Correspondence, 394-419

This translation into English of the extant correspondence between St Jerome at Bethlehem and St.

Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, presents these letters, written during the years 394-419, in chronological order.

This volume also contains explanatory notes for each of the 17 letters, as well as two letters from Jerome and Augustine relating to their correspondence, and an introduction discussing the main themes with which their correspondence deals: the relative merits of the Latin version of the Bible from the Septuagint and Jerome's new translation from the Hebrew Old Testament, the authority of Scripture, and the problem of the origin of the human soul.

The letters are illuminating for the history of the period when Christians had to combat many heretical movements as well as paganism.

On a more personal level, the correspondence also traces the vicissitudes of the friendship between Jerome and Augustine, the development of which was hindered by the practical problems involved in sending letters long distances and by Jerome's characteristic unwillingness to accept any criticism.