Synod of Carthage in 397, thus recognizing three centuries of use by followers of Christ. Jerome starts translating the Scriptures into Latin in 382 and finishes 23 years later. This translation, called the Latin Vulgate, remains the basic Bible for many centuries. Jerome Roman Empire declines. Germanic migrations (378-600) cause new languages to emerge. The Masoretes are special Jewish scribes entrusted with the sacred task of making copies of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) approximately