340–397
St. Ambrose

Introduction

Born: Cir­ca 340, Au­gus­ta Tre­ve­ro­rum, in the Ro­man pro­vince of Gaul. To­day the ci­ty of Tri­er, Ger­ma­ny, stands there.

Died: East­er Eve, 397, Mi­lan, Ita­ly.

Buried: Ba­si­li­ca di Sant’Am­bro­gio, Mi­lan, Ita­ly, in a glass cof­fin, be­tween the mar­tyrs Ger­va­si­us and Pro­tais.

portrait

Biography

Ambrose was a Ro­man ci­ti­zen, son of a Ro­man pre­fect in Gal­lia Nar­bo­nen­sis.

At age 34, he was ap­point­ed gov­er­nor of north­ern Ita­ly. In 374, Am­brose was se­lect­ed as bi­shop of Mi­lan by po­pu­lar ac­claim.

His hymns first came to wide­spread no­tice in a stand­off be­tween him and Em­press Jus­ti­na, who had sent sol­diers to ar­rest him.

Ambrose and his faith­ful flock stayed in the sanc­tu­ary of the church for days, sing­ing and pray­ing. The em­press lost the test of wills, and Am­brose’s hymns have lived for mil­len­nia.

Sources

Lyrics

  1. Ad Cœ­nam Ag­ni Pro­vi­di
  2. Aeterna Chris­ti­an­ti Mu­ne­ra
  3. Aeterna Coe­li Glo­ria
    • Christ, the Glo­ry of the Sky
    • Glory of the Eter­nal Hea­ven
    • Eternal Glo­ry of the Hea­vens
    • Eter­nal Glo­ry of the Sky
    • Glory of the Hea­vens Su­per­nal
    • O Eter­nal Praise of Hea­ven
    • Thou Gl­ory of the Eter­nal Sky
  4. Aurora Jam Spar­git Po­lum
    • Dawn Is Dap­pling o’er the Sky, The
    • Dawn Is Sprink­ling in the East, The
    • Dawn Sprin­kles All the East with Light
    • Forth from the Glo­ri­ous Eye of Morn
    • Morn Has Spread Its Crim­son Rays, The
    • Morn Lights Up Earth’s Ca­no­py
    • Now Morn Is o’er the Ze­nith Spread
    • Now Morn­ing Sprin­kles All the Sky
    • With Dawn’s Faint Streaks the Hea­ven
  5. Aurora Lu­cis Ru­ti­lat
  6. Christe, Qui Lux Es et Di­es
  7. Deus Cre­at­or Om­ni­um
  8. En Cla­ra Vox Re­dar­gu­it
  9. Iam Lu­cis Or­to Si­de­re
  10. Jam Chris­ti­an­tus As­tra As­cen­de­rat
  11. Jesu Co­ro­na Vir­gi­num
  12. Morning Kin­dles All the Sky, The
  13. Now Hail We Our Re­deem­er
  14. Nunc Sanc­te No­bis Spir­it­us
    • Blest Spir­it, One with God Ab­ove
    • Come, Ho­ly Ghost, and Through Each Heart
    • Come, Ho­ly Ghost, Who Ev­er One
    • Come, Ho­ly Ghost, Who Ev­er One Art with the Fa­ther
    • Even Now Vouch­safe, Good Spir­it, One
    • Holy Spir­it, Ev­er One
    • Come, Ho­ly Ghost, with God the Son
    • Now, Ho­ly Ghost, to Thee We Pray
    • Now, O Ho­ly Spir­it, One
    • Spirit Be­nig­nant, Who Art One
    • Thou with the Fa­ther and the Son
  15. O Tri­ni­ty of Bless­èd Light
  16. Rector Po­tens, Ve­rax De­us
  17. Rerum De­us Te­nax Vi­gor
    • Almighty God, Thy Throne Above
    • Creator, Whose Al­migh­ty Pow­er
    • God of Hea­ven and Earth, Whose Might
    • Great God, o’er All Things Ev­er Reign­ing
    • Nature’s God, All-Rul­ing Pow­er
    • O God, Cre­ation’s Sec­ret Force
    • O God, of All the Strength and Pow­er
    • O God, th’Enduring Might of Things
    • O God, the En­er­gy of Things
    • O God, the Light of All That Live
    • O God, Un­change­able and True
    • O Strength and Stay
    • O Thou, True Life of All That Live
    • Strength of the Ev­er­last­ing Hills
    • Thou God of All, Un­moved and Strong
    • Thou of the Uni­verse the Stay
  18. Sermone Blan­do An­ge­lus
  19. Splendor Pater­næ Glo­riæ
  20. Te Lu­cis An­te Ter­mi­num
  21. Veni, Re­demp­tor Gen­ti­um
  22. Vox Cla­ra Ec­ce In­to­nat