 Very little is known about Israel 's early life . Michael Lapidge dates his birth to around 900 , while Wood places it slightly earlier , around 890 . He was a disciple of Ambrose and spent time at Rome , but it is unknown who Ambrose was or whether he was Israel 's tutor in Rome . In Wood 's view Israel was a monk at Saint @-@ Maximin in Trier in the 930s . 
