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Why did St. Jerome leave the desert of Chalcis?
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St. Jerome
Saint Jerome, oil on canvas by JosĆ© de Ribera (Jusepe de Ribera, Lo Spagnoletto), c. 1638ā40; in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
St. Jerome left the desert of Chalcis because the region became embroiled in intense ecclesiastical and theological controversies, specifically regarding episcopal succession and disputes over Trinitarian and Christological doctrines.1
During this period, Jerome was suspected of harboring heretical views, such as Sabellianism. In response to these tensions, he maintained that the resolution to such theological conflicts lay in unity with the Roman bishop. When Pope Damasus I did not provide a response to his position, Jerome chose to depart from the desert and travel to Antioch.1