Jerome, Letter 152, to Riparius – online in English

Another previously untranslated letter of St Jerome, to the same as last time.

152. To Riparius.

To the truly holy lord and most worthy and longed-for brother Riparius, from Jerome.

The arrival of the holy and venerable priest Innocent has afforded me much joy, because he both delivered your letter to me, and also he demonstrated with his own words that that you are busy in a zeal of faith. But do not trouble yourself too much about the raging of Julian and his associates along with the rubbish of Pelagius, and the loquacity of Caelestius, one of whom blasphemes with his own verbosity, the other speaks with words begged from others. Nor am I moved by their writings, which I do not know, although I do know that these have indeed a wretched purpose of blasphemy, but lack strength of wisdom and eloquence, and especially they lack knowledge of the holy scriptures (which are the foundation of the faith), the law of the ecclesiastical court, and the authority of the ancients. However if they do write something and it comes into my hands, (not to speak arrogantly, but to be equal to their insanity), I suppose that all their volumes with the same verbosity, over which they have burned the midnight oil, will have to be refuted with perhaps a single session of late-night study and a single dictation. But in urging me to write, you place a heavy burden on a little old donkey. For both sharpness of mind and strength of body have utterly deserted us, which we have lost through the constant weakening caused by illness. May the mercy of Christ our God keep you safe and mindful of me, O truly holy lord and much longed-for brother.

Here’s the Latin:

CLII. AD RIPARIUM.

Domno vere sancto et multum suscipiendo et desiderando fratri Ripario Hieronymus.

Multum mihi gaudii praestitit sancti et venerabilis Innocenti presbyteri adventus, quod et tuas mihi litteras tradidit et te fidei calore ferventem etiam suis sermonibus indicavit. De furore autem Juliani et sociorum eius Pelagiique naeniis, et garrulitate Caelestii magnopere non cures, quorum alter propria verbositate blasphemat, alius emendicatis verbis loquitur, nec eorum scriptis, quae ignoro, moveor, cum sciam voluntatem quidem blasphemiae pessimam, sed vires prudentiae et eloquentiae non habere, praecipueque sanctarum scripturarum notitiam, quae sunt fidei firmamentum, et ius ecclesiastici fori, auctoritasque maiorum; tamen, si scripserint et in meas aliquid pervenerit manus, ut non superbe loquar, sed sim par insaniae eorum, omnia elucubrata volumina eadem verbositate et una forsitan lucubratiuncula et dictatione confutanda reor. Quod autem ad scribendum cohortaris, grave asello vetulo imponis onus; nos enim et acumen ingenii et vires corporis penitus deseruerunt, quas assidua morborum debilitate perdidimus; incolumem te et mei memorem Christi, Dei nostri, tueatur clementia, domne vere sancte et multum desiderande frater.

These two letters to Riparius suggest that the death of Eustochium left Jerome and his community in a parlous position, without the political and financial support of this important noblewoman.

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