St. Jerome is a Protestant's Worst Ally

St. Jerome is one of the most cited Church Fathers in Protestant apologetics, and it’s not hard to see why they reach for him. He preferred the Hebrew text over the Septuagint — though it should be noted that was his own scholarly opinion, and he deferred to Rome’s judgment without hesitation when it mattered. He had sharp words for bishops who deserved it, he took a hard stand against the laxity that had crept into the Church following the persecutions, and his willingness to challenge Church figures makes him look, at first glance, like a credible ally.

But Jerome didn’t sound anything like a Protestant. He thought like a Catholic, he wrote like a Catholic, and if anything, his letters are a direct admonishment of everything the Protestant reformers would later claim.