Excommunication and the Politics of Piety in Ambrose of Milan
Abstract
This article explores the excommunication of Theodosius in 390 AD and argues that, although the massacre of Thessalonica precipitated Ambrose’s condemnation, this episode was not a spontaneous event, but rather the result of the latter’s intellectual interest in the political and soteriological effects of penance. Deeply influenced by biblical exegesis, Ambrose portrayed Theodosius’ excommunication as a triumph for both himself and the emperor. However, later Christian sources predominantly depicted this event as a direct clash between church and state, an interpretation that has endured to the present day.
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References
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