On September 30, the Church celebrates Saint Jerome, considered one of the most erudite Fathers of the Western Church. He is the Saint who put all his vast erudition at the service of Sacred Scripture. The Vulgate, the first complete Latin translation of the Bible, represents the most challenging effort Jerome faced. Br GIOVANNI CLAUDIO BOTTINI, ofm Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "The term "Vulgate" - or also "Volgata" in Italian - which means "common", indicates the version commonly used in the Latin Church. The Vulgate grew out of the work and genius of St. Jerome." Dalmatian, of encyclopedic culture, St. Jerome retired to the desert near Antioch, the cradle of Christianity, living in penance. Then, having become a priest, he began an intense literary activity: in Rome he worked with Pope Damasus. After his death, Jerome retired to Bethlehem. In 386 St. Jerome settled near the Basilica of the Nativity to dedicate himself to the study of the Bible. The famous Latin version, which later became official in the Western Church, was of great importance for the transmission of the Scriptures. Going down the stairs of the Basilica of Saint Catherine we find a set of caves, all very close to each other. One, the main one and the most important, is the cave of the Nativity, the place of Jesus' birth. Next to it there is also the cave of Saint Jerome. Br EUGENIO ALLIATA, ofm Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "St. Jerome lived almost 40 years in Bethlehem: he arrived around 386 from Rome together with Paula, Eustochius and other companions. Jerome's brother also accompanied him. They settled in Bethlehem and never left. Before settling in Bethlehem, St. Jerome says that himself, Paula and the others visited all the other holy places in Palestine, but they never returned there a second time." Br EUGENIO ALLIATA, ofm Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "Just over 40 years: A time, however, that yielded extremely important results for the history of the Church. Especially for the history of the Western Church, where the language was Latin. From that moment on, everyone was able to use a translation of the Bible made directly from the original texts. St. Jerome believed that we should follow the Jewish truth, not the modifications made in later translations of the Bible. This idea is very modern, and today the first page of every Bible reads: "Translated from the original texts". It must be said that Saint Jerome had already had this valuable intuition in his time. One thousand five hundred years ago." An emotion for everyone. Even for Brother Alliata. Next to the cave where St. Jerome worked on the translation and lived as a hermit monk there is another cave, known as his tomb. As a matter of fact, his body is no longer here; his remains were moved to Rome by the Crusaders. The tomb remains as a reminder to Christians of his great importance. In addition to the tomb of St. Jerome there are also those of some of his companions: Paola and Eustochio. The Gutenberg Bible, in 1456, was the first printed book in history. St. Jerome's Vulgate was specifically chosen for this first edition. It is known as the 42-line Bible, and is divided only into chapters: versicles were introduced in 1527. Over the centuries it has come down to our days and remains the most widely read book in the world, translated and printed in all languages. Read More