Jerome, Letter 151, to Riparius – online in English

I’ve just finished translating this previously untranslated letter, so I thought that I would post the results!  I append the Latin text, which is that of Hilberg in the CSEL, with his weird spelling normalised and a bit of tweaking of the punctuation.  The subject is the Origenist disputes.

151. TO RIPARIUS.
Jerome, to Riparius, truly holy lord, and a brother worthy of all respect.

1. From the reports of the many who come here, I have learned that you have fought bravely against the heretics and that you have triumphed in the battles of the Lord. For not only have they polluted Gaul and Italy with their deceptions and perjuries, but also the most famous city of Palestine, having a patron,** and the partner of his own master, the one whom the Lord Jesus killed with the spirit of his mouth [2 Thess. 2:8] and has left as an example for everyone of how dangerous it is to resist the Catholic faith and to try to overturn the foundations of the Church.

2. But where in the world your holiness may be in the future, or whether you will still dwell in the city, I cannot know, but let us nourish our friendship begun in Christ with frequent letters to each other, so that at least our rare annual correspondence does not cease. For us, the sudden death of the holy and venerable virgin of Christ Eustochium has saddened us greatly and it has almost changed the state of our way of living, because we are also unable to do many things that we would like, and the weakness of old age overcomes the fervour of our spirit.

3. The holy brothers who are with me greet you most warmly. I recommend to your favour my holy son, the deacon Theon, and I ask you to send me familiar writings about your entire way of living and state, and where you plan to live. May the mercy of Christ, our God, keep you safe and mindful of me, O truly holy and worthy brother.

The Origenists had powerful backers in the East, which is no doubt what is meant by the “patron”.

Here’s the Latin:

CLI. AD RIPARIUM.
Domino vere sancto et suscipiendo fratri Ripario Hieronymus.

1. Fortiter te contra haereticos dimicasse et domini vicisse certamina multorum advenientium relatione cognovi. Non solum enim Gallias et Italiam, sed et Palaestinae urbem celeberrimam suis fraudibus perjuriisque maculant, habentes patronum et consortem magistri sui, quem dominus Jesus interfecit spiritu oris sui et omnibus reliquit exemplum, quam periculosum sit catholicae fidei resistere, et ecclesiae cupere fundamenta subvertere.

2. Tua autem sanctitas ubinam sit futura vel utrum adhuc in urbe versetur, scire non possum, ut saltim rara scriptio per annos singulos non pereat, sed coeptas in Christo amicitias mutuis epistulis frequentemus: nos sanctae (ac) venerabilis virginis Christi Eustochiae repentina dormitio admodum contristavit et paene conversationis nostrae mutavit statum, dum quoque, quae volumus, multa non possumus et mentis ardorem superat imbecillitas senectutis.

3. Sancti fratres, qui mecum sunt, plurimum te salutant, sanctum filium meum Theonem diaconem commendo dignationi tuae et quaeso, ut mihi super omni conversatione et statu tuo, vel ubi disponas vivere, familiaria scripta transmittas; incolumem (te) et memorem mei Christi, dei nostri, tueatur clementia, domne vere sancte et suscipiende frater.

On with letter 152, also to Riparius.

Update: the letters translated here are now collected into a PDF and Word file here.