06 Works, Today, May 5th is Jovinianus's day, With Footnotes - #126

Unknown artist
Jovinianus (died about 405)

Jovinian (died c. 405), was an opponent of Christian asceticism in the 4th century and was condemned as a heretic at synods convened in Rome under Pope Siricius 

Unknown artist
Pope Siricius 334-399

and in Milan by St Ambrose in 393. 

Unknown artist
St Ambrose in 393

Our information about him is derived principally from the work of St. Jerome in two books, Adversus Jovinianum. Jerome referred to him as the "Epicurus of Christianity".  He was a native of Corduene. John Henry Newman called Aerius of Sebaste, Jovinian and Vigilantius the forerunners of Protestantism, likening them to the "Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli of the fourth century".

Jovinian was a monk at one time in his life, but subsequently turned against monastic asceticism--though without giving up his status as monk. Jovinian was apparently broadly read and adduced examples from secular literature, which did not sit well at the synods. He became the leader of a group of disciples identified in the act of 390. His writings praising the excellence of marriage, which he published from Rome, were condemned at a synod held in Rome under Pope Siricius and subsequently at the Milan synod.

Unknown artist

A painting of Saint Pammachius above a side altar in the Basilica of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo in Rome.

The writings of Jovinian were sent to Jerome by his friend Pammachius. Jerome replied to them in a long treatise in two books, written in 393. From this work it would appear that Jovinian maintained several heterodox opinions about virginity and sin.

Master of the Parral

Saint Jerome in the Scriptoriumn c. 1480-1490

Oil on canvas

Height = 162 cm; Width = 95 cm;

Museo Lázaro Galdiano,  Madrid, Spain

The Master of El Parral presents Saint Jerôme surrounded by his disciples writing the "Vulgata" in the "scriptorium" of a monastery, representing a space that seems real, as if drawn from life. The monks exemplify the precept of "ora et labora" (prayer and work), in accordance with the rules of certain religious communities like the Benedictine order. More on this work

Hieronymus Bosch

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, between 1505 and 1510

Oil on panel

Height: 120 cm (47.2 in); Width: 150 cm (59 in)

Museo del Prado 

Hieronymus Bosch (1450 – 1516) was an Early Netherlandish painter. His work is known for its fantastic imagery, detailed landscapes, and illustrations of religious concepts and narratives. Within his lifetime his work was collected in the Netherlands, Austria, and Spain, and widely copied, especially his macabre and nightmarish depictions of hell.

Little is known of Bosch's life, though there are some records. He spent most of it in the town of 's-Hertogenbosch, where he was born in his grandfather's house. The roots of his forefathers are in Aachen, in present-day Germany. His pessimistic and fantastical style cast a wide influence on northern art of the 16th century, with Pieter Bruegel the Elder being his best known follower. His paintings have been difficult to translate from a modern point of view; attempts to associate instances of modern sexual imagery with fringe sects or the occult have largely failed. Today he is seen as a hugely individualistic painter with deep insight into man's desires and deepest fears. Attribution has been especially difficult; today only about 25 paintings are confidently given to his hand along with 8 drawings. Approximately another half dozen paintings are confidently attributed to his workshop. His most acclaimed works consist of a few triptych altarpieces, the most outstanding of which is The Garden of Earthly Delights. More on Hieronymus Bosch

Jovinian, in the polemical view of his chief opponent, Saint Jerome, has some of the style of an "Epicurus of Christianity." The following is a passage attributed to Jovinian by Jerome in his "Against Jovinian:"

He felt that virgins, widows and married women, even remarried widows, are of equal merit in the Christian community. Jovinianus also maintained that abstinence is no better than the partaking of food in the right disposition; a person baptized with the Spirit as well as water cannot sin; all sins are equal; and that there is but one grade of punishment and one of reward in the future state. Jovinian also denied the perpetual virginity of Mary. More on Jovinian

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