o In Constantinople, he studied biblical exegesis with the great
theologian Gregory of Nazianzus.o Jerome spent three years as the secretary and counselor to Pope
Damasus I, one of the most powerful of the early bishops of
Rome. Damasus assigned him the task of translating the entire
bible into Latin in order to provide a standard text (the Vulgate)
to replace the many “Old Latin” versions.o Jerome moved to Bethlehem in 389, where he lived as a
hermit until his death in 419/20. Among his many writings, his
Lives of Eminent Men is an indispensable biographical source
for early Christian history. His commentaries on biblical
books also show careful attention to historical realities and
linguistic accuracy.o Jerome’s towering achievement was undoubtedly the Vulgate
translation of the Old Testament (from Hebrew) and the New
Testament (from Greek), which provided the standard text for
medieval Latin Christianity.• The final doctor, Augustine of Hippo (354–430), is by far the
best known man of late antiquity because of his autobiographical
Confessions (composed in 397/98). It is a remarkable composition,
both as the first truly introspective analysis of a personal life in
antiquity and as a sustained song of praise to God.
o Born in North Africa of a pagan father and a devout Christian
mother (Monica), Augustine was educated in rhetoric and
lived what he later considered a dissolute life, siring an
illegitimate son.
o He converted to the dualistic religion called Manichaeism
(a combination of Persian and Christian Gnostic systems),
attracted by its ascetical appeal. He embraced its radical
dualism between matter and spirit, which seemed to offer
Augustine’s intellectual soul some liberation from his passion-
driven body.