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The emperor is in the Church, not above the Church.
Saint Ambrose
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The authority of the Emperor is subordinate to the moral and spiritual authority of the Church.

This quote emphasizes the idea that secular authority should be guided by spiritual and moral principles. Saint Ambrose implies that no matter how powerful an emperor may be, their rule is ultimately constrained by the values and teachings of the Church, suggesting a balance between state and religion.

Themes

AuthorityChurchEmperorSpiritualMorality

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech about the importance of ethics in leadership.

More from Saint Ambrose

A good youth ought to have a fear of God, to be subject to his parents, to give honor to his elders, to preserve his purity; he ought not to despise humility, but should love forbearance and modesty. All these are an ornament to youthful years.
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Where a man's heart is, there is his treasure also.
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It is ingrained in all living creatures, first of all, to preserve their own safety, to guard against what is harmful, to strive for what is advantageous.
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The best way to use the gold of the Redeemer is for the redemption of those in peril.
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