St. Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church, the first one who translated the entire Bible both Old and New Testament into a single language – Latin. The translation came to be called THE LATIN VULGATE.
Did St.Jerome reject the Deuterocanonical books?
Anti-Catholics usually say that Jerome-a faithful son of the Church- rejected the Deuterocanonicals. However, what they don’t usually tell us is the FACT that Jerome later changed his mind and accepted these books as Scripture. They also do not tell us that Jerome often quoted the Deuterocanonicals in his writings and still referred them as “Scripture”.
First,it should be noted that St.Jerome is not infallible. Whether or not he believed the Inspiration of these books does not matter,what matters is the Church’s decision. His private opinions about the Deuterocanonicals were just that; his private opinions.
The most interesting thing is that Jerome later accepted these books. In fact, he strenuously defended their status as inspired Scripture, writing in 402 AD that;
“What sin have I committed if I followed the judgment of the churches? But he who brings charges against me for relating the objections that the Hebrews are wont to raise against the story of Susanna, the Son of the Three Children, and the story of Bel and the Dragon, which are not found in the Hebrew volume (ie. canon), proves that he is just a foolish sycophant. For I wasn’t relating my own personal views, but rather the remarks that they [the Jews] are wont to make against us” (Against Rufinus 11:33 [A.D. 402]).
In earlier correspondence with Pope Damasus, Jerome did not call the deuterocanonical books unscriptural, he simply said that Jews he knew did not regard them as canonical. But for himself, he acknowledged the authority of the Church in defining the canon. When Pope Damasus and the Councils of Carthage and Hippo included the deuterocanon in Scripture, that was good enough for St. Jerome. He “followed the judgment of the churches” saying in 404 AD that;
Does not the SCRIPTURE say: ‘Burden not thyself above thy power’? – Jerome, To Eustochium, Epistle 108
Here Saint Jerome quotes Sirach 13:2 (‘Burden not thyself above thy power’) as “SCRIPTURE”.
Now with that said; if a Protestant comes to you saying that Jerome rejected the Deutrocanonicals, do not be afraid. Just quote him/her her direct quotes of Jerome as i did above.
God bless!