Prologue.

Here begins the preface of Saint Jerome, the priest, to the Pentateuch of Moses.

English (from Latin)

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I have received the desired letters of my Desiderius Latin: Desiderii; Jerome is punning on his friend's name, which means "Desired One", who by a certain foreshadowing of things to come, has shared a name with Daniel In the book of Daniel, the prophet is called a "man of desires": he entreats me to hand over to the ears of our people the Pentateuch PentateuchThe first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, translated into the Latin tongue from the Hebrew speech. It is certainly a dangerous work and open to the barks of my detractors, who assert that I am forging new things for old to the disparagement of the Seventy Translators The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible traditionally attributed to seventy or seventy-two Jewish scholars. They test my talent like one tastes wine—yet I have very often testified that I offer what I can for my small portion in the tabernacle of God, and that the riches of one are not defiled by the poverty of others.

What provoked me to dare this was the zeal of Origen A 3rd-century scholar who created the Hexapla, a massive comparative edition of the Old Testament, who mixed the translation of Theodotion into the ancient edition, distinguishing the whole work with an asterisk original: asterico; a star symbol marking text present in Hebrew but missing in Greek and an obelus original: obelo; a horizontal line or "spit" marking text present in Greek but missing in Hebrew, as if using a star and a spit. In doing so, he either makes light shine upon what was previously missing, or he slashes and pierces through everything superfluous—especially those things which the authority of the Evangelists and Apostles has proclaimed. In their writings, we read many things from the Old Testament which are not found in our manuscripts Referring to the Old Latin versions based on the Septuagint. Such as that: Out of Egypt I called my son Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15. And: Since he shall be called a Nazarene Matthew 2:23. And: They shall look on him whom they have pierced Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37. And: Rivers of living water shall flow from his belly John 7:38. And: Things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love him 1 Corinthians 2:9.

There are many other things which require their own specialized study. Let us ask those critics where these things are written; and when they cannot say, let us bring them forth from the Hebrew books. The first testimony is in Hosea; the second in Isaiah; the third in Zechariah; the fourth in Proverbs; the fifth likewise in Isaiah. Many, being ignorant of this, follow the ravings of the apocrypha and prefer Iberian lullabies original: hiberas nenias; a dismissive reference to Gnostic or heretical texts circulating in Spain to the authentic books.

It is not for me to explain the causes of the error. The Jews say it was done by a prudent plan, so that Ptolemy King Ptolemy II of Egypt, who commissioned the Septuagint, a worshiper of one God, might not discover a double divinity among the Hebrews. They did this primarily because it seemed to fall in line with the teachings of Plato. Finally, wherever the Scripture testifies to something sacred concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, they either trans-

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-lated it differently, or remained completely silent, so that they might both satisfy the king and not make public the secret of the faith.

And I do not know who was the first author to construct with his lie the story of the "seventy cells" at Alexandria A legend that the 72 translators were locked in separate rooms and produced identical translations by divine inspiration, in which they were divided and yet wrote the same things; whereas Aristeas, the shield-bearer original: hyperaspistes of that same Ptolemy, and Josephus A famous Jewish historian long after, recorded no such thing. Instead, they write that the translators, having been gathered in a single hall, compared their work and did not "prophesy." For it is one thing to be a prophet and another to be a translator. In the former, the Spirit predicts things to come; in the latter, learning and an abundance of words translate those things that the translator understands.

Unless, perhaps, we must think that Cicero original: Tullius translated Xenophon's Oeconomicus, and Plato's Pythagoras, and Demosthenes' Speech for Ctesiphon while under the influence of a rhetorical spirit! Otherwise, the Holy Spirit wove the testimonies of the same books one way through the Seventy translators, and another way through the Apostles—so that the Apostles would have lied when they wrote that something was "written" which the others had kept silent.

What then? Do we condemn the ancients? Not at all. But after the studies of those who came before us in the house of the Lord, we labor as much as we can. They translated before the coming of Christ, and because they did not know, they expressed their meanings in doubtful sentences. We write after his passion and resurrection—not so much prophecy as history. For things heard are told one way; things seen, another. What we understand better, we also express better.

Therefore, listen, O rival; hear me, O detractor! I do not condemn, I do not rebuke the Seventy; but I confidently prefer the Apostles to all of them. Through their mouths, Christ speaks to me; I read that they were placed among the spiritual gifts before the prophets, while translators occupy almost the very last rank. Why are you twisted with envy? Why do you stir up the minds of the ignorant against me? If I seem to you to err anywhere in my translation, ask the Hebrews; consult the teachers of various cities. What they have concerning Christ, your manuscripts do not have. It is a different matter if they later confirmed the testimonies used against them by the Apostles, or if the Latin copies are more correct than the Greek, or the Greek than the Hebrew!

But these things are against the envious. Now I beseech you, dearest Desiderius, that since you have made me undergo such a great work and take my beginning from Genesis, you may help me with your prayers; so that I might be able to translate these books into the Latin language by the same Spirit with which they were written.