Il vescovo Ambrogio e l’imperatore Eugenio

This paper examines the conduct of Bishop Ambrose after the rise of Eugenius. The reference text is the epistula extra collectionem 10, addressed to the emperor in 393. The systematic analysis of this document leads us to reject the strongly sceptical interpretations of Neil McLynn and, above all, Alan Cameron: the letter must be considered as an authentic expression of Ambrose’s dissent towards a regime that had shown a favorable attitude to the requests of the pagan elements of the senate. Starting from this position, the paper proposes an interpretation of the internal relations of the res publica in the two-year period 392-394 which is focused on the role of Ambrose, of the pagan senatorial aristocracy, and of the imperial government. In these events, from the rise of Eugenius to his defeat, we can see the reflections of an unstable society, where the traditional polarity between imperial power and senatorial authority is altered by the action of the bishop; this action is shaped by the bishop’s deep connections with the world of the senate and the circles of the imperial court.