Portrait of Saint Jerome
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Saint Jerome

Feast Day

September 30

Born

c. 347

Died

September 30, 420

Canonized By

Pre-Congregation

Biography


Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus was born in Dalmatia. A brilliant scholar, he went to Rome to study grammar and rhetoric, living a worldly life before experiencing a profound conversion. He lived as a hermit in the Syrian desert, mastering Hebrew. Pope Damasus commissioned him to translate the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. Jerome moved to Bethlehem, living in a cave near the site of the Nativity, and spent 40 years producing the Latin Vulgate—the standard Bible of the Western Church for over a millennium. Known for his fierce temper and blistering polemics against heretics, he engaged in famous literary disputes, notably with St. Augustine. He died in Bethlehem.

Miracles & Signs


  • Removing a thorn from a lion's paw, after which the lion became a loyal companion (Legendary)

Wisdom & Quotes


Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best.
A friend is long sought, hardly found, and with difficulty kept.