St. Jerome’s Exegetical Authority in Erasmus of Rotterdam’s Annotations on the New Testament

Abstract

The publication in 1516 of Erasmus of Rotterdam’s New Testament and his edition of St. Jerome invites an exploration of his concept and deployment of this Church Father’s exegetical authority. A thorough analysis of Erasmus’s Annotations on the New Testament shows that he appealed to Jerome among other Fathers and on his own. Jerome figures primarily in the main business of the Annotations: the establishment of a correct Latin translation of the text of the New Testament. His role in the theological dimension of exegesis is secondary. Erasmus’s use of Jerome as authoritative support for his exegetical judgments as well as his criticisms of Jerome have the effect of asserting his credentials as an authoritative exegete.