A Conspiracy "Theory"

Have you seen those ads for the book called the Jerome Conspiracy?

I wanted so much to know what it says, but I didn't want to buy the book for fear that the information was bogus.

The ads seems a little hyped; sort of like an ad for a fiction novel -- not a presentation of a scholarly researched idea.

I got lucky and got an opportunity to read parts of it without buying it.

The book asserts that eternal damnation in hell was all made up by St. Jerome -- a scribe and bible translator who was largely responsible for producing the Vulgate and having several New Testament books canonized.

The book argues, by way of a fictional story (think DaVinci Code), that St. Jerome got his ideas of hell from the The Book of Enoch. Latin was emerging as the language of the day and a Latin Bible was now in demand. As Jerome produced his translation, he took liberty to write in his belief of eternal damnation. The book also asserts that until then, mainstream Christianity did not believe in eternal damnation. Rather, that there would be a time of purging for the sinner. After which, he could then be reunited with God just like the ones who are saved. Jesus' sacrifice took care of it all -- universal reconciliation.

I won't go into how he defends this. I didn't get to read the whole thing, for one. Second, I don't want to tell the whole thing . . . after all . . . he does want to make a profit from his labor.

I may still buy it. I'm still curious. I know what he's trying to argue now. I'm curious if he can prove it.

That would be another discredit to the biblical narrative.

But, if you're where I am already -- this is probably a moot exercise.