Jerome, in his Letter 108, describes how Paula in 385/6 visited the tomb of *Rachel (wife of the Old Testament patriarch Jacob, S00701) at Bethlehem; Jerome also mentions the tomb in two of his other writings. Written in Latin, in Bethlehem (Palestine); Letter 108 in 404..
E06499
Literary - Letters
Literary - Theological works
Jerome of Stridon
Jerome of Stridon, Letter 108,10 ('Epitaphium Sanctae Paulae')
Deinde pro facultatula sua pauperibus atque conseruis pecunia distributa perrexit Bethlem et in dextra parte itineris stetit ad sepulchrum Rachel, in quo Beniamin non, ut mater uocauerat moriens, Benoni, hoc est filium doloris mei, sed, ut pater prophetavit in spiritu, filium dexterae procreavit.
'Then, after having distributed to the poor and to her fellow monastics as much money as her meager means allowed, she proceeded to Bethlehem. On the right side of the road she stood before Rachel's tomb, where she gave birth to Benjamin – "son of the right hand", as his father named him under prophetic inspiration, and not Benoni, "son of my sorrow", the name by which his mother called him as she lay dying.'
Text: Hilberg 1996 (1912).
Translation: Cain 2013.
Jerome of Stridon, Tractates on the Psalms 7.70
Eo enim tempore quando mortua est Rachel in Efrata - oculis nostris sepulcrum uidemus.
'At about that time Rachel died in Efrata, indeed I have seen the grave with my own eyes.'
Text: Morin 1958.
Translation: P. Polcar.
Jerome of Stridon, Commentary on Jeremiah 6.390.2
Quia igitur Rachel in Ephratha, hoc est in Bethleem, condita est – sicut et scriptura sancta et titulus sepulchri eius hodieque testantur ...
'Because Rachel was buried in Ephrata, that is Bethlehem – the holy scripture and the inscribed plaque on her tomb give testimony to that even today ...'
Text: Reiter 1960.
Translation: P. Polcar.
Burial site of a saint - tomb/grave
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Source
In the second half of 404 Jerome composed an Epitaph for his late friend and patron, Paula, which was transmitted to us as letter 108. The work depicts Paula as an example for ascetic women and bears features of hagiography.Paula died on 26 January 404 in Bethlehem. She was the descendant of a Roman aristocratic family, who traced their lineage back to the Gracchi and Scipiones. She was dedicated to the western ascetic movement and had spent more than twenty years by the side of Jerome of Stridon, whom she had followed with her daughter Eustochium to the Holy Land in 385, where they founded a monastery and a convent in Bethlehem. Paula was not only Jerome's most faithful companion, but also his biggest sponsor.
Jerome's Letter 108.8-13 describes Paula's pilgrimage through the Holy Land, which lasted from late winter 385 to late spring 386. It is, however, only a partial account, intended to show off Jerome's knowledge of biblical topography as much as to illustrate Paula's piety. Jerome specifically tells us that, at the beginning of his account of Paula's travels in the Holy Land, that he will only mention the places she visited which feature in the Bible: 'I say nothing of her journey through Syria Coele and Phoenicia, for it is not my intention to write a complete description of her travels; I will mention only those stops mentioned in the sacred books' (Omitto Syriae Coeles et Phoenices iter, neque enim odoeporicum eius disposui scribere; ea tantum loca nominabo quae sacris voluminibus continentur. Ep. 108, 8.1, trans. Cain). It is very possible that Paula also visited the shrines of post-biblical saints (as she had earlier done on Ponza - see E06524), but, if so, these visits were passed over by Jerome.
Discussion
According to the Old Testament, Rachel, Jacob's favourite wife, gave birth to Benjamin on her way to Efrata and died there (Gen. 35:16-20). According to a tradition, the place of her death was Bethlehem, and Jacob set up a pillar to commemorate the spot.Bibliography
Edition:Hilberg, I., Hieronymus, Epistulae 71-120 (Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum 55; Vienna, 1996).
Morin, G., Sancti Hieronymi presbyteri Tractatus LIX in psalmos (Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina 78; Turnhout, 1958).
Reiter, S., In Hieremiam prophetam libri VI (Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina 74; Turnhout, 1960).
Translation and commentary:
Cain, A., Jerome's Epitaph on Paula: A Commentary on the Epitaphium Sanctae Paulae (Oxford, 2013).
Further reading:
Cox, B., and Ackermann, S., "Rachel's Tomb," Journal of Biblical Literature 128 (2009), 135-148.
Philip Polcar
12/09/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00701 | Rachel, wife of the Old Testament patriarch Jacob | Rachel | Certain |
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Philip Polcar, Cult of Saints, E06499 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E06499