Vulgate

Domenico Ghirlandaio - St Jerome in his study

Gutenberg bible Old Testament Epistle of St Jerome

Codex Amiatinus - Gospel of Mark, chapter 1

Frontispiece of the Sixtine Vulgate 3

Frontispiece of the Sixto-Clementine Vulgate (1592)

Concordance of Stuttgart Latin Vulgate Bible

Vulgate is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of Saint Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make the translation. The Vulgate became the Catholic Church's officially promulgated Latin version of the Bible during the 16th century at the Council of Trent. It takes its name from the phrase versio vulgata, the "commonly used translation", and it was written in Latin, which was the common language of the Roman Empire at the time of its completion.

History

The need for a new Latin translation of the Bible became apparent as the old translations, collectively known as the Vetus Latina, were found to be inconsistent and varied widely in quality and fidelity to the original texts. Jerome began his work by revising the New Testament based on the best Greek manuscripts available to him. He then translated the Old Testament from Hebrew, a significant departure from the earlier practice of translating from the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jerome's translation was not immediately accepted universally, but over time it supplanted the Vetus Latina and became the standard Latin Bible in the Western Church.

Contents and Division

The Vulgate includes the standard 73 books of the Catholic Bible: the 46 books of the Old Testament (including the Deuterocanonical books), the 27 books of the New Testament, and additionally, the Book of Psalms is often found in a version translated from the Hebrew by Jerome that differs from the rest of the Vulgate's Old Testament which was translated from the Greek Septuagint. The books are divided and ordered differently than in modern Bibles, reflecting the structure of the Septuagint and the traditions of the early Church.

Impact and Significance

The Vulgate had a profound impact on Christianity and the development of the Western literary tradition. It was the Bible used by the Church for centuries, and it influenced theological development, liturgy, and the arts. The translation also played a crucial role in the development of the Latin language, serving as a linguistic bridge between Classical Latin and the medieval and modern forms of the language.

Textual Characteristics and Scholarship

The text of the Vulgate has been subject to critical scholarship and revision. The Council of Trent declared the Vulgate as the authentic Latin Bible, but it also recognized the need for correction and standardization of the text. This led to the production of the Clementine Vulgate, promulgated by Pope Clement VIII in 1592, which served as the standard text for the Catholic Church until the 20th century. Modern critical editions, such as the Nova Vulgata, have been produced based on the earliest manuscripts and contemporary scholarly methods.

Legacy

The Vulgate's legacy is enduring. It remains an important text for biblical scholarship and for the Catholic liturgy. The translation's influence extends beyond the religious sphere, affecting Western culture, literature, and education. The Vulgate has been translated into many languages, and its phrases and vocabulary have entered common usage.