For the Hebrew Scriptures, Jerome intended to base his work on the Septuagint. This Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures, originally translated in the third century B.C.E., was viewed by many as directly inspired by God. Thus, the Septuagint enjoyed wide circulation among Greek-speaking Christians of that time.

As Jerome progressed with his work, however, he found inconsistencies between the Greek manuscripts, similar to those he had encountered in the Latin. Jerome’s frustration grew. Finally, he came to the conclusion that to produce a reliable translation, he would have to bypass the Greek manuscripts, including the much revered Septuagint, and go directly to the original Hebrew text.

This decision caused an outcry. Jerome was labeled by some as a falsifier of the text, a profaner of God, abandoning the traditions of the church in favor of the Jews. Even Augustine​—the church’s leading theologian of the time—​pleaded with Jerome to return to the Septuagint text, saying: “If your translation begins to be more generally read in many churches, it will be a grievous thing that, in the reading of Scripture, differences must arise between the Latin Churches and the Greek Churches.”

Yes, Augustine’s fear was that the church might split if the Western churches used Jerome’s Latin text​—based on the Hebrew texts—​while the Greek churches of the East still used the Septuagint version.b Additionally, Augustine voiced misgivings about putting aside the Septuagint in favor of a translation that only Jerome could defend.

the Septuagint continues to be used in Eastern Christendom right down to today.