Font of Life: Ambrose, Augustine, and the Mystery of Baptism

209 Pages·2012·1.705 MB·English

by  Garry Wills

FONT OF LIFE
ALSO BY GARRY WILLS
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Verdi’s Shakespeare
Bomb Power
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Martial’s Epigrams
What the Gospels Meant
Head and Heart
What Paul Meant
What Jesus Meant
Th e Rosary
Why I Am a Catholic
Saint Augustine’s Confessions (Translation)
Papal Sin
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Witches and Jesuits
Lincoln at Gettysburg
Font
of
Life
AMBROSE, AUGUSTINE, AND THE
MYSTERY OF BAPTISM
x
GARRY WILLS
3
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Copyright © 2012 by Garry Wills
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wills, Garry, 1934–
Font of life : Ambrose, Augustine and the mystery of baptism / Garry Wills.
p. cm. — (Emblems of antiquity)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-976851-6
1. Ambrose, Saint, Bishop of Milan, d. 397. 2. Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo.
3. Milan (Italy)—Church history. I. Title.
BR1720.A9W54 2012
270.2092 ′ 51—dc23
[B]
2011026828
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
TO NATALIE

with whom I spent fascinating weeks exploring all the Ambrosian
churches in and around ancient Milan
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Key to Brief Citations x
INTRODUCTION: TALE OF A FONT 3
i. milan
Chapter 1
AMBROSE’S TOWN 19
Chapter 2
AMBROSIAN DISICIPLINE 37
Chapter 3
AMBROSE FIGHTS FOR HIS CHURCHES 49
Chapter 4
AUGUSTINE ON THE WAY TO MILAN 59
Chapter 5
AUGUSTINE IN MILAN 67
ii. the baptism
Chapter 6
AUGUSTINE APPROACHES THE FONT 85
Chapter 7
AUGUSTINE AT THE FONT 105
Chapter 8
AFTER THE FONT 123
iii. hippo
Chapter 9
BAPTISM IN AFRICA 137
Chapter 10
THE RITUAL 149
Chapter 11
AUGUSTINE NEEDS AMBROSE 159
Notes 173
Index 185
Acknowledgments
I am deeply grateful to those who read the whole book and off ered
valuable suggestions—James J. O’Donnell, Glen Bowersock, Har-
old Drake, and (my editor) Stefan Vranka. As usual, my wife, Nat-
alie, corrected and improved what I wrote, and my agent, Andrew
Wylie, had my back.