7. The Vulgate

Continuing the ethical side of learning, the Vulgate Bible provides greater depth of thinking and more pronounced ethical guidelines. The Vulgate is the first Latin Bible, produced in the 4th century AD primarily by St. Jerome. As spiritual learning is, in many ways, even more important than secular learning, this early compilation of many books of scripture rendered in Latin provides a spiritual foundation for a relationship with God. It contains both the Old and New Testaments, as well as some books from the Apocrypha. Furthermore, as these are all fairly early transcriptions, they likely do not contain many of the errors or distortions of the text that exist in our modern Bible. The Vulgate primarily provides a description of the life and purpose of Christ, arguably the most important ethical figure in history. While it does contain teachings and commandments that are direct and easily applied to one’s own life, the greatest depth of learning from the Vulgate, or any Bible, comes from the study and personal application of the stories it contains. Though more complex than Aesop’s fables, the parables it contains provide valuable insight into morality and religious hope that can be found through close analysis.