Mosaic of Jerome, Bethlehem

After a brief period as a hermit and secretary to the pope, Jerome retired to life as a scholar in Bethlehem. He is best known as the primary translator of the Vulgate, the standard Latin translation of the Bible used throughout the Roman Catholic Church. Jerome also wrote a number of commentaries and polemical works touching the controversies of his era. Like his contemporary, Augustine of Hippo, Jerome was an ardent foe of Pelagianism.