book reviews 67

André Godin and Alexandre Vanautgaerden (eds.) Érasme, Vie de saint Jérôme (Turnhout: Brepols, 2013; Notulae Erasmianae, 9). 298 pp. isbn 978-2-503-52843-4.

Erasmus wrote his Life of Jerome of Stridon (Hieronymi Stridonensis vita) as a prologue to the nine-volume edition of Jerome’s complete works published in 1516 by Johann Froben in Basel. Erasmus personally edited and annotated the first four volumes, which included Jerome’s letters and numerous treatises and prefaces, and he assisted significantly with the remaining five volumes. The Life of Jerome was printed as front matter in volume one of this edition, together with a dedicatory letter to Archbishop William Warham of Canterbury and a detailed table of contents. The present volume, Érasme, Vie de saint Jérôme offers the Latin text of Erasmus’ Hieronymi Stridonensis vita, edited by Alexandre Vanautgaerden, together with a French translation, annotations, and extensive introduction by André Godin. Erasmus made slight revisions to the Life of Jerome in the updated editions of Jerome’s works produced in 1524–1526 and 1533–1534. The Latin text presented in the present volume is that of the 1524 edition, with the translation on the fac- ing pages and Godin’s annotations in the outer margins and at the bottom of the pages. The annotations to the text mostly provide historical context, highlight interesting points often discussed in the Introduction, and direct the reader to relevant bibliography. Listed after the Latin text and translation are textual variations based on other editions and early reprints. This list of variations is taken from Wallace Ferguson’s 1933 composite text of Erasmus’ Life of Jerome, published as part of Erasmi Opuscula. A Supplement to the ‘Opera Omnia.’ As an example of such an addition, Erasmus added two sentences near the end of the 1524 edition in order to soften his otherwise absolute claims for Jerome’s superi- ority over Augustine (269). In confirming these textual variations, Vanautgaer- den was able to consult the manuscript employed by the printers of the 1516 edition. The Introduction (54 pages long) provides an overview of the context and significance of Erasmus’ Life of Jerome. After the Introduction and before the text itself is a two-page chart giving key events and dates in Jerome’s life. The volume concludes with a select bibliography (14 pages). The Introduction begins with a brief account of the circumstances in Eras- mus’ life that led to his work on the edition of Jerome’s works in 1516. A con- cise description is given of the edition itself and Erasmus’ collaboration with Froben, Johann Amerbach, and others. As Godin recounts, Erasmus inherited a fondness for Jerome from the members of the Brethren of the Common Life with whom he lived as a child, and as an emerging humanist he developed a

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2016 | doi: 10.1163/18749275-03601006 68 book reviews strong appreciation for Jerome as a Latin stylist. Godin pays particular atten- tion to the intellectual factors that drew Erasmus to work on Jerome, which include: (1) Jerome as a model of reconciling the love of letters and the love of God; (2) the general “back to the sources” mentality common to this period that also inspired Erasmus’ edition of the New Testament in that same year; (3) the goal of restoring a simple, ancient piety by reading the New Testament through the lens of early Fathers such as Origen, Tertullian, Jerome, and Chrysostom. In this group, Jerome held pride of place. As Godin points out, whereas Erasmus would eventually introduce his editions of Origen and Chrysostom by printing early “Lives,” for Jerome Erasmus produced a fresh “Life” based on extensive primary source reading. Godin offers a balanced discussion of the literary nature and scholarly merits of Erasmus’ Life of Jerome. Erasmus started his “Life” with a discussion on historical method. Here Erasmus promises not to repeat the fantastic legends and miracles found in the hagiographical tradition, but to report the life of Jerome as it was, flaws and all, based strictly on his own and contemporary writings. Manuscripts and sources must be carefully studied, and one must privilege facts and sound judgment. Erasmus then gives a narrative overview of Jerome’s life. This account draws heavily on Jerome’s epistles and other works such as the Apology Against Rufinus. Erasmus’ sources can often be traced by observing parallels between the Life of Jerome and Erasmus’ notations to Jerome’s works (brief scholia and longer antidoti). Finally, Erasmus responds to criticisms that had been leveled against Jerome. On the one hand, some critics had undercut Jerome’s holiness, for example: Was Jerome a virgin? (Erasmus: No, but he admitted as much, thus showing his humility). Was Jerome a good theologian? (Erasmus: Yes, but not in the scholastic sense). Didn’t Jerome have a bad temper? (Erasmus: Sometimes, but only because he was accused of heresy, and it is pious to respond with vigor to the charge of heresy). On the other hand, other critics had ridiculed Jerome as a stylist. Erasmus insists that Jerome was at least Cicero’s equal, if not his superior, in eloquence. One can speak just as elegantly of Christ and Bartholomew as ancient writers did of Romulus and Julius. At various points Godin emphasizes connections between the Life of Jerome and classical rhetorical models. According to Godin, Erasmus’ Life of Jerome succeeds in many significant ways as a historical study, especially when judged by the standards of the time. Employing his knowledge of Jerome’s style and historical context, Eras- mus successfully sorted out authentic works of Jerome from spurious writings. Moreover, he often displayed careful and sophisticated thinking in his histor- ical reconstructions, as in his treatment of Jerome’s family, or his discussion of whether or not Donatus and Victorinus had been Jerome’s teachers (Dona-

Erasmus Studies 36 (2016) 59–98