Why did St. Jerome break with Rufinus?

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José de Ribera: Saint Jerome — St. Jerome *Saint Jerome*, oil on canvas by José de Ribera (Jusepe de Ribera, Lo Spagnoletto), c. 1638–40; in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The break between St. Jerome and Tyrannius Rufinus was rooted in a theological controversy surrounding the teachings of Origen.

While the two were once close friends, their relationship deteriorated in the early 390s when both were accused of holding Origenist views. Jerome quickly distanced himself from these charges by formally abjuring the alleged heresies, whereas Rufinus refused to do so.1

The conflict escalated into a bitter, public quarrel after 397, when Rufinus published a translation of Origen’s De principiis. In the preface to this work, Rufinus suggested that Jerome was an admirer of Origen. This implication provoked a harsh reaction from Jerome, who subjected Rufinus to intense criticism and questioned his orthodoxy. This betrayal of trust regarding their shared intellectual history effectively ended their friendship, leading to a period of sustained hostility between the two scholars.1