Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume III/Lives of Illustrious Men/Introduction/Translations

5. Translations.

An early translation of Jerome&#8217;s work into Greek was made by Sophronius and used by Photius. A translation purporting to be his is given by Erasmus. There has been a good deal of controversy over this, some even accusing Erasmus of having forged it entire. It is an open question with a general tendency to give Erasmus the benefit of the doubt. The present translator while holding his judgment ready to be corrected by the finding of a. or other evidence, inclines to reject in toto, regarding it as for the most part translated by Erasmus from some South German or Swiss ., or, if that be not certain, at least that the translation is too little established to be of any use for textual purposes. There is a modern translation of select words of Jerome in French by Matougues. The chief sources for comparison used by the translator have been Sophronius (or Erasmus) Matougues, M&#8217;Giffert&#8217;s Eusebius for the first part of Jerome where he takes so liberally from Eusebius, and scattered selections here and there in Ceillier, Smith and Wace, Dict. and other literary-historical works.