Letter 50041: I thank you, most merciful Emperor, for your willingness to reconsider the matter of Callinicum.

Ambrose to the Emperor Theodosius. I thank you, most merciful Emperor, for your willingness to reconsider the matter of Callinicum. The modification you have made shows your good will, but I must confess it does not go far enough. You have removed the requirement that the bishop personally rebuild the synagogue, but you have ordered that public funds be used instead. This is an improvement — but public funds, in a Christian empire, are still administered under your Christian authority. The principle remains: the state is being used to construct a building dedicated to the rejection of Christ. I press this point not from stubbornness but from conviction. The precedent matters more than the particular case. If this order stands, any future controversy between Christians and Jews can be resolved by requiring Christian resources to subsidize Jewish worship. The logic has no natural stopping point. I spoke to you plainly at the altar last Sunday. I could see in your face that my words troubled you, and I am sorry for the discomfort — but not for the words. A bishop who cannot look his emperor in the eye and speak the truth is not fit for the office. You have been a great emperor because you have been willing to be corrected. Lesser men would have punished me for my boldness. You listened, and that is the mark of true greatness. I ask you to listen one more time and withdraw this order completely. When you do, I will offer the sacrifice with joy, knowing that the emperor of Rome serves the King of kings without reservation. Your servant in Christ.

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