Jerome, Against Jovinianus 1.39.277c-d
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/345
Context
We know almost nothing about Jovinianus, a Christian who promulgated
heretical arguments concerning virginity, sex, baptism, sin, and punishment at Rome in the
late 380s. After the thorough and swift condemnation of this work by Pope Siricius, Jerome
received a copy from his associate Pammachius and responded with an exegetical critique. At
the end of his discussion of marriage and purity, Jerome cites the famous example of the
four virgin prophetesses of Caesarea.
Text
Dies me deficiet si
voluero omnia de castitate Apostoli praecepta memorare. Ista sunt de quibus ad apostolos
Dominus loquebatur, “Adhuc multa habeo vobis dicere, sed non potestis ea portare modo. Cum
autem venerit ille Spiritus veritatis, docebit vos omnem veritatem.” Post crucem Christi,
statim in Actis apostolorum una domus Philippi evangelistae quadrigam producit virginum
filiarum: ut Caesarea, in qua ex gentibus Ecclesia per centurionem
Cornelium fuerat dedicata, etiam virginum puellarum praeberet exempla. Cumque Dominus in
Evangelio dixerit, “Lex et pophetae usque ad Ioannem,” istae, quia virgines erant, etiam
post Ioannem prophetasse referuntur. Neque enim poterant veteris Testamenti lege detineri,
quae virginitatis fulserant claritate.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Migne 1883Corrigenda Note
Minor corr.Translation
The day would fail me
if I should want to relate all the Apostle’s teachings on chastity. The Lord said this on
the matter to the Apostles: “Up to now I have told you many things, but you cannot bear them
at all. But when the Spirit of truth comes, it will teach you every truth.” Right after the
crucifixion of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles, one house belonging to
Philip the evangelist produced a foursome of virgin daughters: even
Caesarea, where the Church of Gentiles was dedicated by the
centurion Cornelius, produces examples of virgin girls. When the Lord said in the Gospel,
“The Law and the Prophets (were) up to John,” the girls, because they were virgins, were
reported to have prophesied even after John. For the girls who flashed with the brightness
of virginity could not be held back by the Law of the Old Testament.
2
Translation Note
Adapted from Fremantle 1893Works Cited
- 1 Jerome, S. Eusebii Hieronymi Stridonis presbyteri opera omnia, ... tomus secundus, ed. J.-P. Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus, series Latina 23 (Paris: Garnier, 1883), ch: 1.36, col: 977c-d.
- 2 Jerome, Jerome: Letters and Select Works, trans. W. H. Fremantle, Philipp Schaff, and Henry Wace, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: A Select Library of the Christian Church, 2.6 (New York: Christian Literature Publishing, 1893), p: 376-377.
Additional Bibliography
- Elizabeth A. Clark, The Origenist Controversy: The Cultural Construction of an Early Christian Debate, repr. Princeton 2016 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992)
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Jerome, Against Jovinianus 1.39.277c-d,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/345.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Jerome, Against Jovinianus 1.39.277c-d.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/345.About this Entry
Entry Title: Jerome, Against Jovinianus 1.39.277c-d
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Jerome, Against Jovinianus 1.39.277c-d”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Jerome, Against Jovinianus 1.39.277c-d”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife