Jerome and his Jewish Sources

Abstract It has long been recognized that rabbinic sources play a major role in QHG. As early as in 1861, Rahmer published his study of QHG, in which he collected parallels to Jerome’s comments from the rabbinic corpus. His study was supplemented by that of L. Ginzberg. However, these works remain very much collections of parallels rather than attempts to understand the function of rabbinic sources in Jerome’s philological system. Among patristic scholars it has also been acknowledged that in composing QHG Jerome had the intention of introducing the Latin world to rabbinic exegesis. However, this objective has been seen as separate from the ‘other’ objective of the work, the defence of the Hebrew text. F. Cavallera terms the work ‘hybrid’, and A. Penna regards the rabbinic material as merely ornamental. Bardy puts forward a similar view, claiming that while Jerome is quite serious about the Hebrew text, he is collecting rabbinic traditions without accepting them for himself. His motive would therefore be curiosity. Such views, in which Jerome’s presentation of rabbinic material is seen as distinct from the defence of the Hebrew text, result in an indirect deprc:ciation of the textual character of QHG. The idea that Jerome is collecting rabbinic views for the sake of curiosity or ostentation is not altogether without support.