Born an Old Man

"Exsiccatum est faenum cecidit flos verbum autem Dei nostri stabit in aeternum." Is. 40:8 

"The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen: but the word of our Lord endureth for ever." Is. 40:8

Jerome was the grumpy old man at church. The one who knows what he’s talking about, but everyone rather wishes he didn't.  And Jerome is only the name you use to talk about him behind his back. His real name’s Sophronius Eusebius Hieronymus. That’s Mr. Hieronymus to you.

Born to a wealthy Italian family in AD 342 (or thereabouts), little Jerome is said to have been “born an old man,” assuming himself to be older and more established than his contemporaries. From an early age, Jerome’s great academic potential was recognized, and he soon acquired a taste for classical writers, a love that was to him a guilty pleasure throughout his life.

Following the completion of his education in Rome, Jerome committed to the monastic life, although it wasn't quite as solitary as he initially imagined. The year 374 found him in the desert of Chalcis, where he lived in a hermit’s cell and debated (or quarreled) over theological matters with his fellow hermits. During this time, in an effort to distract himself from the life he’d left behind, Jerome took up the serious study of Greek and Hebrew, knowledge that would aid him in the most significant tasks of his life.

It wasn't long before Jerome returned to Rome, where he served as the private secretary to Bishop Damasus, the man who would later encourage him to start work on his greatest contribution to the church. During his time there, Jerome was a little less than tactful in his interactions with other clerics and scholars, and he gained the disdain of many peers. A few years later, he would even go so far as to  write snobbishly to one of the few men who would surpass him: a young whippersnapper named Augustine. Even so, he did make the effort to establish a monastery and a convent with the help of his close friend Paula.

But what made the life of this chronically old man of lasting worth? His translation of the Scriptures into the common tongue: Latin.

By the fourth century, Latin had come to be the primary language of the Western church, and although there existed several translations of the Bible in the language, none were based on the original Hebrew texts. Jerome’s greatest efforts were, therefore, spent on the translation of the Old Testament, a task that he found frustrating in light of the coarseness of the Hebrew language. In a letter to Paula, he laments that “every elegance of speech, and beauty of Latin expression, the hissing sound of reading Hebrew has sullied.” Even so, he completed his task with impressive accuracy, in light of his solo endeavor. Unlike the Old Testament, his New Testament was not an entirely new translation, but rather a detailed revision of the then current Vetus Latina.

This translation was not immediately well received, however, and it wasn't until after his death that the Latin Vulgate (as it came to be known), would find favor as the standard translation for the Latin-speaking church.

But who cares? Latin’s now a dead language. Jerome himself is dead. Why does his memory and work continue to matter? Let me end by proposing a few possibilities:

1)   On the basest level, he reminds us that the grouchy old man down the pew may be worth a little more respect than we’d like to give him credit for. Jerome’s efforts to learn Greek and Hebrew for the primary purpose of translating the Bible is worthy of admiration and provides an example of the great lengths to which our Christian forerunners have gone in order to provide us with the dusty Bibles on our shelves. In light of this, what effort do we make to understand and treasure the gift that is God's Word? The work's been done for us, all we have left to do is take and read.

2)   Considering it’s one of the most significant translations of Scripture ever made, the Vulgate was initially frowned upon by its recipients, largely because of its newness. And this is no isolated incident. Wycliffe, Tyndale, and even the original King Jamesers faced similar opposition. Although it’s important to be cautious and discerning when it comes to theological and Scriptural matters, we must be careful in our quick rejection of the unfamiliar. After all, is not our ultimate goal the spread of the gospel to the glory of God? Or have we allowed our nitpicky nature and personality preferences to distract and divide us from unity in our God?

"Vivus est enim Dei sermo et efficax et penetrabilior omni gladio ancipiti." Heb. 4:12

"For the word of God is living and effectual and more piercing than any two edged sword." Heb. 4:12