Jerome's first epistle to Paulinus is a letter written by Jerome, addressed to Paulinus of Nola, which was used as the preface for the Gutenberg Bible. This Bible was published by Johannes Gutenberg and Johann Fust in Mainz, Germany in 1454. The Gutenberg Bible is an edition of a 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible known as the Vulgate or common text. It is cited as Letter 53. Jerome wrote two further letters to Paulinus.Second Letter to Paulinus (Letter 58) and Third Letter to Paulinus (Letter 85), New Advent, accessed on 24 September 2026
Content and date of the epistle In this letter, Jerome urges Paulinus, bishop of Nola, "to make a diligent study of the Scriptures and to this end reminds him of the zeal for learning displayed not only by the wisest of the pagans but also by the apostle Paul. Then going through the two Testaments in detail he describes the contents of the several books and the lessons which may be learned from them. He concludes with an appeal to Paulinus to divest himself wholly of his earthly wealth and to devote himself altogether to God."
This epistle was written in 394 A.D.
In the Gutenberg Vulgate Creation The Gutenberg Bible was created using a pioneering invention that allowed sheets of paper to be printed in large quantities resulting in the same quality as manuscripts.
References
External links English text of the letter Read the letter with notes in English
Second letter to Paulinus (letter 58) Third letter to Paulinus (letter 85)