Pauline Nugent - Translation according to St. Jerome

Given the renewed interest, and indeed consternation, that the newest English translation of the liturgical text for Mass has aroused in ecclesiastical circles, this may be a timely moment to revisit the principles of translation laid down by St. Jerome in the 4^th century of the present era.  The latest English rendition of the sacred text—scheduled for introduction during the coming Advent Season—has already given rise to endless debates and discussions among the faithful, and impassioned pleas for its postponement from clergy on both sides of the Atlantic.   Jerome, whose own version of the Book of Job occasioned a veritable riot when first read in the Church of the 4^th century, may well have words of wisdom and insight to assuage ecclesial assemblies in the 21ts century.  With this in mind, the present paper seeks to review the traditional principles that governed Jerome’s own approach to translation, and to compare and contrast his approach with that employed in the new English liturgical translation.