Jerome of Stridon: Biblical Scholar & Ascetic Hagiographer Flashcards
1
Q
How was Jerome and Origen connected?
A
Jerome came into conflict with Origen, his old master. Rufinis, his friend, remained loyal to Origen. Jerome was concerned about his reputation because much of his work was influenced by Origen. So he distanced himself from Origen and wrote against his old friend Rufinus.
2
Q
What were some of the highlights of Jerome’s life?
A
- he was baptised in Rome
- he made a journey to the east because he was interested in asceticism
- he learned greek
- wrote Vita Pauli (as his first work)
- he learns Hebrew
- In Rome: he produced the Vulgata (Latin translation of the Bible, turned to the Hebrew source for the OT)
- In Rome: he teaches women (related to asceticism)
- he moves to Bethlehem after pop Damasus’ death
- he runs a men’s monastry
- deepens his knowledge of Hebrew based on Origens hexapla
3
Q
What did Jerome write?
A
- predominantly on exegesis and asceticism
- trilogy of hagiographical (life of a saint) works: the Lives of Paul of Thebes, Hilarion and Malchus
- his own version of De viris illustribus, he discusses famous Christians
4
Q
What kind of person was Jerome?
A
He had a lot of fights with people due to his conflicted personality. He was internally conflicted on the nature of aceticism and he had the need to renounce polytheism in literature and culture.
