In The Last Communion of Saint Jerome, history, legend, Scripture, and sacred art are woven into a luminous meditation on one of the greatest Doctors of the Church. Though no eyewitness account of St. Jerome’s death survives, Church Tradition and medieval devotions imagined his final moments with reverent detail—the monk-scholar receiving Viaticum, surrounded by angels, whispering the Nunc Dimittis as his soul departed in peace. This evocative tradition inspired masterpieces by Botticelli and Domenichino, and sparked centuries of contemplation on Jerome’s burning love for the Holy Eucharist.
Moving beyond legend alone, this work returns to Jerome’s own writings to reveal how deeply the Eucharist shaped his reading of Scripture, his priesthood, and his vision of Christ. Drawing from his commentaries on the Old and New Testaments, along with his prolific letters, readers will come to understand that for Jerome the Eucharist was not only sacrament, but the very key that unlocks the Word of God.
Both theological study and spiritual meditation, The Last Communion of Saint Jerome invites readers to see Scripture, art, and the sacraments as one living mystery centered on Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Readers will come away learning:
- how St. Jerome understood the Eucharist as both sacrament and interpretive key to Scripture,
- why Eucharistic devotion is deeply consistent with Jerome’s authentic life and writings,
- practical theological insight into worthy reception, Viaticum, and Spiritual Communion,
- and a renewed appreciation for Catholic tradition’s blend of history, legend, and sacred imagination.