Jerome and the Latin Translation of the Bible
The accounts of Jesus and the church founded in his name comprise what we know today as the Bible’s New Testament. The written biographies of Jesus are known as the Gospels and the formal letters of guidance written to the early churches are known as the Epistles. The early decades of church history are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. During the first couple hundred years after Jesus, a variety of New Testament manuscripts individually worked their way through the Mediterranean region.
Jerome was born in the Roman province of Dalmatia around 347 AD. He moved to Rome as a teenager and studied Latin, history and theology. In 382, Pope Damasus I asked Jerome to produce one standard Latin text of the Bible. By this time, there were a number of Latin versions circulating around the region, many of which were poor quality. Damasus wanted the church to have a standard version to correct the errors and promote universal doctrine. By the time of Damasus’ death in 384, Jerome had completed the task of translating the four New Testament Gospels from the best available Greek texts into Latin.
After completing the Gospels, Jerome left Rome with some friends and made a pilgrimage of sorts from Syria to Egypt. By 388, Jerome was in Bethlehem, where he spent the rest of his life in a hermit’s cell. There, Jerome and a few assistants completed a Latin translation of the entire Bible in about 400 AD
Jerome’s Latin Translation of the Bible
Over the centuries, Jerome’s Latin translation was widely adopted within the church. By the 13th century, it was known as the “versio vulgata” – meaning, “the version commonly used.” In the 16th century, Jerome’s “Vulgate” was adopted as the official Latin Bible of the Catholic Church. Jerome’s contributions to Biblical scholarship were viewed so highly that he was honored with sainthood in many Christian traditions.
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