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Aproximación al ideal de Vita monachalis de San Jerónimo a partir de la lectura de sus cartas (I).

1998; Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Volume: 39; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

0717-6295

Christian Claudio Navarro Segura,

Classical Studies and Legal History

St. Jerome (Dalmacia 347 - Bethlehem 420) who is for the Church and western culture, first of all, the revisor and translator of the Holy Bible, also adopted for himself the ideal of the Vita monachalis which, although he did not summarize it in one single document, can be reconstructed from parts of various of his letters. His ideal of perfect life, which began as a program of asceticism, was formed by his life experience and his knowledge of human beings, enriched by his study of Sacred Scripture and, most certainly, nourished by grace. In his proposition, ideas from early monasticism, such as the radical separation from the world in order to completely take on the 'imitatio Christi', the recognition of certain Old Testament figures worthy of following, and the conviction that the struggles of the monk against evil also deserve the 'corona martyrii'. To this is added the consideration of the scorn of human judgement as the prime monastic virtue, to which is added chastity, another virtue held in high esteem by St. Jerome. The importance given to prayer and to the 'lectio divina' constitute other key components in the Jeromian way, which along with others lead finally to a clear objective: to reach the 'impassibilitas' or 'imperturbatio', which at the same time, allows one to reach the state of contemplation, sure anticipation of the final purity of the soul awaiting to return to God.