The Translator’s Patronage: Principles of Responsible Translation in the Jerome-Rufinus Controversy

Abstract: The primary aim of this article is to integrate Jerome’s statement of translation principles from Ep. 57 into its historical context: the controversy between Jerome and Rufinus about the status and the correct treatment of the writings of Origen, a third-century Christian philosopher whose ideas were now being condemned as heretical in a campaign led by Jerome’s patron Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis. A central concern is to evaluate the techniques and the reliability of Rufinus’s and Jerome’s rival translations of Origen’s work Peri Archon (On First Principles) . Insights from this controversy are used to consider the status of translators in communicating between different parts of the church, bishops, and lay people. As a result of these explorations, I argue that translators of Jerome’s and Rufinus’s status were not valued merely for their linguistic expertise but also for their theological authority, as they had to defend their moral position as well as their technical skills in rapidly shifting circumstances. The emphasis on the translator’s ethical commitment and reliability, I argue in the conclusion, remains relevant in current debates around translation.