Letter 72: Vitalis had asked Jerome Is Scripture credible when it tells us that Solomon and Ahaz became fathers at the age of eleven? The difficulty had previously occurred to Jerome himself (Letter XXXVI. 10, whence perhaps Vitalis took it) and in this letter he suggests several ways in which it may be met.

Letter 72: To Vitalis, On Young Fathers in Scripture (398 AD) [Vitalis had asked Jerome a question that sounds whimsical but actually touches on biblical chronology: does Scripture really claim that Solomon and Ahaz became fathers at the age of eleven? Jerome had flagged this problem himself years earlier (in Letter 36) and now offers several possible solutions. He is perfectly prepared, if necessary, to accept the claim at face value: "There are many things in Scripture that sound incredible and yet are true, for nature cannot resist the Lord of nature." But he is also inclined to think the question trivial, not worth losing sleep over. The tone is characteristic: simultaneously learned and dismissive.]

To Vitalis Vitalis had asked Jerome Is Scripture credible when it tells us that Solomon and Ahaz became fathers at the age of eleven? The difficulty had previously occurred to Jerome himself (Letter XXXVI. 10, whence perhaps Vitalis took it) and in this letter he suggests several ways in which it may be met. He is quite prepared, if necessary, to accept the alleged fact on the grounds that there are many things in Scripture which sound incredible and yet are true and that nature cannot resist the Lord of nature (§2). He is disposed, however, to regard the question as trivial and of no importance. The date of the letter is 398 A.D. About this page Source. Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3001072.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.