Writings and Legacy

Jerome was one of the most outstanding scholars of the early church. He produced a vast amount of work, including biblical translations, commentaries and homilies on Scripture, translations of other writings, historical treatises, theological essays, and numerous letters and miscellaneous works.

Jerome is most famous for his translations of the biblical texts into Latin from the original languages. While he may not have translated the whole Bible (he translated most of the Old Testament and the Gospels, and there is debate about whether he translated the remainder of the New Testament or not), his translations eventually were adopted and later became part of the version known as the Vulgate, which was the standard translation for the Roman church until modern times. He also questioned the inclusion of the Apocrypha in the Bible.

Jerome produced numerous commentaries on biblical texts, including Matthew, Galatians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Titus in the New Testament, and Ecclesiastes, and the Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. His commentary on Jeremiah was unfinished at the time of his death. He also published questions on the Hebrew text of Genesis, notes on the Psalms, and homilies on the Psalms and the Gospel of Mark. He translated into Latin a number of Origen’s homilies and commentaries, Didymus the Blind’s work on the Holy Spirit, and Eusebius’ onomasticon on biblical sites. He also translated Eusebius’ Chronicle and expanded it from its original ending (which only included events up to ad 325) to include additional events up to Jerome’s day (in ad 378). He also translated the Rule of Pachomius, and some letters of Epiphanius of Salamis and Theophilus of Alexandria. He compiled De Viris Illustribus (“On Illustrious Men”), a catalog of 135 ecclesiastical writers. He wrote biographies of saints including Paul of Thebes, Hilarion of Gaza, and Malchus. He produced an onomasticon of biblical personal names.

His theological essays and personal correspondence engaged in many controversies of his day. He engaged in attacks against Arianism, Origenism, and Pelagianism. He also engaged in theological controversies with many of the leading figures of his day, including Lucifer of Cagliari, Helvidius, Jovinian, Vigilantius, John of Jerusalem, Rufinus, and even Augustine of Hippo. His correspondence also includes other concerns such as scriptural interpretation, monasticism, clergy, virginity, widowhood, his translation practices, and funeral eulogies. For more detailed descriptions of Jerome’s works, see Gribomont (“Jerome,” 431) and Moreschini and Norelli (Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature, 302–20).