St. Jerome:
- Ken Kalis
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
Saint Jerome: the Man Who Fed Millions with the Word of God
I learned to read from the Bible, and it has been my constant companion for 79 years.
The King James Authorized version was the one I learned to read, and I read it still, every day.
But that version would not have been possible without Saint Jerome.
His work was the basis for Bede, Wyclif and Tyndate to give us the Book that has become the foundation of our culture and church.
People need to read the Bible in their own language. Why? To hear the words of Jesus, who said, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." - John 6:63
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This week, we remember one of the most influential figures in Christian history—Saint Jerome* (347-420). His life is a powerful story of transformation, devotion, and tireless commitment to Scripture. Known primarily for his monumental work on the Latin Vulgate, Jerome’s legacy is one that continues to nourish the Church to this day.
An asterisk after a name means the person is in my book SPIRITUAL LIVES.
Born in northern Italy around 347 AD, Jerome grew up speaking the local dialect and later studied in Rome, where he mastered Latin and picked up some Greek. Though baptized as a Christian, Jerome’s early life was marked by indulgence and the pursuit of pleasure. But conviction found him, in part, during his visits to the catacombs of Rome.
He described these visits vividly:
“Often I would find myself entering those crypts, deep dug in the earth… everything was so dark that almost it seemed as though the Psalmist's words were fulfilled, Let them go down quick into Hell. ... the very silence breathed a terror on my soul.”
– Commentary on Ezekiel, c. 40
Haunted by guilt and seeking something deeper, Jerome left Rome for Gaul, where Christian friends encouraged him to turn from classical pursuits and immerse himself in the study of God’s Word. His journey took a pivotal turn in 373 when he traveled east to Antioch. There, illness and the death of two companions brought him to a breaking point—and a breakthrough. He committed himself wholly to God and began studying the Bible in earnest, even learning Hebrew to get closer to the original texts.
He spent time as a hermit in the desert of Chalcis, struggling with both physical hardship and spiritual temptation. He wrote of that time:
“With no other company but scorpions and wild beasts... I many times imagined myself watching the dancing of Roman maidens... My face was pallid with fasting, yet my will felt the assaults of desire... I threw myself in spirit at the feet of Jesus, watering them with my tears.”
– Letter from the Desert
Returning to Rome in 382, Jerome began what would become the defining work of his life—a revision of the Latin Bible based on the best Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. But he didn’t stop there. He set out to translate the Old Testament—not from the Greek Septuagint as others had done, but from the original Hebrew. This was controversial. Even Augustine objected, believing the Septuagint to be divinely inspired. But Jerome persisted.
Eventually, he moved to Bethlehem, founded a monastery, and completed the Latin Vulgate in 405 AD. This was no mere academic project. Until that point, church leaders used Greek scriptures while everyday believers spoke Latin. Jerome’s Vulgate bridged that gap. For the first time, the Bible was truly in the people's language.
And what an impact it had.
For over a thousand years, the Vulgate was the Bible of the Western Church. It shaped theology, preaching, worship, and Christian thought. Even when the Reformers challenged parts of it, their very desire to make Scripture accessible to all echoed Jerome’s vision.
Jerome spent his final 15 years writing commentaries, producing more works than any other Latin Christian writer except Augustine. (354-430) He died September 30, 430, but his influence endures.
He once said, like the prophet Jeremiah*: (659?-599)
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…” (Jeremiah 15:16)
And he passed this Meal on to millions.
We owe him a great debt. Not just for the text he left behind, but for the example of someone who gave his mind, body, and soul to the Word of God. May we follow in his footsteps—not necessarily into deserts or monasteries, but into a deeper hunger for God’s Word and a greater desire to share it with others.
What stuck out to you in this article? I'd love to see your comments!
************************** read more biographies on my blog: https://www.kenkalis.com/blog
1 Thy Word is a lamp to my feet,
a light to my path alway,
to guide and to save me from sin,
and show me the heav'nly way.
Refrain:
Thy Word have I hid in my heart
that I might not sin against thee;
that I might not sin, that I might not sin,
thy Word have I hid in my heart.
2 Forever, O Lord, is thy Word
established and fixed on high;
thy faithfulness unto all men
abideth forever nigh. [Refrain]
3 At morning, at noon, and at night
I ever will give thee praise;
for thou art my portion, O Lord,
and shall be through all my days! [Refrain]
4 Through him whom thy Word hath foretold,
the Savior and Morning Star,
salvation and peace have been brought
to those who have strayed afar. [Refrain]
Author: Ernest O. Sellers (1908)
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Have you strayed afar? Let His Word bring you back to Jesus today!