Perspectives on the Ending of Mark: Four Views

by David Alan Black

Jerome's statement has also been discounted because he included the LE in the Vulgate. Why would he do that? Perhaps for the same reasons that it is included in Bibles today—call it antiquity, tradition of timidity, or not wanting to rock the boat too much. In AD 400, a riot broke out in Tripoli when Jerome's translation of Jonah 4:6 was read publicly. He used the word “ivy” (hederem) instead of the traditional “gourd” (cucurbita) to describe the plant that gave Jonah shelter. Augustine wrote to Jerome about the situation, pleading with him to temper how much he tampered with the traditional text. Even though Jerome wrote a defiant letter back, it is likely that there were limits to his alterations. If a riot had broken out over the description of a plant, how much more chaos could result if Jerome had omitted Jesus' appearance to his disciples in Mark 16?61

Fascinating story