Our venerable and God-bearing father '''Jerome''' was noted as a scholar of Latin at the time when Greek was considered the language of scholarship. He was one of the most learned of the Fathers of the Western Church and is noted as the translator of the holy [[scriptures]] into Latin. This translation, the [[Vulgate]], became the the official biblical text of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. During his early adult life he traveled extensively, learning Greek and Hebrew, while pursing his rhetorical and philosophical studies. Among the many treatises, commentaries, translations, and exegetical works that he undertook was the revision of the Latin bible using the more recent versions of the Hebrew [[Old Testament]]. An [[ascetic]] and harsh critic of secular excesses, he was a strong defender of the Orthodox faith against the [[heresy|heresies]] of his time. His [[feast day]] is commemorated on [[June 15]].