Saint Ambrose of Milan (340–397) was a military governor turned Christian bishop. Concerned about the conduct of his priests, he wrote On the Duties of the Clergy to encourage them to live virtuously. In doing so, he borrowed the structure, many arguments, and even illustrations from Cicero’s On Duties (read about it here).
Cicero and Ambrose build their works in the same way: they begin with excellent character, then discuss what is useful, and finally ask what happens when the two collide. Their conclusion is simple—usefulness without character is worthless.
Both drive the point home with memorable words. Ambrose says, “Let not, therefore, expediency get the better of virtue, but virtue of expediency” (3.6.37). Cicero echoes the same truth: “When men detach the useful from the honourable, they undermine the very foundations of nature” (On Obligations, 119). In other words, being the best human you can be is the most important thing.
And what does this look like in practice?
Pursuing Justice
Both authors insist that virtue must be active. A virtuous person does not retreat into seclusion but seeks justice for the community. Ambrose says, “We must think it a far more noble thing to labour for our country than to pass a quiet life at ease” (3.3.23). Cicero agrees: “”you should embark on activities which are of course important and highly useful, but are in addition extremely taxing, full of toils and dangers which threaten both life and the many strands that compose it” (24). Virtue acts; it does not hide. Continue reading “From Cicero to Ambrose: The Call to Serve the Common Good”
We do not exist for ourselves. We are made to serve the community. This service is not always easy, and it is not always appreciated. Yet we must be willing to bear hardships and toil for the sake of others. As Cicero put it, “justice is the single virtue which is mistress and queen of all virtues” (