"Jerome (c.A.D. 347-420) was the father of the Latin Bible, the Vulgate, and brought the traditions of classical rhetoric and Christian exegesis more closely together than any other early Christian writer. A major intellectual force in the early church, he mediated between eastern and western theology. His novelistic lives of the saints encapsulated Christian aspirations in an attractive literary form. As an ascetic and an often irascible mentor to many Christian men and women, he shaped the ideals of Christian chastity and poverty for generations." "Through a representative selection of translated works from Jerome's voluminous output, Stefan Rebenich analyses the saint's career as a Christian writer, his social and theological context, and his role in the public discourse on orthodoxy and asceticism. Combining informed and accessible commentary on the extracts with some provocative reassessments, the book will help readers to a more balanced portrait of a complex and brilliant, if not always likeable, man."--Jacket.