Letter CXX.
To Hedibia.
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At the request of Hedibia, a lady of Gaul much
interested in the study of scripture, Jerome deals with the following
twelve questions. It will be noticed that several of them belong to the
historical criticism of our own day.
(1) How can anyone be perfect? and How ought a widow
without children to live to God?
(2) What is the meaning of
Matt. xxvi. 29
?
(3) How are the discrepancies in the evangelical
narratives to be accounted for? How can
Matt. xxviii. 1
be reconciled with
Mark xvi. 1, 2
.
(4) How can
Matt. xxviii. 9
(Saturday evening) be reconciled with
John xx. 1–18
(Sunday morning)?
(5) How can
Matt. xxviii. 9
be reconciled with
John xx. 17
?
(6) How was it that, if there was a guard of soldiers at
the sepulchre, Peter and John were allowed to go in freely? (
Matt. xxvii. 66; John xx.
1–8
.)
(7) How is the statement of Matthew and Mark that the
apostles were ordered to go into Galilee to see Jesus there to be
reconciled with that of Luke and John who make Him appear to them in
Jerusalem?
(8) What is the meaning of
Matt. xxvii. 50, 51
?
(9) How is the statement of
John xx. 22
that Jesus breathed on his apostles the
Holy Ghost to be reconciled with that of Luke (Luke xxiv. 49: Acts i. 4) that He would send it to them after His
ascension?
(10) What is the meaning of the passage,
Rom. ix. 14–29
?
(11) What is the meaning of
2 Cor. ii. 16
?
(12) What is the meaning of
1 Thes. v. 23
?
The date of the letter is 406 or 407
a.d.
3113
For Hedibia and
her family, see an article in Dict. of Christ. Biog.