A letter from Jerome (391-392)

Translated letter:

In the Septuagint translation, Nahum comes after Jonah in the order of twelve prophets, since they seem to prophesy about the same city. It is written in Jonah: "Now the word of the lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying `Rise and go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach in it'" [Jonah 1:1-2]. In Nahum this is the beginning: "An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh." Therefore both made prophesies about Nineveh, metropolis of the Assyrians, which is now called Ninus. But in Hebrew, Micah comes after Jonah and after Micah, Nahum, which is translated consoler. For the ten tribes had already been led into captivity by the Assyrians under Hezekiah, king of Judah under whom the vision against Nineveh is perceived as consolation for the exiled people. Nor was it a small consolation, as much for those who already served the Assyrians as for the rest who from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin were fighting the same enemies under Hezekiah, to hear that the Assyrians would be captured by the Chaldeans as will be shown in what follows of this book. It should be known however — since Nineveh in Hebrew is "beautiful" in our language, this world is called beautiful, as among the Greeks “kosmos” [Grk] takes its name from adornment — whatever is now said against Nineveh is preached figurally about the world. For which reasons the prophecy [“assumptio,” receiving], which the Septuagint translate “lemma” [Grk, what is received] and Aquila “arma” [Grk], among Hebrews is a mass that is a heavy weight because it presses on the one against whom it is seen and does not permit the neck to be raised. Moreover what is added, Nahum of Elkosh, some think Elkosh was the father of Nahum and according to Hebrew tradition that he was also a prophet, though Elkosh is still today a village in Galilee, small and scarcely showing the traces of old buildings in ruins, but still known to the Jews and shown to me also by a guide. At the same time it should be noted that whether it is "something received" or "burden" or "weight," “assumptio” is a vision of prophecy. For it is not spoken in “ekstasei” [Grk, a trance] as Montanus and Prisca Maximilla rage, but what it prophesies, a book of vision understanding everything it says and making the vision a weight of the enemies against its people. The prophecy is woven about the end of the world according to “anagogy” [Grk], o Paula and Eustochium for the consolation of the holy, so whatever they see in the world they may scorn as past and fallen, and prepare themselves for the day of judgment where the future avenger against the true Assyrians is the lord.

Original letter:

Iuxta Septuaginta interpretes, in ordine duodecim prophetarum, post Ionam Naum ponitur, quia videntur de urbe eadem prophetare. Scriptum siquidem est in Iona: Factus est sermo Domini ad Ionam, filium Amathi, dicens: Surge et vade in Niniven, civitatem magnam, et praedica in ea. In Naum vero istud exordium est: Assumptio Ninive. Liber visionis Naum Elcesaei. Igitur uterque de Ninive Assyriorum metropoli, quae nunc vocatur Ninus, texunt vaticinium. Porro in Hebraico, post Ionam, Michaeas ponitur, et Michaeam sequitur Naum, qui interpretatur consolator. Iam enim decem tribus ab Assyriis deductae fuerant in captivitatem sub Ezechia, rege Iuda, sub quo etiam nunc in consolationem populi transmigrati, adversum Niniven visio cernitur. Nec erat parva consolatio, tam his, qui iam Assyriis serviebant, quam reliquis, qui sub Ezechia de tribu Iuda et Beniamin ab iisdem hostibus obsidebantur, ut audirent, Assyrios quoque a Chaldaeis esse capiendos, sicut in consequentibus libri huius demonstrabitur. Sciendum autem est -- quoniam Ninive in nostra lingua de Hebraeo speciosam sonat; speciosus autem mundus hic dicitur, unde et apud Graecos kosmos [in Greek] ab ornatur nomen accepit -- quicquid nunc adversum Niniven dicitur, de mundo figuraliter praedicari. Quam ob causam assumptio, quam Septuaginta interpretantur lemma [Greek], et Aquila arma [Greek] interpretatus est, apus Hebraeos massa ponitur, id est grave onus, eo quod eam adversus quam videtur, premat, nec sinat elevare cervicem. Porro quod additur, Naum Elcesaei, quidam putant Elcesaeum patrem esse Naum, et secundum Hebraeam traditionem etiam ipsum prophetam fuisse, cum Elcesi, usque hodie in Galilaea viculus sit, parvus quidem et vix ruinis veterum aedificiorum indicans vestigia, sed tamen notus Iudaeis, et mihi quoque a circumducente monstratus. Simul et hoc attendendum quod haec ipsa vel assumptio, vel onus, vel pondus, prophetae visio sit. Non enim loquiur in ekstasei [Greek], ut Montanus et Prisca Maximillaque delirant, sed quod prophetat, liber est visionis intellegentis universa quae loquitur, et pondus hostium facientis in suo populo visionem. De consummatione itaque mundi secundum anagogen [Greek], o Paula et Eustochium, in consolationem sanctorum prophetia texitur, ut quaecumque in mundo vident, quasi praetereuntia et caduca contemnant, et praeparent se ad iudicii diem, ubi ultor adversus veros Assyrios futurus Dominus est.

Historical context:

Jerome began his commentaries on the twelve minor prophets at the request of Paula and Eustochium, doing them not in the order in which they are found in the old testament but in the order they were requested, as he explains in the third book on Amos addressed to Pammachius (CCSL76, 300). He wrote first on Nahum, Micah, Zephaniah, and Haggai for Paula and Eustochium; second on Habakkuk for Chromatius bishop of Aquileia; third after a long silence on Obadiah and Jonah for Pammachius, Eustochium's brother-in-law; more recently Zechariah and Malachi for a bishop and a monk; and finally Hosea, Joel, and Amos for Pammachius. But even in the prologue to Joel, Jerome remembers Paula's role, offering Pammachius "what we promised your holy and venerable relative, Paula, take it as her pious heir" (CCSL 76, 160).

Printed source:

Commentariorum in Naum Prophetam, Prologus, CCSL 76a, 525-26

Date:

391-392