New Apostolic Letter dwells on St Jerome's love of Scripture

CTS edition

Source: Vatican News/CTS

With all the news of Pope Francis' latest encyclical, you may have missed his new Apostolic Letter: Scripturae Sacrae Affectus which commemorates the life and work of Saint Jerome.

Published on 30 September, the 1600th anniversary of the death of the great Doctor and Father of the Church, Pope Francis writes that St Jerome bequeathed to the Church "devotion to the Sacred Scripture, a 'living and tender love' for the written word of God."

"Jerome's profound knowledge of the Scriptures, his zeal for making their teaching known, his skill as an interpreter of texts, his ardent and at times impetuous defence of Christian truth, his asceticism and harsh eremitical discipline, his expertise as a generous and sensitive spiritual guide..all these make him, sixteen centuries after his death, a figure of enduring relevance for us, the Christians of the twenty-first century."

Reviewing the life of the fourth century saint, Pope Francis notes that Jerome devoted himself entirely "to Christ and His word," working unceasingly "to make the divine writings accessible to others. The Pope highlighted two dimensions of the saint's life especially: his "absolute and austere consecration to God," and "a commitment to diligent study, aimed purely at an ever deeper understanding of the Christian mystery."

Pope Francis dwells on Jerome's love of Scripture, which focused on the "humble character of God's revelation," more than on "the narrative and poetic genius of the Bible." Jerome approached the Scriptures in an even "more systematic and distinctive way" than the other early Christian Fathers, emphasizing the necessity of knowing the Bible in order to know Christ.

Jerome's study of the Scripture, the Pope says, was steeped in obedience, both to God Himself and "to those in the Church who represent the living Tradition that interprets the revealed message." But, Pope Francis insists, "The 'obedience of faith' is not, however, a mere passive reception of something already known; on the contrary it demands an active personal effort to understand what was spoken."

Pope Francis notes that many people find the Bible difficult to read - not because of illiteracy, but because they have not learned the skills necessary to make the sacred text intelligible.

"This shows the need for an interpreter," writes Pope Francis, adding, "Jerome can serve as our guide… because he leads every reader to the mystery of Jesus."

The Pope notes that Jerome's translation of the Scriptures into Latin helped to shape western culture. "Jerome's work of translation teaches us that the values and positive forms of every culture represent an enrichment for the whole Church," while at the same time witnessing "to the fact that the Bible continually needs to be translated into the linguistic and mental categories of each culture and generation."

Pope Francis also explains the importance of translation as a form of "hospitality": a translator, he writes, "is a bridge builder," helping people of different languages and cultures not only communicate with, but also understand one another.

Saint Jerome was also known for his deep devotion to Rome and to the Popes. "At a turbulent time in which the seamless garment of the Church was often torn by divisions among Christians, Jerome looked to the Chair of Peter as a sure reference point."

Jerome himself "was often involved in bitter disputes for the cause of the faith," which he often carried out with great passion. Nonetheless, although willing to fight vehemently for the faith, Jerome loved and desired peace. "Today more than ever," writes Pope Francis, "our world needs the medicine of mercy and peace."

Read the Apostolic Letter: http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2020/09/30/0498/01133.html#EN

The Letter has also now been published by CTS. To order a copy at £3.50, See: www.ctsbooks.org/product/scripturae-sacrae-affectus/