അനുദിന വിശുദ്ധർ (Saint of the Day) September 30th – St. Jerome

അനുദിന വിശുദ്ധർ (Saint of the Day) September 30th – St. Jerome

St Jerome was born as Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus around 342 AD, in Stridon, Dalmatia. Today, the town would likely be in Croatia or Slovenia. Young Jerome learned Latin and Greek from Aelius Donatus. Little else is known of his childhood other than his parents were probably well-to-do and Christian. Despite their efforts to raise Jerome properly, the young man behaved as he chose. Around the age of 12 or so, Jerome traveled to Rome to study grammar, philosophy and rhetoric. By his own admission, he quickly forgot his morals. While he was not studying, Jerome pursued pleasure. In particular, he pursued women, even though he knew his behavior was wrong. To alleviate the feelings of guilt he often felt afterwards, Jerome would visit the crypts in Rome and imagine himself being ounished. He did so every Sunday. Jerome succeeded in frightening himself, but not in changing his ways. Fortunately, Jerome had as a companion, Bonosus, who was a Christian influence, persuaded him to become a Christian and change his ways for the better. Around 366, Jerome decided to become a Christian and was baptized by Pope Liberius. Now interested in theological matters, Jerome set aside secular matters to pursue matters of the faith. He traveled with Bonosus to Trier where there were schools for him to gain ecclesiastical training. In 370, he traveled close to home, ending up in a monastery at Aquileia, overseen by Bishop St. Valerian, who had attracted some of the greatest minds in Christendom. While in Aquileia, Jerome became friends with Rufinus, a monk renowned for his translations of Greek works into Latin. Jerome himself was developing his skills as a translator, a skill he developed during his time in the Roman catacombs, translating the inscriptions on the tombs. Following his time in Aquileia, Jerome traveled next to Treves, Gaul where he began to translate books for his own use. His goal was to build a personal library. He returned to Aquileia in 373. While there, Jerome and his friend Bonosus had a falling out and decided to part ways. Bonosus departed for an island in the Adriatic where he would live as a hermit for a time. Jerome traveled to the east, bound for Antioch by way of Athens. In 374, Jerome finally reached Antioch, after making several lengthy stops along the way. While in that city, Jerome began writing his first work, “Concerning the Seven Beatings.” During that same year, disease made Jerome ill while taking the lives of some of his companions. During his illness, Jerome had visions which made him even more religious. Jerome went into the desert to live for four years, living as a hermit southwest of Antioch. He was frequently ill during this time. After he emerged from his hermitage, Jerome was quickly embroiled in conflicts within the Church at Antioch. Jerome made clear that he did not want to become a priest, preferring instead to be a monk or a hermit. But Church officials in Antioch as well as Pope Damasus wanted him to be ordained. Jerome relented on the condition he would not be expected to serve in any ministry and would still be allowed to pursue his monastic life. He was subsequently ordained. Making the most of his freedom as a priest, Jerome traveled to Constantinople where he studied under St. Gregory of Nazianzus. After St. Gregory left Constantinople in 382, Jerome traveled to Rome for a council of the Church and met Pope Damasus, who made him his secretary. In the office, Jerome also promoted the ideal of aestheticism to everyone around him. Included in this group were women of the city of Rome who wanted to live saintly lives. Pope Damasus died in 384, and this exposed Jerome to criticism and controversy. Jerome was a sarcastic man of great wit. He became unpopular because of his attitude and made a number of enemies. Both prominent pagans who resented his promotion of the faith and fellow Christians who lacked his wit attacked him with vicious rumors. Eventually, Jerome decided to return to the Holy Land to escape the calumny in Rome. He headed east and arrived in Antioch in 386. Shortly after, Jerome was met by Paula, her daughter, and several other followers. They settled in Bethlehem and had a monastery built there which included dormitories for women. Jerome was a hard worker and he wrote extensively defending the virginity of Mary, which some clerics dared to question. Of all the things that made Jerome famous, nothing was so legendary as his translation of the Bible. Jerome began work while he was still in Rome under Pope Damasus. He spent his entire life translating the scriptures from Hebrew and Old Latin. Jerome died on September 30, 420. His death was peaceful and he was laid to rest under the Church of the Nativity. St Jerome is the patron saint of archaeologists, Biblical scholars, librarians, students and translators. His feast day is September 30.