⁷⁴³ This version, made in the reign of Hadrian by a Jewish proselyte who is said by some to have been a renegade Christian, was marked by an exaggerated literalism and a close following of the Hebrew original. By the Church it was regarded with suspicion as being designedly anti-Christian. Jerome, however, here acquits Aquila of the charge brought against him.

⁷⁴⁴ I.e. all the sapiential books, viz. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom.

⁷⁴⁵ Exod. i. 1, twmy hl)

A.V., "these are the names."

⁷⁴⁶ The name means runner. Hence the allusion to Gal. ii. 2.

⁷⁴⁷ XXX., XXXI.

⁷⁴⁸ Of the 490 books composed by this voluminous writer only two are extant, a treatise on husbandry and an essay on the Latin language.

⁷⁴⁹ The epithet xalkenteroj, "heart of brass," is applied by Suidas to the grammarian Didymus, who, according to Athenaeus, wrote 3,500 books. Of these not one is extant.

⁷⁵⁰ Which lasted 57 years.

⁷⁵¹ 'Adamontioj-Origen is so called by Eusebius (H. E. vi. 14, 10). It appears to have been his proper name.

⁷⁵² "They may have been detached essays on particular subjects."-Westcott.

⁷⁵³ All the works mentioned have perished except the treatise on First Principles, and this in its completeness is extant only in the Latin version of Rufinus. The version made by Jerome has perished.

⁷⁵⁴ Origen left Alexandria for good in 231 a.d., and it was in that or the following year that Demetrius convoked the synod which condemned not so much his writings as his conduct. He appears to have been excommunicated as a heretic.

⁷⁵⁵ For Origen's condemnation in a synod held at Rome this passage is the principal authority. It is more than doubtful whether such a synod ever met; if it did it must have been when Pontianus was pope, in 231 or 232 a.d. Jerome may only mean that the great men of Rome all agreed in this condemnation.

⁷⁵⁶ Both these philosophers were hedonists, and the latter was a sensualist as well. Jerome is probably satirizing the worldly clergy of Rome, just as in after-years he nicknames his opponent Jovinian "the Christian Epicurus."

⁷⁵⁷ Gen. xxii.

⁷⁵⁸ Gen. xxxvii., Gen. xlvi.

⁷⁵⁹ 2 K xx.; Isa. xxxviii.

⁷⁶⁰ Luke xxii. 54-62; Joh. xxi. 16.

⁷⁶¹ Gen. xlix. 27.

⁷⁶² Ps. lxviii. 27.

⁷⁶³ Acts ix. 3-18.

⁷⁶⁴ Cf. Mark i. 30, Mark i. 31.

⁷⁶⁵ John xi. 38, R.V. marg.

⁷⁶⁶ Joh. xi. 38-44.

⁷⁶⁷ Joh. xii. 2.

⁷⁶⁸ Joh. xii. 10.

⁷⁶⁹ Luke vii. 38.

⁷⁷⁰ Rom. vi. 11.

⁷⁷¹ Rom. vii. 2.

⁷⁷² Luke vii. 28.

⁷⁷³ Luke vii. 27. The word "angel" means "messenger."

⁷⁷⁴ Matt. iii. 4.

⁷⁷⁵ Rom. viii. 8.

⁷⁷⁶ 2 Cor. iii. 18, R.V.

⁷⁷⁷ Gen. iii. 14.

⁷⁷⁸ Matt. xvi. 23.

⁷⁷⁹ 1 Pet. v. 8.

⁷⁸⁰ Matt. iv. 18-22.

⁷⁸¹ Matt. ix. 9.

⁷⁸² Luke ix. 61, Luke ix. 62.

⁷⁸³ Matt. viii. 21.

⁷⁸⁴ Luke xiv. 26.

⁷⁸⁵ Cf. Letter LIV.

⁷⁸⁶ Pinguis aqualiculus-Pers. i. 57.

⁷⁸⁷ Matt. x. 25.

⁷⁸⁸ Jer. ix. 1.

⁷⁸⁹ Luke xix. 41.

⁷⁹⁰ Eccles. ix. 8.

⁷⁹¹ Luke xxiii. 43.

⁷⁹² Cf. Eccles. xii. 7.

⁷⁹³ John xi. 35, John xi. 36.

⁷⁹⁴ Job iii. 3: cf. Jer. xx. 14.

⁷⁹⁵ Jer. xv. 10.

⁷⁹⁶ Jer. xii. 1.

⁷⁹⁷ Ps. lxxiii. 2, 3, 11, 12, Vulg.

⁷⁹⁸ Ps. lxxiii. 15.