| | '''Saint Jerome''' or '''Jerome of Stridon''' (Latin: ''Hieronymus''), lived from (342 – 420 A.D.) and is one of the most famous [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]] biblical scholars of antiquity. He is a [[Doctor of the Church]], one of only 33 people to be given that honor. | | '''Saint Jerome''' or '''Jerome of Stridon''' (Latin: ''Hieronymus''), lived from (342 – 420 A.D.) and is one of the most famous [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]] biblical scholars of antiquity. He is a [[Doctor of the Church]], one of only 33 people to be given that honor. |
| − | Jerome was born in Stridonia, on the borders of Dalmatia and Pannonia, and given the Latin name ''Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus''. He was, from his infancy, raised a Catholic,<ref>St. Jerome, "Epistle to Theophilus of Alexandria" 82.2.2; available in ''Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium'' (Vienna, 1865-) vol. 55, pp. 107-119.</ref> and was baptized in Rome. At Rome he learned [[Latin]] and [[Greek]]. Soon, however, desiring to give himself fully to [[Christ]] and to the knowledge of the Scriptures, Jerome journeyed East, studying at [[Antioch]]. He then, in order to purify his soul of all youthful temptations, set out into the desert (of Chalcis, south-west of Antioch) in 375 to live the life of a hermit and dedicate himself to prayer. Thus did he act in imitation of [[Christ]], St. [[John the Baptist]], and the Desert Fathers. He found a converted [[Jew]] to teach him [[Hebrew]] (and Chaldaic). Additionally, Jerome was ordained a [[priest]] at Antioch. Eventually, he made his way to [[Constantinople]] to study the Scriptures under the renowned scholar St. [[Gregory of Nazianzus]] (“the Theologian”). Thereafter he journeyed to [[Rome]], on ecclesiastical business, and was admitted into the court of [[Pope St. Damasus I|Pope Damasus]]. | + | Jerome was born in Stridonia, on the borders of Dalmatia and Pannonia, and was given the Latin name ''Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus''. He was, from his infancy, raised a Catholic,<ref>St. Jerome, "Epistle to Theophilus of Alexandria" 82.2.2; available in ''Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium'' (Vienna, 1865-) vol. 55, pp. 107-119.</ref> and was baptized in Rome. At Rome he learned [[Latin]] and [[Greek]]. Soon, however, desiring to give himself fully to [[Christ]] and to the knowledge of the Scriptures, Jerome journeyed East, studying at [[Antioch]]. He then, in order to purify his soul of all youthful temptations, set out into the desert (of Chalcis, southwest of Antioch) in 375 to live the life of a hermit and dedicate himself to prayer. Thus did he act in imitation of [[Christ]], St. [[John the Baptist]], and the Desert Fathers. He found a converted [[Jew]] to teach him [[Hebrew]] (and Chaldaic). Additionally, Jerome was ordained a [[priest]] at Antioch. Eventually, he made his way to [[Constantinople]] to study the Scriptures under the renowned scholar St. [[Gregory of Nazianzus]] (“the Theologian”). Thereafter he journeyed to [[Rome]], on ecclesiastical business, and was admitted into the court of [[Pope St. Damasus I|Pope Damasus]]. |
| − | Damasus requested from Jerome, by then a master of the Scriptures and of the languages used in the sacred texts, that he would produce a Latin translation of the [[Bible]]. The Latin texts then in circulation were insufficient and in need of correction. This monumental task would take Jerome many years, and, following the [[Pope]]’s death, Jerome traveled to [[Bethlehem]], to a [[monastery]] near the site of Jesus’ birth, to complete his work. Jerome gathered all manner of ancient manuscripts to aid him in his task, examining each text carefully in order to establish a proper edition. Eventually, Jerome produced his Latin Bible, the [[New Testament]] translated afresh from the original Greek, and the [[Old Testament]], with the exception of certain books (whose previous translation he choose not to alter), translated afresh from the Hebrew and the Greek. This edition, known as the ''[[Vulgate]]'' was completed in 405 and would come to be the accepted Bible of Western Christendom for over a thousand years, and is still valued by Biblical scholars today for its expertise, and is consulted in the production of modern editions of the Bible. | + | Damasus requested from Jerome, by then a master of the Scriptures and of the languages used in the sacred texts, that he would produce a Latin translation of the [[Bible]]. The Latin texts then in circulation were insufficient and in need of correction. This monumental task would take Jerome many years, and, following the [[Pope]]’s death, Jerome traveled to [[Bethlehem]], to a [[monastery]] near the site of Jesus’ birth, to complete his work. Jerome gathered all manner of ancient manuscripts to aid him in his task, examining each text carefully in order to establish a proper edition. Eventually, Jerome produced his Latin Bible, the [[New Testament]] translated afresh from the original Greek, and the [[Old Testament]], with the exception of certain books (whose previous translation he chose not to alter), translated afresh from the Hebrew and the Greek. This edition, known as the ''[[Vulgate]]'' was completed in 405 and would come to be the accepted Bible of Western Christendom for over a thousand years, and is still valued by Biblical scholars today for its expertise, and is consulted in the production of modern editions of the Bible. |