While almost all of the works in this vault use Victorian translations, due to the English translations of this commentary being in copyright, it was machine-translated (by Claude, 2026) from the public-domain Latin. It has not been checked by a human translator.
Commentary on Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, long printed among the works of Ambrose. Its author, whom Erasmus first called “Ambrosiaster”, wrote at Rome while Damasus was bishop there (366–384). Chapter 12 of the Epistle; the verse numbers are the Benedictine editors’.
(Verses 1–3.) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the will of God, what is good, and acceptable, and perfect. He exhorts them by the mercy of God, through which the human race is saved. For after treating of the Law and of faith, he exhorts the people, of both Jewish and Gentile nature, to lead a good life; for through this the hope of faith is secured. This, then, is a reminder: that they should remember that they have received mercy, and be watchful in the service of Him by whom it was given them, through whom, from being ungodly, they have been freely justified; knowing that this is a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, if we keep our bodies undefiled, unlike worldly men, who give themselves to pleasures. This is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3). For bodies subject to sins are reckoned not living but dead; for they are in despair of the promised life. For we are washed from our sins by the gift of God for this purpose: that, leading a clean life for the future, we may call forth God’s love towards us, not making void the work of His grace. For among the men of old the victim offered was killed for this reason, to signify that men were subject to death because of sin. But now, since men have been purified by the gift of God and set free from the second death, they ought to offer a living sacrifice, to be a sign of eternal life. For bodies are not sacrificed for bodies, as then; but now not bodies, but the vices of the body, are to be put to death. And that we may have the effect of our service, let us keep chastity while keeping justice; for chastity profits nothing, nor can it be seen to be reasonable, if justice is neglected. This will be to be conformed to the spiritual: renewed in spirit and faith, to know this, which pleases God, and that nothing else is good and perfect. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to be wise above what he ought to be wise; but to be wise unto sobriety, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. He shows openly that we ought to be wise in such a way as not to go beyond the bounds of justice; so that it may be not only useful to ourselves, but harmful to no one. For this is prudence: to profit others rather than to harm them; and one ought to be content with the portion which God has measured out, according to the merit of each one’s faith, and not to claim for oneself what one sees has not been granted one. This is not to be wise above measure, since the whole cannot be granted to one. For if anyone is of good life, he ought not on that account to claim for himself the prudence of teaching as well; or, because he is skilled in the Law, he ought not to lay claim to the services of the Levites. He exhorts, then, and teaches through the grace given to him. This grace is understood as skill in the Lord’s teaching, through which he hands on that humility and justice are to be pursued.
(Verses 4–5.) For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. By the example of the body he teaches that we cannot each do everything, because we are members of one another, so that one should not be in want of another; and for this reason we ought to care for one another, and not one stand against another, since we need one another’s services. This will be to love Christ: if the members exhort one another to fill up the measure by which the body may be made perfect in Christ.
(Verse 6.) Having then gifts of God differing according to the grace that is given to us. Now he lists the very offices assigned to the members according to the merit of faith; so that when a member sees what office has been assigned it, it should not clamour against another to whom it sees something else given, but rejoice with it, that the body of the Church may be perfect. Whether prophecy, according to the proportion of faith. He begins with prophecy, which is the first proof that our faith is reasonable. Thus believers, when they had received the Spirit, prophesied. This, then, is given according to the measure of the receiver, that is, as far as the cause for which it is given requires.