L’insegnamento di Girolamo sulla confutazione dell’eresia contenuto nelle sue Lettere

Abstract

Jerome’s Teaching on the Refutation of Heresy Contained in his Letters

In Jerome's work, Scripture played a huge and undeniable role. It was not only a source of knowledge of God, but also of teaching about Him. When fighting against current or emerging heresies, the Monk of Bethlehem most often resorted to the argument of Scripture. According to him, the rise of heresies is linked to a misinterpretation of Scripture. For the Author of the Vulgate, the Bible was also the main foundation for refuting hostile heresies. We can distinguish three ways according to which Stridonian showed the errors of the heresies described. The first, consisted in a misinterpretation of Scripture. In describing a heresy, Jerome showed its errors by quoting the relevant passage of Scripture. The second way was similar to the first. This time, the author of the Vulgate contrasted a given heresy with several quotations from Scripture, thus highlighting its contradiction. The third and final way was to challenge the biblical interpretation on which the heresy in question was based. This was to demonstrate the misinterpretation of a particular heresy. Combating hostile heresies was one of the main reasons that made Jerome realise the importance that an adequate translation of Scripture has. The Monk of Bethlehem believed that by taking care of the Word of God, there would be fewer heresies, and those that did arise could be effectively combated through appropriate tools, which Stridonian included the unification of translations of Scripture and its proper exegesis.