HEBRAICA VERITAS AND CHRISTOLOGICAL PRIORITY:JEROME’S VULGATE BETWEEN PHILOLOGY AND DOCTRINE

Abstract

This article examines Jerome’s Vulgate as more than a philological revision of the Latin Bible, arguing that his translation practice functioned as a form of Christological reasoning within the doctrinal controversies of Late Antiquity. Focusing on the relationship between Jerome’s commitment to the Hebraica Veritas and his preservation of established Septuagintal and Old Latin readings, the study argues that Jerome did not apply Hebrew textual priority as an absolute principle. Rather, his method reveals a hierarchical hermeneutic in which philological considerations could be subordinated to Christological coherence, prophetic fulfillment, and ecclesial reception. Through a close examination of selected passages—including Psalm 22:17, Psalm 40:6, Psalm 110:1, Isaiah 7:14, John 1:1, John 1:18, Jude 5, and Hebrews 10:12—the article demonstrates how Jerome’s textual and lexical decisions contributed to the articulation of Christ’s incarnation, divine identity, suffering, and salvific work. Particular attention is given to the Latin renderings Verbum, unigenitus Filius, and offerens, as well as to Jerome’s retention of Septuagintal readings in passages that became central to Christian interpretation. The study further considers the theological consequences of lexical choices such as gratia plena, sacramentum, poenitentiam agite, and caritas. It concludes that the Vulgate developed into more than a translation: through its liturgical, exegetical, and doctrinal reception, it became a Christological textual framework that contributed to the stabilization and transmission of Western Christian theology for more than a millennium.