Classica et Christiana, 16/1, 2021 /285-306
Sancta superbia în gândirea lui Ieronim [Sancta superbia in Jerome’s thought]
Constantin RĂCHITĂ
ABSTRACT
Sancta superbia in Jerome’s thought. In a famous epistle, dedicated to Julia Eustochia (Ep. 22), Jerome promoted asceticism in Rome of the year 384. Among the exhortations, Jerome insisted in a curious manner that his disciple should learn a sancta superbia (Ep. 22, 16). This statement was interpreted as an adaptation of the Roman concept of nobilitas to the Christian discourse, without taking into account that superbia, although associated with the Roman aristocracy, has never been considered to be an ethical value in Roman world. Our paper aims to highlight studies that have examined how was perceived superbia in the Roman thought and to explain why Jerome used this concept in his works.
KEYWORDS
sancta superbia, asceticism, Jerome, biblical translation, exegesis