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Jerome: His Life, Writings, and Controversies
Jerome was to medieval biblical and historical scholarship what his contemporary Augustine was to medieval a founding father whose works were revered for centuries. His knowledge of Greek and Hebrew equipped him to produce the Vulgate, the Latin version that was the official Bible of the Catholic church until recent decades. Jerome's biblical commentaries blended the insights of earlier writers with his own contributions. His translations and expansions of some of the works of Eusebius put all subsequent church historians in his debt. "A beautifully written book, its text marked by clarity of thought and elegance of expression, wide-ranging in its learning, yet delicately worked and immensely readable."
-E.D. Hunt, Journal of Roman Studies "A superb biography . . . so readable that it is easy to forget that practically every sentence is the fruit of research."
-W.H.C. Frend, New York Review of Books "A masterpiece of scholarship."
- Sunday Telegraph
-E.D. Hunt, Journal of Roman Studies "A superb biography . . . so readable that it is easy to forget that practically every sentence is the fruit of research."
-W.H.C. Frend, New York Review of Books "A masterpiece of scholarship."
- Sunday Telegraph
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
J.N.D. Kelly
15 books19 followersJohn Norman Davidson Kelly FBA (1909–1997) was a prominent academic within the theological faculty of Oxford University and Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford between 1951 and 1979 during which the Hall transformed into an independent constituent college of the University and later a co-educational establishment.
Early life
John Kelly was born in Bridge of Allan, Perthshire on 13 April 1909 and was the fourth of five children to his Scottish schoolmaster father and English mother. John was home-schooled by his father and graduated initially at the University of Glasgow after which he went up to Queen’s College, Oxford having secured a scholarship. At Queen’s he read classical moderations, Greats, and theology and graduated with first-class honours. Despite an upbringing as a Presbyterian he was confirmed into the Church of England and entered the ministry, attending St Stephen's House, Oxford before being made deacon in Northamptonshire.
Academic achievements
John Kelly was prominent in the theology faculty throughout his association with St Edmund Hall. He was speaker’s lecturer in biblical studies from 1945 to 1948 and subsequently held a university lectureship in patristic studies until 1976. He published widely, writing on the development of the early Christian Creeds and doctrines, his Early Christian Creeds and Early Christian Doctrines becoming standard secondary works and seminary textbooks; commentaries on the pastoral epistles; biographical studies, including studies of St Jerome and St John of Chrysostom; and The Oxford Dictionary of Popes . He was working on a companion volume to the Oxford Dictionary about archbishops when he died.
In the ecclesiastical world, he became a canon of Chichester Cathedral in 1948, a position he held until 1993. He presided over the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Roman Catholic Relations from 1963 until 1968 and accompanied the archbishop, Michael Ramsey on his historic visit to Rome in 1966. He was a founder member of the Academic Council of the Institute for Advanced Theological Studies in Jerusalem.
He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1951 and fellowship of the British Academy in 1965. He died a bachelor on 31 March 1997 and his cremated remains are interred in the antechapel of St Edmund Hall.
Early life
John Kelly was born in Bridge of Allan, Perthshire on 13 April 1909 and was the fourth of five children to his Scottish schoolmaster father and English mother. John was home-schooled by his father and graduated initially at the University of Glasgow after which he went up to Queen’s College, Oxford having secured a scholarship. At Queen’s he read classical moderations, Greats, and theology and graduated with first-class honours. Despite an upbringing as a Presbyterian he was confirmed into the Church of England and entered the ministry, attending St Stephen's House, Oxford before being made deacon in Northamptonshire.
Academic achievements
John Kelly was prominent in the theology faculty throughout his association with St Edmund Hall. He was speaker’s lecturer in biblical studies from 1945 to 1948 and subsequently held a university lectureship in patristic studies until 1976. He published widely, writing on the development of the early Christian Creeds and doctrines, his Early Christian Creeds and Early Christian Doctrines becoming standard secondary works and seminary textbooks; commentaries on the pastoral epistles; biographical studies, including studies of St Jerome and St John of Chrysostom; and The Oxford Dictionary of Popes . He was working on a companion volume to the Oxford Dictionary about archbishops when he died.
In the ecclesiastical world, he became a canon of Chichester Cathedral in 1948, a position he held until 1993. He presided over the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Roman Catholic Relations from 1963 until 1968 and accompanied the archbishop, Michael Ramsey on his historic visit to Rome in 1966. He was a founder member of the Academic Council of the Institute for Advanced Theological Studies in Jerusalem.
He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1951 and fellowship of the British Academy in 1965. He died a bachelor on 31 March 1997 and his cremated remains are interred in the antechapel of St Edmund Hall.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 10, 2023
Very well written and clear. While this biography is a bit older now, I still find it a very helpful guide to understanding Jerome's life and personality.
September 9, 2016
Kelly's portrait of this controversial monk, scholar, and polemicist is quite impressive. It is hard to gave a fair account of a man who was not fair to his friends, let alone his enemies. Jerome turned on the exegetes he valued the most and exaggerated his learning. Telling fact from fiction is not always easy, even for a seasoned scholar. In addition, Kelly points out that not much is known about the first half of Jerome's life.
I only have one criticism. A closer examination of Jerome's rhetoric and Latin style would have made this a 5-star work. Kelly mentions in the epilogue that Jerome was highly revered by Renaissance humanists such as Erasmus for his Latin style, but we are never given a stylistic analysis of Jerome's writing. Sometimes Jerome is accused of being credulous when perhaps he is simply playing with literary form. Letter 108, for example, is certainly much more than a biography of Paula or an account of her pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Here is a sample:
"After this Paula went a short distance down the hill to the tower of Edar, that is of the flock,' near which Jacob fed his flocks, and where the shepherds keeping watch by night were privileged to hear the words: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." While they were keeping their sheep they found the Lamb of God; whose fleece bright and clean was made wet with the dew of heaven when it was dry upon all the earth beside, and whose blood when sprinkled on the doorposts drove off the destroyer of Egypt and took away the sins of the world."
I only have one criticism. A closer examination of Jerome's rhetoric and Latin style would have made this a 5-star work. Kelly mentions in the epilogue that Jerome was highly revered by Renaissance humanists such as Erasmus for his Latin style, but we are never given a stylistic analysis of Jerome's writing. Sometimes Jerome is accused of being credulous when perhaps he is simply playing with literary form. Letter 108, for example, is certainly much more than a biography of Paula or an account of her pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Here is a sample:
"After this Paula went a short distance down the hill to the tower of Edar, that is of the flock,' near which Jacob fed his flocks, and where the shepherds keeping watch by night were privileged to hear the words: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." While they were keeping their sheep they found the Lamb of God; whose fleece bright and clean was made wet with the dew of heaven when it was dry upon all the earth beside, and whose blood when sprinkled on the doorposts drove off the destroyer of Egypt and took away the sins of the world."
September 30, 2015
When you cross Jerome's brutal satire with JND Kelly's dry wit, the result is overwhelming. Jerome's gifts were in style and work ethic and not really in profound thought. Even where he is atrociously wrong, he cannot help but be entertaining.
Jerome struggled with the passions and he hints some of those were sexual in nature (cf Letter 22.7). Unlike other monks who engaged in more bodily deprivations, Jerome found deliverance in learning a new language: Hebrew (Kelly 50, quoting letter 125).
Besides his translations and commnetaries, Jerome's key legacy to the church is his collection of letters. In them we see his response to a wide variety of pious practices. And Jerome's response is usually the same: study Scripture, commit to celibacy, and if you aren't on his good side, you get called names. It's funny, though.
Other aspects of his life were tragic. The fallout with Rufinus was unnecessary, since neither of the men held to Origen's heresies and both of the men acknowledged his spirituality.
This book isn't as key as Kelly's bio on Chrysostom, simply because Chrysostom is a much more important individual. Still, a wonderful biography.
Jerome struggled with the passions and he hints some of those were sexual in nature (cf Letter 22.7). Unlike other monks who engaged in more bodily deprivations, Jerome found deliverance in learning a new language: Hebrew (Kelly 50, quoting letter 125).
Besides his translations and commnetaries, Jerome's key legacy to the church is his collection of letters. In them we see his response to a wide variety of pious practices. And Jerome's response is usually the same: study Scripture, commit to celibacy, and if you aren't on his good side, you get called names. It's funny, though.
Other aspects of his life were tragic. The fallout with Rufinus was unnecessary, since neither of the men held to Origen's heresies and both of the men acknowledged his spirituality.
This book isn't as key as Kelly's bio on Chrysostom, simply because Chrysostom is a much more important individual. Still, a wonderful biography.
September 11, 2020
a magisterial biography of a man who, by all accounts and certainly this one, was a bit of an asshole and rather second-rate (if hard-working) in comparison to augustine, pelagius, et al. a great picture of christian rome in decline as seen through the eyes of a rural aristocrat headed to the holy land (and the rich women who followed him)
July 23, 2024
Fantastic! Some books need to be picked up at just the right time. I’ve had this book for almost ten years and glanced through it once or twice. But in alignment with some other things I’ve been studying, I picked it up, and this time, couldn’t put it down. Absolutely fascinating.
July 12, 2024
Friendship with Origen ended.
Augustine is now my best Friend
Augustine is now my best Friend
December 29, 2012
Walt Wallace and Rich Hyde, both friends from high school, attended Union Theological Seminary with me. Richard worked an internship for a while with Christianity in Crisis, located just across Broadway from Hastings Hall where we both lived. One of the perks there was having the ability to pick up review copies of books sent to the magazine. No one wanted this one apparently, so Richard gave it to me.
I had liked Kelly's Early Christian Doctrines quite a lot when we used it as a seminary textbook. It was, however, dense, dry and scholarly--not a light read. This biography is also quite scholarly. Indeed, it's probably the definitive biography of Jerome in English. However, being a biography, it's not as dry as the doctrinal volume. There's plenty about Jerome as the language student and translator, but there's also quite a bit about his personal life, including those troubles with the ladies which led him to leave Rome.
I had liked Kelly's Early Christian Doctrines quite a lot when we used it as a seminary textbook. It was, however, dense, dry and scholarly--not a light read. This biography is also quite scholarly. Indeed, it's probably the definitive biography of Jerome in English. However, being a biography, it's not as dry as the doctrinal volume. There's plenty about Jerome as the language student and translator, but there's also quite a bit about his personal life, including those troubles with the ladies which led him to leave Rome.
March 22, 2015
Fantastic!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews