JEROME, St, in Latin Hieronymus, a famous
doctor of the church, and the most learned of all the
Latin fathers, was the son of Eusebius; and was born
at Stridon, a city of the ancient Pannonia, about the
year 340. He studied at Rome under Donatus, the
learned grammarian. After having received baptism,
he went into Gaul, and there transcribed St Hilary's
book de Synodis. He then went into Aquileia, where
he contracted a friendship with Heliodorus, who pre-
vailed on him to travel with him into Thrace, Pontus,
Bithynia, Galatia, and Cappadocia. In 372 St Jerome
retired into a desert in Syria, where he was persecuted
by the orthodox of Melitus's party, for being a Sabel-
lian, because he made use of the word Hypostasias, which
had been used by the council of Rome in 369. This
obliged him to go to Jerusalem; where he applied him-
self to the study of the Hebrew language, in order to
receive a more perfect knowledge of the Holy Scrip-
tures; and about this time he consented to be ordained,
on condition that he should not be confined to any par-
ticular church. In 381, he went to Constantinople to
hear St Gregory of Nazianzen; and the following year
returned to Rome, where he was made secretary to Pope
Damasus. He then instructed many Roman ladies in
piety and the knowledge of the sciences, which exposed
him to the calumnies of those whom he zealously re-
proved for their irregularities; and Pope Siricius not
having all the esteem for him which his learning and
virtue justly entitled him to, this learned doctor left
Rome, and returned to the monastery of Bethlehem,
where he employed himself in writing against those
whom he called heretics, especially against Vigilantius
and Jovinian. He had a quarrel with John of Jerusa-
lem and Rufinus about the Origenists. He was the
first who wrote against Pelagius; and died on the 30th
of September 420, at about 80 years of age. There
have been several editions of his works; the last, which
is that of Verona, is in 11 vols. folio. His principal
works are, 1. A Latin version of the Holy Scriptures,
distinguished by the name of the Vulgate. 2. Commenta-
ries on the Prophets, Ecclesiastes, St Matthew's Gos-
pel, and the Epistles to the Galatians, Ephesians, Titus,
and Philemon. 3. Polemical treatises against Montanus,
Helvidius, Jovinian, Vigilantius, and Pelagius. 4. Se-
veral letters. 5. A treatise on the lives and writings of
the ecclesiastical authors who had flourished before his
time.—St Jerome's style is lively and animated, and
sometimes sublime.
JEROME of Prague, so called from the place of his
birth, in Bohemia. He was neither a monk nor
clergyman, but had a learned education. Having em-
braced the opinions of John Hus, he began to pro-
pagate them in the year 1480. In the mean time the
council of Nice kept a watchful eye over him, and
considering him as a dangerous person, cited him to
appear before them and give an account of his faith.
In obedience to this citation, he went to Constance;
but on his arrival, in 1415, finding Hus in prison, he
set out for his own country. Being seized, however,
on the way, imprisoned, and examined, he was so in-
timidated, that he retracted, and pretended to approve
of the condemnation of Wickliff's and Hus's opinions;
but on the 26th of May 1416, he condemned that
recantation in these terms: "I am not ashamed to
confess here publicly my weakness. Yes, with horror
I confess my base cowardice. It was only the dread
of the punishment by fire which drew me to consent,
against my conscience, to the condemnation of the doc-
trine of Wickliff and Hus." Accordingly sentence
was passed on him; in pursuance of which he was de-
livered to the secular arm, and burnt in 1416. He was
a person of great parts, learning, and elocution.