ST JEROME

Biography

St Jerome was born on 357Ad and died on 420 Ad. He was the second most prolific writer of the Catholic writers

In 375 Jerome became deathly ill and had a dream that would have a great impact on his life. In this dream, Jerome was put in front of a holy court and accused of being a follower of Cicero (a Roman philosopher), and not a Christian; for this crime he was horribly whipped. He began writing commentaries on the bible after this event.

Jerome did most of his writing work in the last 34 years of his life. He wrote some historical pieces, and a few biographies. The most significant of all these writing was finishing the work he'd begun on the Gospels using the best editions. Saint Jerome translated a lot of books of the Old Testament into Latin. While he did a significant amount of work, Jerome failed to make a full and complete translation of the Bible into Latin however, his work formed the center of what would become, the accepted Latin translation of the bible known as The Vulgate.

Patronage

St Jerome is the patron saint of archeologists, archivists, Bible scholars, librarians, libraries, school children, students, and translators.

Quotes

"Virginity can be lost by a thought

"Love is not to be purchased, and affection has no price

Personal Analysis

Reading about how prolific he was in his writings made me realize that I need to put more effort into things that I do. His quotes also taught me a lot about friendship, love, and how we should stay busy to avoid being tempted by the devil.

Prayer

O Lord, show Your mercy to me and gladden my heart. I am like the man on the way to Jericho who was overtaken by robbers, wounded and left for dead. O Good Samaritan, come to my aid. I am like the sheep that went astray. O Good Shepherd, seek me out and bring me home in accord with Your will. Let me dwell in Your house all the days of my life and praise You for ever and ever with those who are there. Amen.

QUESTIONS

• When was St Jerome born?
• What was he the Patron Saint of?
• When did he do most of his writing?
• What was the latin translation of the Bible called?
• What happened to him in his dream?