Ambrose on local custom

Ambrose was a Roman governor drafted into the episcopate before he had even been baptised. As bishop of Milan, he turned administrative skill into ecclesial authority: he preached, wrote on the sacraments, composed hymns, defended Nicene faith, and confronted emperors when they crossed moral lines. His public penance of Theodosius became a lasting image of the church holding imperial power accountable. He also baptised Augustine, which gives his influence a second life through the most important Latin Father.