St.
Jerome is a Father and Doctor of the Church who is best known for his
compiling of the Vulgate version of the Catholic Bible, now the standard
edition in use.
He was born about the year 347 at Stidon, near
Dalmatia, to wealthy Christian parents. Initially educated at home, his
parents soon sent him to Rome to further his intense desire for
intellectual learning. There he studied and excelled at grammar, Latin
and Greek, rhetoric, and philosophy, and lived a deeply materialistic
life alongside his fellow students. Jerome was baptized in his late teen
years, as was the custom at the time, around the time he finished his
schooling.
After spending many years in travel and, notably,
discovering and investigating his extreme interest in monasticism,
Jerome’s life took a sudden turn. In the spring of 375, he became
seriously ill and had a dream that profoundly impacted him, because in
it he was accused of being a follower of Cicero – an early Roman
philosopher – and not a Christian. Afterwards, Jerome vowed never to
read any pagan literature again – not even the classics for pleasure. He
separated himself from society and left to become a hermit in the
desert so as to atone for his sins and dedicate himself to God. Having
no experience of monasticism and no guide to direct him, Jerome suffered
greatly and was often quite ill. He was plagued terribly with
temptations of the flesh and would impose harsh penances on himself to
repress them. While there, he undertook the learning of Hebrew, as an
added penance, and was tutored by a Jewish convert. When controversy
arose among his fellow monks in the desert concerning the bishopric of
Antioch, Jerome left to avoid the tension of the position he found
himself in.
Having developed a reputation as a great scholar and
ascetic, Jerome was ordained to the priesthood by the persuasion of
Bishop Paulinus, on the condition that he be allowed to continue his
monastic lifestyle and not be obliged to assume pastoral duties.
In
382, he was appointed as secretary to Pope Damascus, who urged him to
undertake a Latin translation of the Bible from its original Greek and
Hebrew origins.
After the death of the Holy Pontiff, Jerome left
Rome for the Holy Land with a small group of virgins who were led by his
close friend, Paula. Under his direction, Paula established a monastery
for men in Bethlehem and three cloisters for women. Jerome remained at
this monastery until his death around A.D. 420, only leaving
occasionally for brief trips. He is the patron saint of librarians and
translators.
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