Jerome and the Vulgate Gospels

Abstract

Abstract Abstract: This chapter revisits key questions concerning the Vulgate gospels and discusses their character as a revision in relation to Jerome’s preface and his linguistic abilities. Various examples of typical textual features and differences in comparison with the translation technique of the Old Latin Bible are presented together with key aspects of Jerome’s method of revision. The perennial challenge of identifying possible Latin and Greek templates will be met by looking at the methodological assumptions underlying previous suggestions. It is argued that these are mostly based on an outdated text-critical understanding of the New Testament manuscript tradition. Instead, a broader approach to the transmission of the Vulgate gospels will be favored, which is not limited to manuscripts but makes full use of biblical quotations in contemporaneous Christian writings.