Golden Age
Vulgate, Letters & Commentaries
Jerome of Stridon · c. 382 – 420
Historical Context
Ascetic, controversialist, and the greatest biblical scholar of the Latin West; secretary to Pope Damasus and later monk in Bethlehem.
Summary
Jerome translated most of the Bible into Latin directly from Hebrew and Greek — the Vulgate that shaped Western Christianity for a millennium. His letters, prefaces, and commentaries are pungent and personal; his ascetic writings shaped Western monasticism and the veneration of virginity.
Major Themes
- Biblical translation
- Hebrew scholarship
- Latin monasticism
- Textual criticism
Important Quotations
“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”— Commentary on Isaiah, prologue
Related Church Fathers
Primary Sources
Further Reading
- J. N. D. Kelly, Jerome: His Life, Writings, and Controversies