ABSTRACT
In the earliest years of the fifth century Jerome sent a letter to Rome from Bethlehem to answer the request of a Christian Roman lady, Laeta, for advice on bringing up her infant daughter Paula to be a virgin dedicated to God. Little Paula was by no means an ordinary child. On her father’s side, she claimed descent from the Gracchi and Scipios. Her paternal grandmother, also named Paula, had been involved in a degree of scandal when, in her widowhood, she and her daughters had come under Jerome’s moral and ascetic influence. This influence was widely believed to have contributed to the death of Paula’s older daughter, Blesilla, as a result of excessive fasting and mortification. There are certain parts of the letter where Jerome’s attitude appears to soften beyond the mere counselling of moderation in ascetic exercise. These moments come when he discusses Paula’s intellectual education, especially the earliest steps of her academic development.
