JEROME, St, in Latin Hieronymus, a celebrated 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 proceeded into Gaul, Jerome of Prague then went into Aquileia, where he contracted a friendship with Heliodorus, who prevailed 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 Melitius's party for being a Sabellian, because he made use of the word hypostasis, which had been employed by the council of Rome in 369. This obliged him to go to Jerusalem, where he applied himself to the study of the Hebrew language, in order to acquire a more perfect knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; and about this time he consented to be ordained, on condition that he should not be confined to any particular church. In 381, he went to Constantinople to hear Gregory 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 clemencies of those whom he zealously reproved for their irregularities; and Pope Siricius not having all the esteem for him to which his learning and virtue justly entitled him, 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 Vigiliantius and Jovinian. He had a quarrel with John of Jerusalem and Rufinus about the Origenists. St Jerome was the first who wrote against Pelagius. He died on the 30th of September 420, at about eighty years of age. There have been several editions of his works; the last, which is that of Verona, is in eleven vols. folio. His principal works are, 1. A Latin version of the Holy Scriptures, distinguished by the name of the Vulgate; 2. Commentaries on the Prophets, Ecclesiastes, St Matthew's Gospel, and the Epistles to the Galatians, Ephesians, Titus, and Philemon; 3. Polemical treatises against Montanus, Helvidius, Jovinian, Vigiliantius, and Pelagius; 4. Letters; 5. A treatise on the lives and writings of the ecclesiastical authors who had flourished before his time. The style of St Jerome is lively and animated, sometimes rising to the sublime.

Jerome of Prague, so called from the place of his birth in Bohemia. He was neither a monk nor a clergyman, but had received a learned education. Having embraced the opinions of John Huss, he began to propagate 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 Huss in prison, he set out for his own country. Being seized on the way, imprisoned, and examined, however, he was so intimidated that he retracted, and pretended to approve of the condemnation of the opinions of Wickliff and Huss. But he recanted his retraction, which, on the 26th of May 1416, he condemned 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 doctrine of Wickliff and Huss." Accordingly sentence was passed on him, in pursuance of which he was delivered to the secular arm, and burned, in 1416. He was a person of great parts, learning, and eloquence.

JERONYMITES, Hieronymites, a denomination given to various orders or congregations of religious persons, otherwise called Hermits of St Jerome.