JEROME, SAINT (Eusenres HIERONYMUS SOPIIRONIUS), one of the Fathers of the Church, and accounted the most learned of all the Latin Fathers. lie was well acquainted with both the Greek and Hebrew languages.
His era was from 840, about which time he was born, to 420, in which year he died. Ho was a native of Paunonia, but came early to Rome, where be stndied under the grammarian Doman!. When he had received baptism in token of his professing the Christian faith, he entered upon a long course of traveL He visited Gaul, where he remained some time, and afterwards travelled In Thrace, Pontus, Bithynla, Galatia, and Cappadocia. When he was about thirty be begau to be noted for his theological knowledge. In a retiremeut which he bad chosen for himself In Syria, he was disturbed ou a suspicion of the want of perfect eoundnose in the faith. This deter mined him to go to Jerusalem, and there apply himself to the study of the Hebrew language as the best means of enabling him to under stand the Scripture. rightly, Hut only of the Old, but also of the New Testament. In 382 he returned to Rome, having spent some thee at Constantinople on his way, where at that time lived St. Gregory of Nszianzus, a celebrated preacher. At Rome he became secretary to Pope Demme. There appear to be circumstances in the life of Jerome at this period which are not cleared up. It is however certain that Sericlus, the successor of DRUMM', had not the same esteem for him which Denman. had, and that Jerome left Rome and returned to the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. There he took up his abode in a monastery at Bethlehem.
In this retirement be employed himself in writing on the questions which theu divided the opinions of Christians, and there it is believed he died, at the age of eighty years.
Many of the writioga of Jerome have come down to us. Several of them aro merely controversial; but there are others of a more sterling and lasting value : these are, his treatise on the Lives and Writings of the elder Christian Fathers, and his Commentaries on the Prophetical Books of the Old Testament, on the Gospel of St. Matthew, and several of St. I'aul'a Epistles. His Epistles amount, in the cditiou of Vallarsius, to 150 in number. But what may be regarded as his greatest work is a translation of the books of both the Old and New Testament Into Latin. This tmnslatiou has been always highly valued in the Latiu Church, and is that known in the Church by the name of the Vulgate. It is a question amongst the learned how far, and whether at all, he embodied an cider Italic version iu his translation. If it was tho first effort at bringing tho Scriptures within the reach of the great multitude who knew no other langusee than the Latin, it was a great and noble work, which ought to place its author high amongst the benefactors of mankind. Bishop Warburton says of Jerome, that "he is the only Father that can be called a critio ou the sacred writings, or who followed a just or reasonable method of criticising." A treatise of his was one of the first books printed in England. The best edition of his works is that of Vallannue, in 10 vole. foe, Verona, 1734-42; reprinted by Veuet in 1766, in 11 vole. 4to., Paris.