The Ancient Witnesses

126 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

justified, we likewise have believed the voice of God, spoken to us by the prophets and the Apostles of Christ, and have renounced all worldly things even to death. Justin Martyr’s telling of the story not only revealed Christ’s presence, but also applied the principles he found there. As I recorded these things in my journal, I noticed Father Greg and my fellow students walking toward an old stone chapel on the far side of the park. By the time I got there, they had already gone in. The entrance to the chapel was covered by beautiful flowering vines. I could hear preaching coming from inside, so I entered through a side door and found myself in an office or library stacked high with scrolls and codices. 14 There was a small book open on a table entitled On Abraham and I began reading it, though it was not in English. Reading Latin, for that was the book’s language, was an interesting experience. Unlike Tertullian’s chopped phrases, this author wrote long sentences with the main verb left to the end, as if to keep the reader in suspense. After reading a few lines, I realized that the speaker was preaching was on the same topic, so I laid the book aside and went to find a seat in the chapel. There was only one seat and it was occupied by the Bishop. A hundred or more catechumens—men and women—stood listening to him as he taught. The Bishop’s face was strong and wise, and his speech was eloquent. He was Bishop Ambrose whom we’d heard

14 A codex (plural: codices ) is the ancient book form that preceded modern printed and bound volumes.