Book Review: Select Letters of St. Jerome

The selected letters are intimate portraits of life at the beginning of the fifth century. Standard rules for the lives on monks had not been established and St. Jerome rails against the men of God who attach themselves to women in relationships that do not appear to be completely wholesome. St. Jerome wants such man-of-God wannabes to find a suitable monastery, church or godly man to attach themselves to. And St. Jerome desperately wants single women, never-married and widowed, ro remain with their families or joining a group of Christian women.

Two of the letters deal with the raising of daughters. The first was written in 403 and the second in 413. Jerome offers similar, but different, advice in the two commentaries. In 403 a younger St. Jerome discouraged giving a young girl anything but plain food since to be a holy woman she would later have to give up meats and sweets. Later a more gentle St. Jerome advised using honeycakes as rewards for lessons well-done. In other ways St. Jerome was more consistent in his advice. In both letters he discouraged socializing for young girls except with older very disciplined Christian women and he discouraged the wearing of anything but plain clothing.

In all his letters, St. Jerome praises virginity and, to a lesser degree, strict eating habits. He says that since we are not of this world, we should avoid those things which show our attachment to this world. In a number of the Select Letters St. Jerome expresses disgust at young men who wear tight clothes and style their hair. He discourages association with these young men.

The letters are both critical and uplifting. This passage from "To Rusticus" demonstrates best the contrast in St. Jerome's letters:

Nothing is happier than the Christian, for to him is promised the Kingdom of heaven: nothing is more toil worn, for every day he goes in danger of his life. Nothing is stronger than he is, for he triumphs over the devil; nothing is weaker than he is, for he is conquered by the flesh.

The criticism St. Jerome's letters contain is world-wise. He promotes life in the monastery for monks rather than solitutde with this sentence, also from "To Rusticus:"

In solitude pride quickly creeps in, and when a man has fasted for a little while and has seen no one, he thinks himself a person on some account.

Select Letters demonstrates the immense love

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