Smith explores what he takes to be Ambrose's answers to two related questions, ‘Who are we?’ and ‘How should we live?’. The first is tackled through an examination of Ambrose's anthropology – his ideas of human nature, body and soul – and the second through Ambrose's ideas about the Christian life and baptismal renewal, thus bringing together the study of sacramental theology and virtue ethics. Ambrose's debt to and transformation of a range of classical philosophical texts, ideas and language has long been recognised and explored by scholars, as demonstrated with flair and precision by Ivor Davidson in his two-volume translation, text and commentary of Ambrose's highly Ciceronian De officiis (Oxford 2002). Smith is also interested in Ambrose's use of classical philosophy, but his perspective is more resolutely theological, and he focuses on Ambrose's more scripturally-oriented homiletic and exegetical texts to argue that his Christian learning fundamentally shaped his transformation and deployment of classical thought. He also defends the bishop of Milan's theological seriousness against scholars, such as McLynn, whose vision of Ambrose's realpolitik and rhetorical manoeuvring is criticised. This reorientation produces in chapter iv, the most substantial of the book, a careful and thorough account of Ambrose's baptismal theology of justification and regeneration. Smith is well aware of the danger of reading later theory back into Ambrose's works (p. 70), and only occasionally lapses into an anachronistic comparative perspective (p. 84 on Ambrose ‘lacking’ Anselmian language). He shows an impressive familiarity with Ambrose's substantial body of works, and through close readings of particular texts makes sensitive connections, such as that between the fragrance of Esau's garment which Ambrose compares to the faith that justifies the Christian, and the aroma of baptismal oil which evokes the ointment of the Song of Songs and the fragrance of the risen Christ. It is to be regretted that this volume, like its companions, eschews footnotes for endnotes, and lacks an index to those of Ambrose's works cited. However, overall this is a stimulating book which has much to contribute to the ongoing historical, theological and philosophical conversations about the character and orginality of Ambrose's thought. It will be particularly appreciated by students and scholars of patristic theology and Christian ethics.