The Vulgate is a Latin translation of the Bible, primarily completed by the scholar St. Jerome in the late 4th century. It was commissioned by Pope Damasus I to create a standardized version of the Scriptures for the Western Christian Church. The Vulgate became the official Latin Bible of the Roman Catholic Church and played a significant role in shaping Christian theology and Western literature. Over the centuries, the Vulgate underwent various revisions and translations, influencing many later versions of the Bible. It was widely used in the Middle Ages and remains an important text in biblical studies, particularly in the context of Catholicism and Christianity.