JEROME’S PREFACES.

as the saying goes, they wish to curse me with their eyes, and they do not imitate the zeal and goodwill of the Greeks. For the Greeks—even after the Seventy translators The Septuagint (LXX), the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible and now that the Gospel of Christ is shining forth—still carefully read the Jewish and Ebionite A Jewish-Christian sect interpreters of the Old Law, namely Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion. Through the labor of Origen in the Hexapla A massive six-columned comparative Bible created by the scholar Origen, they have dedicated these works to the churches. How much more grateful should the Latins be to see exultant Greece borrowing something from them? For first, it is a matter of great expense and infinite difficulty to be able to have all the copies of these texts; then, even those who have them and are ignorant of the Hebrew language will wander further into error, not knowing which of the many translators spoke most truly. This even happened recently to a certain very wise man among the Greeks, who occasionally abandoned the sense of the Scripture to follow the error of each individual interpreter. But I, who have at least a small knowledge of the Hebrew language, and for whom Latin speech is not lacking, can better judge the others and bring forth in our own language those things which I myself understand. Therefore, though the hydra A multi-headed monster from Greek myth, used here to represent his many critics may hiss, and the victorious Sinon A Greek spy who tricked the Trojans; here Jerome uses the name to represent a deceitful attacker may hurl his fires: my eloquence, with the help of Christ, shall never be silent; even a severed tongue will stammer out its message. Let those who wish to, read it; let those who do not, cast it away. Let them toss the letters to the wind and slander the writing; I will be provoked to study more by your charity than I will be deterred by their detraction and hatred.

Preface by the same author to Chromatius and Heliodorus, regarding the Book of Tobit.

I do not cease to wonder at the persistence of your demand; for you require that I bring a book written in the Chaldean language Jerome uses "Chaldean" to refer to Aramaic into the Latin style; specifically the book of Tobit, which the Hebrews, cutting it out from the catalog of Divine Scriptures, have handed over to those books they call "Hagiographa" Literally "Holy Writings," though here Jerome refers to the books outside the official Hebrew canon. I have satisfied your desire, though not my own inclination. For the studies of the Hebrews also rebuke us, and they charge us with transferring these things to Latin ears against their own canon. But judging it better to displease the judgment of the Pharisees and to serve the commands of Bishops, I persisted as best I could. And because the Chaldean language is close to Hebrew speech, I found a speaker very skilled in both languages and took up one day's labor. Whatever he expressed in Hebrew words, I, having summoned a scribe, set forth in Latin speech. I will count your prayers as the reward for this work, once I learn from you that I have completed what you deigned to command.

Preface by the same author regarding the book of Judith.

Among the Hebrews, the book of Judith is read among the "Hagiographa": its authority is judged less suitable for strengthening those things which come into dispute. However, being written in the Chaldean language, it is counted among the histories. But because the Council of Nicaea The famous Church council of 325 AD is said to have counted this book in the number of Holy Scriptures, I have acquiesced to your request, or rather your demand. Setting aside the occupations by which I was vehemently restrained, I gave to this work a single night's study, translating sense for sense rather than word for word. I have cut away the most faulty variety of many manuscripts; on-

-ly those things which I could find in the Chaldean words with their meaning intact have I expressed in Latin. Receive Judith the widow, an example of chastity, and declare her with perpetual praises in triumphal honor. For the Rewarder of her chastity gave her as an example to be imitated not only by women but also by men, and granted her such virtue that she conquered one whom no man could defeat, and overcame the unsurpassable.

Preface by the same author regarding the book of Esther.

It is well known that the book of Esther has been corrupted by various translators; I, bringing it out from the archives of the Hebrews, have translated it more expressively word for word. The "common edition" The Old Latin version used before Jerome's drags this book along with ragged endings of words here and there, adding things that could have been said or heard at the time—just as is customary in school exercises where, a theme having been taken, one imagines what words a person who suffered an injury or committed an injury might have used. But you, O Paula and Eustochium, since you have endeavored to enter the libraries of the Hebrews and have witnessed the struggles of the interpreters, hold the Hebrew book of Esther and look at our translation word by word; so that you may recognize that I have added nothing at all, but have simply, with faithful testimony, delivered the Hebrew history to the Latin language just as it is held in Hebrew. We neither seek the praises of men, nor do we dread their insults. For caring to please God, we do not fear the threats of men at all; since "God scatters the bones of those who desire to please men," and according to the Apostle: "Those who are of this sort cannot be servants of Christ." Furthermore, in the book of Esther, we have marked the alphabet in red ink as far as the letter Teth in various places, wishing to suggest the order of the Seventy interpreters The Septuagint to the studious reader. For we preferred, according to the Hebrew custom, to follow the order even in the edition of the Seventy.

Preface by the same author regarding the book of Job.

I am forced to respond to the curses of adversaries through every single book of the Divine Scripture. They accuse my translation of being a rebuke of the Seventy interpreters—as if Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion among the Greeks had not also expressed a type of translation either word for word, or sense for sense, or a tempered middle-ground of both; and as if Origen had not marked all the volumes of the Old Instrument The Old Testament with "obeli" and "asterisks." These marks, which he either added or took from Theodotion, he inserted into the ancient translation, proving that what was added was previously missing. Therefore, let my detractors learn to accept in the whole what they have accepted in parts, or else erase my translation along with their own asterisks Star-shaped marks used to indicate text found in Hebrew but missing in the Greek Septuagint. For it cannot be that they accept that those translators left many things out, yet do not also admit that the same men erred in certain places—especially in Job. If you withdraw from Job those things which were added under the asterisks, the greatest part will be mutilated; and this is true at least among the Greeks. Furthermore, among the Latins, before that translation which we recently published with asterisks and "obeli" Marks (—) used to indicate text present in the Greek but missing in the original Hebrew, nearly seven hundred or eight hundred verses were missing; so that the shortened, mangled, and gnawed-away book displayed its foulness publicly to those read-