Abstrakt
The article studies the relation between mercy and being truly rich in the works and thought of Ambrose. After showing the historical context of the bishop's attitudes vis-a-vis the social questions of his time, the question of what makes the Christian truly rich is approached.
Ambrose is presented not as a mere theorist but as someone who took upon himself the attitude of Christ the Poor. Ambrose shows to his audience that Christianity as their new faith is not a religion of prosperity but that it leads them towards richness before God, which is not visible but stays in the attitudes of the inner man.
Among these is mercy, which has a fundament that is theological, as it is based on the acting of the merciful God towards humanity. Mercy is, therefore, a means of following God and becoming similar to him.
This is also why mercy and Ambrose's stance on the right use of wealth cannot be reduced to the historical context and ethics but has to be considered as an indispensable part of his theological views on God and the divinity of Christ, as proclaimed by the Council of Nicaea.