Saint Jerome is celebrated for his translations of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. Because of this, Jerome is acknowledged as the patron saint of translators and librarians, and his Latin edition of the Bible (the Vulgate) remains the official biblical text of the Catholic Church. Jerome was a renowned scholar and studied a variety of subjects before dedicating himself to religion. He is frequently shown as a penitent elderly hermit, beating his own chest with a rock as punishment for loving secular learning. In this drawing, the monumental figure of Jerome is shown in deep contemplation, the intensity of this rapture expressed by the forceful gesture of his left arm.