Tyrannius Rufinus  Tyrannius Rufinus,  (born c. 345, Concordia,
near Aquileia, Italy—died 410/411, Sicily, possibly at
Messina), Roman priest, writer, theologian, and translator of
Greek theological works into Latin at a time when knowledge of
Greek was declining in the West.  After study at Rome, where he
met Jerome (later a saint and one of the doctors of the Western
Church), Rufinus entered a monastery at Aquileia. Jerome often
visited the monastery, and the two became close friends.  About
373 Rufinus began to study the writings of Origen, one of the
Greek doctors of the church. In the early 390s Rufinus and
Jerome became involved in a controversy over Origen’s teachings,
by this time suspected by orthodox theologians of injecting
heretical elements into theology. In 393 both men were charged
with Origenist leanings, but Rufinus refused to make formal
abjuration of the alleged errors, while Jerome readily did so.
The discord between the men continued during the next year,
abated by 397, and then flared so