RUFINUS was born about the middle of the fourth century, at Concordia, an inconsiderable town in Italy. At first he applied himself to the belles lettres, and particularly to the study of eloquence. To accomplish himself in this elegant art, he removed to Aquileia, a town at that time so celebrated that it was called a second Rome. Having made himself acquainted with the polite literature of the age, he withdrew into a monastery, where he devoted himself to the study of theology. Whilst thus occupied, St Jerome happened to pass through Aquileia. Rufinus formed an intimate friendship with him; but, to his inexpressible grief, he was soon deprived of the company of his new friend, who continued his travels through France and Germany, and then set out for the East. Rufinus, unable to bear his absence, resolved to follow him. Accordingly, he embarked for Egypt; and having visited the hermits who inhabit the deserts of that country, he repaired to Alexandria to hear the renowned Didymus. Here he was gratified with a sight of St Melania, of whose virtue and charity he had heard much. The sanctity of his manners soon obtained the confidence of St Melania, which continued without interruption during their residence in the East, a period of thirty years. The Arians, who swayed the ecclesiastical sceptre in the reign of Valens, persecuted Rufinus with great cruelty. They threw him into a dungeon, loaded him with fetters, and, after almost starving him to death, banished him to the deserts of Palestine. But from this exile he was relieved by the pecuniary aid of St Melania, who employed her wealth in ransoming those confessors who had been condemned to prison or banishment.
St Jerome, supposing that Rufinus would immediately proceed to Jerusalem, wrote to one of his friends there congratulating him on the prospect of so illustrious a visitor. To Jerusalem he accordingly proceeded, and having built a monastery on the mount of Olives, he there assembled a great number of hermits, whom he animated to virtue by his exhortations. He converted many to the Christian faith, and persuaded more than four hundred hermits who had taken part in the schism of Antioch to return to the church. He also prevailed on many Macedonians and Arians to renounce their errors.
His attachment to the opinions of Origen set him at variance with St Jerome, who, being of a temper peculiarly irritable, not only retracted all the praises which he had lavished upon him, but loaded him with severe reproaches. Their disputes, which were carried to a very indecent height, tended to injure Christianity in the eyes of the weak. Theophilus, their mutual friend, settled their differences; but the reconciliation was of short continuance. Rufinus having published a translation of the principles of Origen at Rome, was summoned to appear before Pope Anastasius. He made a specious apology for not appearing, and sent a vindication of his work, in which he attempted to prove that certain errors, of which Origen had been accused, were perfectly consistent with the opinions of the orthodox. St Jerome attacked Rufinus's translation. Rufinus composed an eloquent reply, in which he declared that he was only the translator of Origen, and did not consider himself bound to sanction all his errors. Most ecclesiastical historians say that Rufinus was excommunicated by Pope Anastasius;
but for this no good evidence has been adduced. In 407 he returned to Rome; and the year after, that city being threatened by Alaric, he retired to Sicily, where he died in 410.