September 30 + Saint Jerome

Born around 340 as Eusebius Hieronymous Sophronius in present-day Croatia, Jerome was a priest, theologian, historian, prodigious letter-writer and Doctor of the Church renowned for his extraordinary depth of learning. But above all, Jerome was most famously known for being a Scripture scholar, translating most of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Latin. Jerome also wrote commentaries which are great sources of scriptural inspiration for us today. Saint Augustine said of him, “What Jerome is ignorant of, no mortal has ever known.”

Jerome is particularly important for having made the first translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Latin - a task which took him 30 years - which came to be called the Vulgate. The Vulgate is the Catholic Church's official version of the Bible which is still used in the Latin Church to this day.

In 382, Pope Damasus commissioned Jerome to translate the Hebrew versions of the Gospels into Latin. Jerome was the pope’s private secretary, but the task that Damasus gave Jerome was no political appointment. Jerome was indeed the very best choice.

Like any good translator, Jerome had a flair for languages. He was trilingual and could speak, write and read Latin, Greek and Hebrew — something that very few others could do. Jerome also studied Aramaic and could read it competently, but he admitted having a problem with pronunciation. He could speak Syriac and had some acquaintance with Arabic.

Jerome traveled extensively in Palestine, marking each spot of Christ’s life with an outpouring of devotion. Mystic that he was, he spent five years in the desert of Chalcis so that he might give himself up to prayer, penance, and study.

Finally, he settled in Bethlehem, where he lived in a cave. Jerome died on September 30, 420 in Bethlehem, and the remains of his body now lie buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.