Psalms.
Dedicated to Sophronius about the year 392. Jerome
had, while at Rome, made a translation of the Psalms from the LXX.,
which he had afterwards corrected by collation with the Hebrew text
(see the Preface addressed to Paula and Eustochium, infra). His friend
Sophronius, in quoting the Psalms to the Jews, was constantly met with
the reply, “It does not so stand in the Hebrew.” He,
therefore, urged Jerome to translate them direct from the original.
Jerome, in presenting the translation to his friend, records the
intention which he had expressed of translating the new Latin version
into Greek. This we know was done by Sophronius, not only for the
Psalms, but also for the rest of the Vulgate, and was valued by the
Greeks (Apol. ii. 24, vol. iii. of this series, p. 515).