What is St. Ambrose’s stance on self-defense?

The answer

For St. Ambrose, self-defense is unacceptable because it inevitably destroys the virtue of love, which is also known as godliness, and is thus the virtue that unites the person with God and is the foundation of all other virtues.⁹⁹⁸

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty

Notes

⁹⁹⁸ St. Ambrose of Milan, Discourse on Ps. 118:18:45; On Ps. 36:37.

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty, Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Volumes 1 and 2, Books 1–7. First English Edition, 2023. Published by St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, Sporting, Alexandria, and Queen St. Mary & Prince Tadros Coptic Orthodox Church, South Brunswick, NJ. Copyright © 2023. Translation and Editing: Youth of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Arabian Gulf, and Egypt.