''De Viris Illustribus'' (''On Illustrious Men'') is a collection of short

biographies A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

of 135 authors, written in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, by the 4th-century Latin Church Father

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

. He completed this work at

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

in 392–393 AD. The work consists of a prologue plus 135 chapters, each consisting of a brief biography. Jerome himself is the subject of the final chapter. A Greek version of the book, possibly by the same Sophronius who is the subject of Chapter 134, also survives. Many biographies take as their subject figures important in Christian Church history and pay especial attention to their careers as writers. It "was written as an apologetic work to prove that the Church had produced learned men." The book was dedicated to Flavius Lucius Dexter, who served as high chamberlain to

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene C ...

and as

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect (; ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief ai ...

to Honorius. Dexter was the son of Saint Pacianus, who is eulogized in the work.

Listed below are the subjects of Jerome's 135 biographies. The numbers given are the chapter numbers found in editions. *1. Simon Peter *2. James the Just *3. Matthew *4. Jude *5. Paul *6.

Barnabas Barnabas (; ; ), born Joseph () or Joses (), was according to tradition an early Christians, Christian, one of the prominent Disciple (Christianity), Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jews, Cyprio ...

*7. Luke *8. Mark *9. John *10. Hermas *11. Philo the Jew *12. Lucius Annaeus Seneca *13.

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...

*14. Justus *15. Clement *16.

Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius of Antioch (; ; died 108/140), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his Christian martyrs, martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This ...

*17.

Polycarp Polycarp (; , ''Polýkarpos''; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian Metropolis of Smyrna, bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his bo ...

*18. Papias *19. Quadratus *20.

Aristides Aristides ( ; , ; 530–468 BC) was an ancient Athenian statesman. Nicknamed "the Just" (δίκαιος, ''díkaios''), he flourished at the beginning of Athens' Classical period and is remembered for his generalship in the Persian War. ...

*21. Agrippa *22. Hegesippus *23. Justin *24. Melito of Asia *25.

Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philía'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ...

*26. Apollinaris *27. Dionysius of Corinth *28. Pinytus of Crete *29.

Tatian Tatian of Adiabene, or Tatian the Syrian or Tatian the Assyrian, (; ; ; ; – ) was an Assyrian Christian writer and theologian of the 2nd century. Tatian's most influential work is the Diatessaron, a Biblical paraphrase, or "harmony", of the ...

*30. Philip of Crete *31. Musanus *32. Modestus *33. Bardesanes of Mesopotamia *34. Victor *35.

Irenaeus Irenaeus ( or ; ; ) was a Greeks, Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christianity, Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development of Christian theology by oppos ...

*36.

Pantaenus Saint Pantaenus the Philosopher (; died c. 200) was a Sicilian theologian and a significant figure in the Catechetical School of Alexandria from around AD 180. This school was the earliest catechetical school, and became influential in the dev ...

*37. Rhodo *38. Clemens *39.

Miltiades Miltiades (; ; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a Greek Athenian statesman known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon Coalemos, a renowned ...

*40. Apollonius *41. Serapion *42. Apollonius *43.

*44. Bacchylus *45.

Polycrates Polycrates (; ), son of Aeaces (father of Polycrates), Aeaces, was the tyrant of Samos from the 540s BC to 522 BC. He had a reputation as both a fierce warrior and an enlightened tyrant. Sources The main source for Polycrates' life and activi ...

*46.

Heraclitus Heraclitus (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Empire. He exerts a wide influence on Western philosophy, ...

*47.

Maximus Maximus (Hellenised as Maximos) is the Latin term for "greatest" or "largest". In this connection it may refer to: * Circus Maximus (disambiguation) * Pontifex maximus, the highest priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome People Roman hi ...

*48. Candidus *49. Appion *50. Sextus *51. Arabianus *52. Judas *53.

Tertullian Tertullian (; ; 155 – 220 AD) was a prolific Early Christianity, early Christian author from Roman Carthage, Carthage in the Africa (Roman province), Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive co ...

*54.

Origen Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an Early Christianity, early Christian scholar, Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic, and Christian theology, theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Early cent ...

*55. Ammonius *56. Ambrose *57. Trypho *58. Minucius Felix *59.

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (biblical figure) (1st century AD) *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist * Gaius Acilius * Gaius Antonius * Gaius Antonius Hybrida * Gaius Asinius Gal ...

*60. Beryllus *61. Hippolytus *62. Alexander of Cappadocia *63. Julius Africanus *64.

Geminus Geminus of Rhodes (), was a Greek astronomer and mathematician, who flourished in the 1st century BC. An astronomy work of his, the ''Introduction to the Phenomena'', still survives; it was intended as an introductory astronomy book for students ...

*65. Theodorus (Gregory of Neocaesarea) *66. Cornelius *67. Cyprian of Africa *68. Pontius *69. Dionysius of Alexandria *70. Novatianus *71. Malchion *72. Archelaus *73. Anatolius of Alexandria *74. Victorinus *75. Pamphilus the Presbyter *76. Pierius *77. Lucianus *78. Phileas *79. Arnobius *80. Firmianus (Lactantius) *81.

Eusebius of Caesarea Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. ...

*82. Reticius *83. Methodius *84.

Juvencus Gaius Vettius Aquilinus Juvencus (fl. c. 330) was a Roman Empire, Roman Christians, Christian poet from Hispania who wrote in Latin. Life The only source on Juvencus's life is Jerome.Jerome's De Viris Illustribus, De viris, chapter 84; Chron., a ...

*85. Eustathius *86. Marcellus *87. Athanasius *88. Anthony *89. Basil of Ancyra *90. Theodorus *91. Eusebius of Emesa *92. Triphylius *93. Donatus *94. Asterius *95.

Lucifer of Cagliari St. Lucifer of Cagliari (, ; died 20 May 370 or 371) was a bishop of Cagliari in Sardinia known for his passionate opposition to Arianism. He is venerated as a Saint in Sardinia. Life Lucifer first appears in history as an envoy from Pope Lib ...

*96. Eusebius of Sardinia *97.

Fortunatianus of Aquileia Fortunatianus of Aquileia (c.300-c.370) was an African, Christian poet, and bishop of Aquileia in the mid-fourth century, during the reign of Constantius II. The exact year of his birth is unknown, although it was around 300, and there is no rec ...

*98. Acacius *99. Serapion *100. Hilary *101. Victorinus *102.

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

*103. Damasus *104. Apollinaris *105. Gregory of Elvira *106. Pacianus *107. Photinus *108. Phoebadius *109. Didymus *110. Optatus *111. Acilius Severus *112. Cyril of Jerusalem *113. Euzoius *114. Epiphanius *115.

Ephraim Ephraim (; , in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath, as well as the adopted son of his biological grandfather Jacob, making him the progenitor of the Tribe of Ephrai ...

*116. Basil of Caesarea *117. Gregory of Nazianzen *118. Lucius *119.

Diodorus Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (; 1st century BC) was an ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental universal history '' Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which survive intact, b ...

*120. Eunomius *121. Priscillianus *122. Latronianus *123. Tiberianus *124. Ambrose of Milan *125. Evagrius *126. Ambrose, disciple of Didymus *127.

*128. Gregory of Nyssa *129. John the presbyter *130. Gelasius *131. Theotimus *132. Dexter *133. Amphilochius *134. Sophronius *135.

the presbyter

Jerome's account of his own literary career

At the conclusion of ''De Viris Illustribus'', Jerome provided his own biography as the latest example of the scholarly work of Christians. In Chapter 135, Jerome summarized his career to date:

Editions

Jerome and Gennadius: ''Lives of Illustrious Men''
English translation by Ernest Cushing Richardson
Jerome's ''De Viris Illustribus'': Latin text
(includes an informative introduction, in Latin)

Notes

References

- Full English version. *The ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', Published 1910 in New York by Robert Appleton Company. *

External links

*

(continuator of Jerome's ''De viris illustribus'') {{Authority control 4th-century Christian texts 4th-century history books 4th-century books in Latin Biographies about writers Christian apologetic works 4th-century documents Works by Jerome

Contents

Jerome's account of his own literary career

Editions

Notes

References

External links