LETTER of Bishop Ambrose of Milan
Fathers of the Church Volume 26 translation cited by
Marco Conti editor / contributor for ACCS
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series
Volume 5, 2008 Publication by IV Press, Downers Grove, IL
An ancient story tells of two neighbors,
King Ahab and a poor man, Naboth.
Which of these do we consider the
poorer, which the richer:
the one who had been endowed with
a king's measure of wealth, insatiable
and unsatisfied with his wealth, who
longed for the little vineyard of the
poor man; or the other, heartily despising
a "king's fortune of much gold" and
imperial wealth, who was satisfied with
his vineyard? Does he not seem richer
and more a king, since he had enough
for himself and regulated his desires
so that he wanted nothing that belonged
to others? But was he not very poor whose
gold was of no account, while he considered
the other's vines of priceless value? Understand
why Ahab (!) was so very poor: because
riches amassed unjustly are disgorged, but
the root of the righteous remains and
flourishes like a palm tree.
Volume 5: I-II Kings, I-II Chronicles, Ezra,
Nehemiah, Esther (page 128, middle)
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