¹⁰ Ps. cxviii. 6.

¹¹ Cf. Eccles. xii. 7.

¹² Lictor.

¹³ An allusion to the well-known proverb, summum jus, summa injuria.

¹⁴ A presbyter of Antioch and bishop, 388 a.d. He is mentioned again in Letters III., IV., V., XV. See Jerome De Vir. iii. 125.

¹⁵ The predecessor of Ambrose and an Arian. He was still living when Jerome wrote, but died 374.

¹⁶ Damasus, who having successfully made good his claim to the papacy, in 369 condemned Auxentius in a council held at Rome.

¹⁷ Virg. G. iv. 147, 148.

¹⁸ Valentinian I.

¹⁹ Luke xv. 3-5.

²⁰ Luke xv. 11-32.

²¹ Virg. A. v. 9.

²² In Jerome's day this term included all-whether hermits or coenobites-who forsook the world and embraced an ascetic life.

²³ Cf. Eph. iii. 20.

²⁴ 1 Cor. ii. 9.

²⁵ Acts, viii. 26-30.

²⁶ Bel, 33-36.

²⁷ Priests, monks, and others who, because they would not declare themselves Arians, were banished by order of Valens to Heliopolis in Phenicia.

²⁸ There were two hermits of this name in Egypt, and it is not certain which is meant. One of them was a disciple of Antony.

²⁹ The ascetic community at Aquileia, of which Jerome and Rufinus were the leaders, had been broken up, perhaps through the efforts of Lupicinus, the bishop of Stridon.

³⁰ Virg. A. iii. 193, 194: v. 9.

³¹ See Letter I.

³² Hor. C. i. 3, 8.

³³ See Letter I.

³⁴ A freedman of Melanium.

³⁵ A young Roman widow who had given up the world that she might adopt the ascetic life. She accompanied Rufinus to the East and settled with him on the Mount of Olives. She is mentioned again in Letters IV., XXXIX., XLV., and others.

³⁶ 1 Thess. iv. 13.

³⁷ Jerome's foster-brother who had accompanied him on his first visit to Rome. He was now living as a hermit on a small island in the neighborhood of Aquileia. See Letter VII.

³⁸ Gen. xxviii. 12.

³⁹ Matt. vi. 34.

⁴⁰ Luke ix. 62.

⁴¹ Ps. cxxvi. 5.

⁴² Nu. xxi. 9.

⁴³ Of this child nothing is known.

⁴⁴ I.e. the new Jerusalem. Rev. xxi. 2. Is. iv. 3.

⁴⁵ 1 Thess. iv. 17.

⁴⁶ Joh. iv. 14: Joh. xix. 34.

⁴⁷ Eph. vi. 13-17.

⁴⁸ Rev. i. 9, Rev. i. 10.

⁴⁹ Gen. iii. 1-6: Matt. iv. 1-4.

⁵⁰ Matt. iv. 4.

⁵¹ Literally "mousetrap." This variant is peculiar to Cyprian and Jerome.

⁵² 1 Tim. vi. 9.

⁵³ 1 Cor. i. 31.

⁵⁴ 2 Cor. xii. 10, 2 Cor. xii. 9.

⁵⁵ Philip. i. 23.

⁵⁶ Eph. vi. 16.

⁵⁷ Acts i. 24: Rev. ii. 23.

⁵⁸ Jon. ii. 1, Jon. ii. 2.

⁵⁹ Matt. v. 19.

⁶⁰ Rev. xiv. 4.

⁶¹ John xiv. 2.

⁶² 1 Cor. xv. 41.

⁶³ Quoted from Tert. de C. F. ii. 7.

⁶⁴ 1 Tim. v. 24, R. V.

⁶⁵ Matt. xxv. 34-40.

⁶⁶ See introduction to Letter XIV.

⁶⁷ Rufinus had been baptized at Aquileia about three years previously (371 a.d.).

⁶⁸ Cf. Ps. li. 7.

⁶⁹ Matt. v. 26.

⁷⁰ Ps. cxlvi. 7.

⁷¹ Isa. lxvi. 2.

⁷² Joh. xi. 43.

⁷³ Acc. to Vallarsi a hermit, who at this time lived near Caesarea.