation prior to [[Augustine of Hippo]].<ref name="OCD">{{Citation | last = Kinzig | first = Wolfram | contribution = Ambrosiaster | year = 1996 | title = [[Oxford Classical Dictionary]] | editor1-last = Hornblower | editor1-first = Simon | editor1-link =Simon Hornblower | editor2-last = Spawforth | editor2-first = Anthony | editor2-link =Anthony Spawforth | edition = 3rd | place = Oxford | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | isbn = 0-19-521693-8}}</ref><ref name="EB1911"> {{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Ambrosiaster|volume=1|page=801}}</ref> It was traditionally ascribed to [[Ambrose]], but in 1527, [[Erasmus]] threw doubt on the accuracy of this ascription, and the anonymous author came to be known as "Ambrosiaster". It was once thought that Erasmus coined this name; however, René Hoven, in 1969, showed that this was incorrect, and that credit should actually be given to the [[Congregation of Saint Maur|Maurists]]. Later scholars have followed Hoven in this assessment, although it has also been suggested that the name originated with [[Franciscus Lucas Brugensis]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Krans |first=Jan |date=2013 |chapter=Who Coined the Name 'Ambrosiaster'? |editor-last1=Krans |editor-first1=J. |editor-last2=Peerbolte |editor-first2=B. J. L. |editor-last3=Smit |editor-first3=P-B. |editor-last4=Zwiep |editor-first4=A. |title=Paul, John, and Apocalyptic Eschatology |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MoKxIeOTkqYC&pg=PA274 |pages=274–81 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-25026-0}}</ref>

===Other works===
Several other works which now survive only as fragments have been attributed to this same author. These include a commentary on [[Matthew 24]], and discussions on the [[parable of the leaven]], the [[denial of Peter]], and [[arrest of Jesus|Jesus's arrest]].<ref name="David G Hunter 2010 p307"/> In 1905, Alexander Souter established that Ambrosiaster was also the author of the ''Quaestiones Veteris et Novi Testamenti,'' a lengthy collection of exegetical and polemical tractates which manuscripts have traditionally ascribed to [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]].<ref name="OCD"/><ref name="David G Hunter 2010 p307">David G Hunter, "Fourth-century Latin writers", in Frances Young, Lewis Ayres and Andrew Louth, eds, ''The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature'', (2010), p307</ref>

Other works ascribed to the same author, less definitely, are the ''Lex Dei sive Mosaicarum et Romanorum legum collatio'', ''De bello judaico'', and the fragmentary ''Contra Arianos'' sometimes ascribed to the pseudo-Hilary and the ''sermo 246'' of pseudo-Augustine.<ref name="FitzgeraldCavadini1999"/><ref name="RamingPh.D.2004">{{cite book|author1=Ida Raming|author2=Gary Macy, PhD|author3=Bernard J. Cooke|title=The Priestly Office of Women: God's Gift to a Renewed Church|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQPhz2JZjFwC&pg=PA30|accessdate=13 November 2012|year=2004|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-4850-4|pages=30–}}</ref> They mention [[Simon Magus]].<ref name="Noonan1988">{{cite book|author=John Thomas Noonan|title=Bribes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6zgp1_zeJbEC&pg=PA730|accessdate=13 November 2012|year=1988|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06154-5|pages=730–}}</ref>

==Influence==
Many scholars argue that Ambrosiaster's works were essentially [[Pelagian]], although this is disputed. [[Pelagius]] cited him extensively. For example, [[Alfred Smith (scholar)|Alfred Smith]] argued that Pelagius got his views on predestination and original sin from Ambrosiaster. However, [[Augustine]] also made use of Ambrosiaster's commentaries.{{sfn|Papsdorf|2012|p=76}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1484/J.REA.5.101054|title=L'Esprit de Dieu et l'Esprit Saint dans les Questions sur l'Ancien et le Nouveau Testament de l'Ambrosiaster|journal=Revue d'Études Augustiniennes et Patristiques|volume=56|pages=25–44|year=2010|last1=Bussières|first1=Marie-Pierre}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1484/J.REA.5.104848|title=Les quaestiones 114 et 115 de l'Ambrosiaster ont-elles été influencées par l'apologétique de Tertullien ?|journal=Revue d'Études Augustiniennes et Patristiques|volume=48|pages=101–130|year=2002|last1=Bussieres|first1=Marie-Pierre|doi-access=free}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1484/J.SE.2.302460|title=L'Influence du synode tenu à Rome en 382 sur I'exégèse de I'Ambrosiaser|journal=Sacris Erudiri|volume=45|pages=107–124|year=2006|last1=Bussières|first1=Marie-Pierre}}
* Bussières, Marie-Pierre. Ambrosiaster. Contre les Païens. Sur le destin. Texte, traduction et commentaire. Paris, Éditions du Cerfs (Sources chrétiennes 512), 2007. 
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1484/J.REA.5.104912|title=In ambrosiaster's shadow : A critical Re-evaluation of the last surviving letter exchange between pope damasus and jerome|journal=Revue d'Études Augustiniennes et Patristiques|volume=51|issue=2|pages=257–277|year=2005|last1=Cain|first1=Andrew}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1484/J.REA.5.101056|title=Ambrosiaster redactor sui: The Commentaries on the Pauline Epistles (Excluding Romans)|journal=Revue d'Études Augustiniennes et Patristiques|volume=56|pages=69–91|year=2010|last1=Cooper|first1=Stephen A.|last2=Hunter|first2=David G.}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1163/157007211X561635|title=Ambrosiaster's Interpretations of Romans 1:26-27|journal=Vigiliae Christianae|volume=65|issue=5|pages=463–483|year=2011|last1=De Bruyn|first1=Theodore|hdl=10393/44177 |hdl-access=free}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1484/J.REA.5.101055|title=Ambrosiaster's Revisions of His Commentary on Romans and Roman Synodal Statements about the Holy Spirit|journal=Revue d'Études Augustiniennes et Patristiques|volume=56|pages=45–68|year=2010|last1=De Bruyn|first1=Theodore S.|hdl=10393/44249 |hdl-access=free}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.3406/antiq.1969.1547|title=Notes sur Érasme et les auteurs anciens|journal=L'Antiquité Classique|volume=38|pages=169–174|year=1969|last1=Hoven|first1=René}}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1353/earl.0.0244|title=2008 NAPS Presidential Address: The Significance of Ambrosiaster|journal=Journal of Early Christian Studies|volume=17|pages=1–26|year=2009|last1=David g. Hunter|s2cid=170919473 }}
* {{cite book|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230204.001.0001|title=Ambrosiaster's Political Theology|year=2007|last1=Lunn-Rockliffe|first1=Sophie|isbn=9780199230204}}
* [[Claudio Moreschini|Moreschini, Claudio]], and Enrico Norelli. 2005 "Ambrosiaster," in ''Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature: A Literary History''. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers. vol. 2, p.&nbsp;296-98.
* Mundle, Wilhelm. 1919. [https://archive.org/details/MN41487ucmf_0 ''Die Exegese der paulinischen Briefe im Kommentar des Ambrosiaster.'']
*{{cite book |last1=Papsdorf |first1=Joshua |editor1-last=Cartwright |editor1-first=Steven |title=A Companion to St. Paul in the Middle Ages |date=2012 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-23671-4 |language=en |chapter="Ambrosiaster" in Paul in the Middle Ages}}
* Queis, Dietrich Traugott von, and Augustine. 1972. ''Ambrosiaster: Quaestiones Veteris et Novi Testamenti. Quaestio 115: De fato''. Basel.
* Souter, Alexander. 1905. [https://archive.org/details/studyofambrosias00soutuoft ''A study of Ambrosiaster'']. Cambridge [Eng.]: The University Press.
* Souter, Alexander. 1927. [https://archive.org/details/MN41485ucmf_1 ''The earliest Latin commentaries on the Epistles of St. Paul; a study'']. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

==External links==
{{wikisource author}}
* The Latin text of Ambrosiaster's Pauline commentary is included (though attributed to Ambrose) in Migne's ''[[Patrologia Latina]]'', vol. 17, pp. 48–536. This can be found on [https://books.google.com/books?id=qP8gi6xv400C&pg=PA47 Google Books] or at [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/20_40_0339-0397-_Ambrosius_Mediolanensis,_Sanctus.html Documenta Catholica Omnia].
* The Latin text of ''Quaestiones Veteris et Novi Testamenti'' is included in ''Patrologia Latina'', vol. 35, available at [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/04z/z_0354-0430__Augustinus__Quaestiones_Veteris_Et_Novi_Testamenti_%5BIncertus%5D._Admonitio__MLT.pdf.html Documenta Catholica Omnia].

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[[Category:4th-century Christian texts]]
[[Category:4th-century Christian clergy]]
[[Category:4th-century Romans]]
[[Category:4th-century Christian theologians]]
[[Category:4th-century writers in Latin]]