"Stephen Bertman is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures , University of Windsor. Stephen has explored World Literatures, Ancient Civilizations, and Contemporary Culture. His books include Hyperculture: The Human Cost of Speed, Cultural Amnesia: America's Future and the Crisis of Memory, Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, and The Genesis of Science: The Story of Greek Imagination. His most recent book is 'Distracted Doctoring: Returning to Patient-Centered Care in the Digital Age'." - Not exactly a specialist in this tricky area then! Johnbod (talk) 01:44, 24 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
- You're right to ask the question, but I think he checks out. His background and emeritus position seems to be Greek and Roman civilisation, and linguistic questions, which is what he's addressing in his paper? The only unique bits he's said repeated here are related to Jerome's interpretation and choices, which seem plausible and have been cited as possibilities by others, and are within his linguistic and classics background. The points he raises about Jerome's possible antisemitism are not new, and his points about conotations of horns in the classical vs medieval periods don't seem original either. To the extent that they're relevant here, they're backed up by Strickland and Mellinkoff. So I'm not sure there's a specific concern.
- On the other hand, where he's interpreting Michelangelo's Moses rather than repeating other people's views on it he's moving beyond his expertise so begins to be less reliable in the WP sense of the word.
- I've no idea why he's also ventured into medical topics in his retirement other than the obvious personal ones but I can see the cultural amnesia connection. Jim Killock (talk) 07:01, 24 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
- Well an increased interest in medical care comes to us all with age, and it doesn't seem to take much to get this guy to drop a book. It is said by various sources that the "devil with horns" was itself only an idea developed in the Middle Ages, long after Jerome. Various contemporary specialists are more sympathetic to Jerome's choice of word in a tight corner, and of course he probably never saw, or perhaps imagined, images of Moses with horns. Johnbod (talk) 15:33, 24 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
- I agree he's probably incorrect on Jerome but it's not the same he's an unreliable source or didn't say it, or tht others don't entertain his perspective. Less sure about the horns point; he makes a reasonable case that this is found in the NT eg Revelations and in general the negatives for horns might be known or felt, but iw will re-read. Not sure if his points there is repeated elsewhere but I would have thought so as he's basically cobbled together his arguments mostly from elsewhere understandably enough, so will check. The positive case for Jerome's translation though is made best by the MA student quoted (!) and he's in at length, so I think that's ok. If we find people taking him down perhaps we can reconsider if his views count as reliable perhaps. Jim Killock (talk) 16:00, 24 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
- To be fair to Bertman he accepts the possibility of the positive case, he just says there's an alternative reading. At p.100 he points to Revelation 12 as identifying horned creatures with the antichrist, etc., and says that horns probably had negative connotations for Jerome, so it may have played into his choice in a way that wouldn't have been the case for Aquilas, who was a Jew. I can make that clearer. Jim Killock (talk) 16:16, 24 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
- So I did that; I see also Strawn cites Bertman and doesn't dismiss his comments re Jerome, but he does disagree with him regarding the impression that Michelangelo's Moses makes. So I think we're probably getting the balance right. Jim Killock (talk) 17:00, 24 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
- We must delete the outrageous accusation that St. Jerome was an anti-Semite. That unfounded statement clearly suggests a bias towards Christians in general. Translating the Holy Scriptures was (and still is) very serious business, all the more so in ancient or medieval times! No one would blasphemously jeopardize their own soul, much less a Doctor of the Church who is translating the Holy Scriptures at the Pope's request. Be aware that Moses himself and all Old Testament prophets are Catholic saints. Christians have always had deep respect for all of Scripture. Lcrdj (talk) 20:09, 7 February 2025 (UTC)Reply
