Ambrose of Milan (Trier, 339-340 – Milan, 397). Ambrose’s role in the West, in the Latin world, was parallel to that of the Cappadocian Fathers in the East. He also convened a council in Aquileia in September 381. There he reiterated the statements of the Council of Constantinople and also offered the West biblical commentaries that reflected the interpretative tradition of Alexandria and Cappadocia. He introduced Augustine to the Bible and baptism.
For an introduction to the commentaries on Genesis 1:1, see the page Genesis 1:1 In the head of God – Bereshit
For the Latin lexicon (principium, verbum), see: Lexicon of the commentaries on Genesis 1:1
Exameron, The Six Days of Creation, ch. 2, 5
2, 5. Unde diuino spiritu praeuidens sanctus Moyses hos hominum errores fore et iam forte coepisse in exordio sermonis sui sic ait: in principio fecit deus caelum et terram, initium rerum, auctorem mundi, creationem materiae conprehendens, ut deum cognosceres ante initium mundi esse uel ipsum esse initium uniuersorum, sicut in euangelio dei filius dicentibus: tu quis es? respondit: initium quod et loquor uobis,
Therefore, the holy Moses, foreseeing in advance, through the divine spirit, these errors of men, which had perhaps already begun, said at the beginning of his discourse: “In principio God created the heaven and the earth,” encompassing the beginning of things, the author of the world, and the creation of matter, so that you might know that God was before the beginning (initium) of the world and that he himself is the beginning (initium) of all things, as the Son of God answers in the Gospel to those who say, “Who are you?”: “I am the beginning [the word used in Greek is arkhế], I who speak to you” (John 8:25).
Here we find the quotation where Jesus identifies himself with the arkhế. This passage had already been used by the Greek Fathers, Origen and the Cappadocians among others, to explain the first word of the Bible in Genesis 1:1 as announcing the work of Christ, lógos, the divine Word through whom all things were made.
et ipsum dedisse gignendi rebus initium et ipsum esse creatorem mundi, non idea quadam duce imitatorem materiae, ex qua non ad arbitrium suum, sed ad speciem propositam sua opera conformaret. Pulchre quoque ait: in principio fecit, ut inconprehensibilem celeritatem operis exprimeret, cum effectum prius operationis inpletae quam indicium coeptae explicauisset.
It is he who gave things the beginning of generation, and he himself is the creator of the world, not one who gives form (imitatorem) to matter in accordance with a certain idea to which he conformed his work, not according to his free will, but according to a pre-existing model. Admirably, [Moses] also says, “In principio, he made,” to express the speed of the work that is beyond understanding, having first explained the effect before the work was completed and before giving an explanation of its beginning.
Ambrose already wants to introduce the theme of the simultaneous creation of all things in God, indicated by the first sentence: “In principio he made heaven and earth.” For the Greek fathers, this already signifies the announcement of the completed creation; the details of its beginning will be explained later in the course of the days.
4, 12. Principium igitur esse docet qui dicit: in principio fecit deus caelum et terram. Principium aut ad tempus refertur aut ad numerum aut ad fundamentum, quomodo in aedificanda domo initium fundamentum est. Principium quoque et conuersionis et deprauationis dici posse scripturarum cognoscimus auctoritate. Est et principium artis ars ipsa, ex qua artificum diuersorum deinceps coepit operatio. Est etiam principium bononim operum finis optimus, ut misericordiae principium est deo placere quod facias ; etenim ad conferendum hominibus subsidium maxime prouocamur. est etiam uirtus diuina, quae hac exprimitur adpellatione. Ad tempus refertur, si uelis dicere in quo tempore deus fecit caelum et terram, id est in exordio mundi, quando fieri coepit, sicut ait sapientia: cum pararet caelos, cum illo eram.
He who says, “In principio God created heaven and earth,” teaches, therefore, that there is a beginning or a principle (principium). The word principium refers to time or number or foundation, in the same way that in the construction of a house, the beginning is the foundation. By the authority of Scripture, we also know that principium can be said of that which is directed toward something (conversio) or corrupts itself. The principium of art is art itself, from which the activity of various artists began. Likewise, the principium of good works is the excellent end, just as the principium of mercy is that what you do pleases God; for this is how we are most strongly motivated to offer help to others. Divine power (virtus) is also expressed by this word (principium). It refers to time, if you mean when God made heaven and earth, that is, at the beginning of the world, when it began to be made, as Wisdom says: “I was with him when he prepared the heavens” (Proverbs 8:27).
ad numerum autem si referamus, ita conuenit, ut accipias: inprimis fecit caelum et terram, deinde colles, regiones, fines inhabitabiles uel sic: ante reliquas uisibiles creaturas, diem, noctem, ligna fructifera, animantium genera diuersa, caelum et terram fecit. Si uero ad fundamentum referas, principium terrae fundamentum esse legisti dicente sapientia: quando fortia faciebat fundamenta terrae, eram penes illum disponens. Est etiam bonae principium disciplinae, sicut est illud: initium sapientiae timor domini, quoniam qui timet dominum declinat errorem et ad uirtutis semitam uias suas dirigit. nisi enim quis timuerit deum, non potest renuntiare peccato.
If, on the other hand, you are referring to number, it is appropriate that you understand it this way: first he made heaven and earth, then the hills, the plains, and the habitable regions, or else this way: he made heaven and earth before the other visible creatures, day, night, fruit trees, and the various species of animals. If, in truth, you refer to the foundation, you have read that wisdom says that the principium is the foundation of the earth: “When he established the foundations of the earth, I was beside him, disposing (disponens) [creation]. There is also the principium of good discipline, according to which [it is said] that: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear (timor) of the Lord,” since he who fears the Lord avoids error and directs his ways on the path of virtue. For if anyone does not fear God, he cannot renounce sin.
[…]
4, 15. Est etiam initium mysticum, ut illud est: ego sum primus et nouissimus, initium et finis et illud in euangelio praecipue, quod interrogatus dominus quis esset respondit: initium quod et loquor uobis. Qui uere et secundum diuinitatem est initium omnium, quia nemo ante ipsum, et finis, quia nemo ultra ipsum est. Secundum euangelium initium est uiarum domini in opera eius, ut per ipsum disceret hominum genus uias domini sequi et operari opera dei. In hoc ergo principio, id est in Christo fecit deus caelum et terram, quia per ipsum omnia facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est: in ipso, quia in ipso constant omnia et ipse est primogenitus totius creaturae, siue quia ante omnem creaturam, siue quia sanctus, quia primogeniti sancti sunt, ut primogenitus Istrahel, non quia ante omnes, sed quia sanctior ceteris, sanctus autem dominus super omnem creaturam et secundum corporis susceptionem, quia solus sine peccato, solus sine uanitate, omnis autem creatura subiecta uanitati est.
There is also a mystical beginning, such as this: “I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end,” and especially the one in the Gospel where, when asked who he was, the Lord replied, “I am the beginning, I who speak to you” (John 8:25). This is truly, according to the divinity, the beginning (initium) of everything, since no one is before him, and he is the end, since no one is after him. According to the Gospel, the beginning of the Lord’s ways is in his works, so that through him the human race may learn to follow the ways of the Lord and to accomplish the works of God. Therefore, in this principium, that is, in Christ, God made heaven and earth, since “through him all things were made, and without him nothing was made of what has been made” (John 1:3): in him, because “in him all things exist, and he is himself the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:17), either because he is before all creatures, or because he is holy, since the firstborn are holy, as “Israel is the firstborn” (Exodus 4:22), not because he is before all, but because he is holier than the others; but the Lord is holy above all creatures and by the fact that he took on a body, since he is the only one without sin, the only one without vanity, whereas all creatures are subject to vanity.
4, 16. Possumus etiam intellegere: in principio fecit deus caelum et terram, id est ante tempus, sicut initium uiae nondum uia est et initium domus nondum domus. Denique alii dixerunt ἐν κεφαλαίῳ quasi in capite. Quo significatur in breui et in exiguo momento summa operationis inpleta. sunt ergo et qui principium non pro tempore accipiant, sed ante tempus et κεφάλαιον uel caput, ut dicamus latine, quasi summam operis, quia rerum uisibilium summa caelum et terra est, quae non solum ad mundi huius spectare uidentur ornatum, sed etiam ad indicium rerum inuisibilium et quoddam argumentum eorum quae nou uidentur, ut est illud propheticum: caeli enarrant gloriam dei et opera manuum eius adnuntiat firmamentum. Quod secutus apostolus aliis uerbis in eandem conclusit sententiam dicens: quia inuisibilia eius per ea quae facta sunt intelleguntur. Auctorem enim angelorum et dominationum et potestatum facile intellegimus eum qui momento imperii sui hanc tantam pulchritudinem mundi ex nihilo fecit esse, quae non erat, et non extantibus aut rebus aut causis donauit habere substantiam.
We can also understand: “In the principium, God made heaven and earth,” that is, before time, in the same way that the beginning is not yet the path and the beginning of the house is not yet the house. Finally, there are others who say en kephaláiōi as one would say at the head [one could translate: “as a whole”]. By this we mean that the work was accomplished in a brief and tiny instant. There are, therefore, those who do not take principium to mean time, but before time, and take kephálaion, the head, as we would say in Latin the sum [the totality] of the work, since heaven and earth are the sum of all visible things, which do not seem to be merely an ornament for the contemplation of this world, but also an indication of invisible things and a certain argument for those that cannot be seen, as in this prophetic verse: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands” (Psalm 18:1). Following this, the apostle with other words comes to the same conclusion, saying: “For what can be known about God is understood from the works that have been made” (Romans 1:20). We easily understand that the author of angels, dominions, and powers is the one who, in the instant of one of his commands, brought into the world out of nothing such beauty, which did not exist, and gave substance to things and causes that did not exist.
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4, 18. Nec otiose utique factum legimus quia gentiles plerique, qui coaetemum deo mundum uolunt esse quasi adumbrationem uirtutis diuinae, adserunt etiam sua sponte subsistere. Et quamuis causam eius deum esse fateantur, causam tamen factum uolunt non ex uoluntate et dispositione sua, sed ita ut causa umbrae corpus est. Adhaeret enim umbra corpori et fulgur lumini naturali magis societate quam uoluntate arbitra. Pulchre ergo ait Moyses quia fecit deus caelum et terram. Non dixit quia subesse fecit, non dixit quia causam mundo ut esset praebuit, sed fecit quasi bonus quod foret utile, quasi sapiens quod optimum iudicabat, quasi omnipotens quod amplissimum praeuidebat. Quomodo autem quasi umbra esse poterat, ubi corpus non erat, cum incorporei dei corporea adumbratio esse non potest? quomodo etiam incorporei luminis splendor possit esse corporeus?
In any case, it is not useless to read that the world was made, since most of the “gentiles” [i.e., non-believers] believe that the world is coeternal with God, almost to cast a shadow on divine virtue. They also claim that it subsists by itself. And although they acknowledge that its cause is God, they believe that he is its cause not by his will and decision, but in the same way that the body is the cause of its shadow. For the shadow adheres to the body and lightning to light more by natural association than by voluntary decision. Moses is therefore right in saying that “he made heaven and earth.” He did not say that he made it subsist, nor that he provided the world with a cause for its existence, but that, as a good being, he did what would be useful, as a wise being, what he judged to be best, and as an almighty being, what he foresaw to be most extensive. How then could there have been shadow where there was no body, since there can be no bodily shadow for a god without a body? How also could the splendor of an incorporeal light be corporeal?
Article on the relationship between Ambrose and Philo
Hans Lewy, Neue Philontexte in der Ueberarbeitung des Ambrosius. Mit einem Anhang: Neu gefundene griechische Philonfragmente. In: Sitzungsberichte der Koniglich-Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin – historische Klasse – Berlin, 1932, pp. 23-84