JEKOBOAM I. 179 JEROME. embellishment. On the death of Solomon, Jeroho am letuined Ironi Kgjpt and took the lead in another revolt at Shechem. Formal demands were made of Relioboam, the son of Solomon, to reduce the taxes and otherwise change the policy adopted liy his father. Rehoboam naturally re- fused, and the northern tribe seceded, Jeroboam becoming King of Israel (I. Kings xii. 2-20). Wars between Jeroboam and Rehoboam and his successor. Abijam, were frequent (1. Kings xiv. 30; XV. 7). The compiler of the Book of Kings, writing from the exilic point of view, which rec- ognized the temple at Jerusalem as the onlj' le- gitimate centre of Yahweh-worship, represents Jeroboam as fearing defection if the people con- tinued to journey to Jerusalem for worship, and for this reason he set up a cult of his own at Bethel, and at Dan (I. Kings xii. 26-33). It is the opiniciu of scliolars at present, however, that as a matter of fact the idea of centralization of worship in one place did not exist at this time, and the northern tribes naturally recognized Bethel and Dan (q.v. ) as they did other sanctu- aries of the north as suitable places of worship. At these places a yearly harvest festivnl was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, and Yahweh was worshiped under the form of a golden or gilded image of a bull. See Goi.DEX Calf. JEROBOAM II. King of Israel (c.782-741 B.C. ) . He was the son of Joash or Jehoash, third King of the Jehu dynasty. The account; of his reign (II. ICings xiv. 23-21)) is exceedingly brief, but shows that he was a warrior who suc- ceeded in restoring the prestige of his kingdom and regaining from the ruler of Aram regions lost by his predecessors. Whether, however, he actually secured control of Damascus and Ha- math. as is stated, is doubtful. If he did so, it must have been with the help and connivance of Assyria. The ministry of Amos and Hosea falls in .Jeroboam's reign, which must in every respect have been an eventful one. JEROME', .Jerome Klapka (18.59—). An English liumorist. born at Walsall, Staffordshire, !May 2, ISoO. He was educated at the Philological School, Jlarylebone. As a young man he was for a time a clerk in a railroad office, and later an actor at Astley's Theatre, London, and in the provincial cities. He subsequently became in turn a journali-st, a teacher, a shorthand writer, and a lawyer's clerk. A brief account of his experi- ences on the stage he gave in On the Stage — and Off (1888), followed^ a year later by Stage Land, dealing with the conventions of the drama. His connection with the theatre enabled him to write several good comedies and farces: Bar- bara (1886); Sidisrt (1888): Wood linrrow Farm (1891) : Xcic Lamps for Old (1890) : ilac Haggis (1897); Hiss Hobhs (1900). Among his clever essays and sketches or short stories are Jdle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1st series 1889: 2d series 1898) ; Three Hen in a Boat, his most humorous production (1889) ; yovel Notes, a brilliant satire on the motives of fiction ( 1893) ; Diarg of a Pilgrimage, sketches of an excursion to the Oberanunergau Passion Play (1891); John Ingcrfield. and Other Stories (1893); Sketches in Larendar (1897); Observations of Henry (1901) ; Paul Kclver (1902). JEROME (Lat. Hieronijmiis. from Ok. 'Upw- ro/xos, HicrOnymos) , Saint (c. 340-420). The most, learned of the early fathers, of the Latin Church. H's full name was Sophronius Eusebius Hieronynms, and he was born in Stridon, a town on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia. Pros- per of Aquitania gives 331 as the year of his birth, but that is probably too early. Among his eminent contemporaries were Ambrose and Au- gustine. His parents were persons of prominence and of propert}'. .Jerome was educated in Rome, under the rhetorician .Elius Donatns. where his tastes foretold the scholar; he began to gather a library by copying manuscripts for himself. Here also he received baptism. His strictly the- ological studies were begun in Treves, and con- tinued in Aquileia, where he had Rufinus as a comrade and friend. Traveling in the East, Jerome fell sick (in Syria), and passed through a religious experience in which he was led to adopt the ascetic life. He saw a vision, and heard a voice saying, "Thou art not a CHiristian. but a Ciceronian!" This he took as a divine rebuke of his fondness for the classics, and he resolved henceforth to abandon secular literature alto- gether. But his writings show that he never really shook off the influence of his classical training. .Jerome's hermit life began in 374, in the desert of Chalcis (the Syrian Tliebais) , where he studied Hebrew with a converted .Jew. After visiting Antioch and Constantinople, where he met Gregory of Xazianzus, Jerome spent three years in Rome (382-385). in close association with Pope Damasus, at whose wish he commenced his translation of the Scriptures into Latin. During these years he became acquainted with certain noble Christian ladies, especially Marcella and Paula, who were devoted to the Church and aided it with their wealth. Paula and her daugh- ter, Eustochium, accompanied .Jerome to the East, where they settled at Bethlehem (386). Here Pauhi. built a monastery for men, over which Jerome presided, and cloisters for women, which were under her own direction. Jerome spent the remaining thirty-five years of his life here, en- gaged in study and writing, in the practice of asceticism, and in theological controversies. Jerome's life and work illustrate the combi- nation and conflict of pagan and ascetic Chris- tian ideas, so coriniion in the fourth century. He has been described as a, precursor of the Human- ists, but this takes into account only one side of his character. He was also an exponent of the monastic ideal and the theological controversial- ist, and in the latter character sometimes dis- played an extreme asperity. For the history of his age, Jerome's numerous Avritings are of the highest value. His Latin translation of the Bible, far superior to any of the Latin version.s which preceded it, lies at the basis of the Vul- gate. (See Bible.) He also wrote commentaries on several books of the Bible. His work entitled Illnitrious Men ("De Viris Illustribus") . written in 392, is .a series of 135 short biographies of Christian leaders, beginning with Saint Peter and ending Avith Jerome himself. It was largely com- piled from the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius. He translated and continued Eusebius's Chronicle. (See ErsEBius of C.^saee..) More than a hun- dred of his Letters have been preserved, in which many varying topics are discussed in a very in- teresting and lively way. This collection was much read thro>ighout the Middle Ages. Among his ascetic treatises the Tireniy-seeond Epistle, addressed to Eustochium, is one of the most fa-
