Hilary (c.315–368), bishop of Poitiers. Born at Poitiers of pagan, wealthy parents, Hilary became an orator, married, and had a daughter, Afra. In 350 he became a Christian through a long process of study. This led him to the convictions that man is in the world for the practice of the moral virtues which must be rewarded hereafter, that there is only one God, the eternal and creative first cause, and that the Word of God who became incarnate in Jesus Christ is likewise eternal and of one substance with the Father. In c.353 he was chosen bishop; for the rest of his life he was the outspoken champion of orthodoxy against the Arians. He was praised by Augustine and Jerome as ‘the illustrious teacher of the churches’ and as ‘a fair cedar transplanted out of this world into the Church’. He has also been described as the ‘Athanasius of the West’. This reputation was based on his defence of orthodoxy at the Synod of Bitterae in 356 and the council of Seleucia in 359, and by his exile for four years to Phrygia under the Emperor Constantius (356–60). He returned to Gaul amid great rejoicing; discipline and orthodoxy were restored; Hilary went to Milan in 364 to refute successfully its Arian bishop, Auxentius. In character Hilary was gentle, courteous, and friendly, although his writings could be sometimes severe in tone: his style is difficult and involved, sometimes to the point of obscurity. His principal works are De Trinitate (against the Arians), De Synodis, and Commentaries on the Psalms and on Matthew's Gospel. The influence of Origen is strong in his writings. His feast began the Hilary Term at the Law Courts and in some Universities. Hilary as a Christian name has been used for women as well as men both in the Middle Ages and in the 20th century. There are three churches dedicated to him in England. He was named a Doctor of the Church by Pius IX in 1851. Feast: 13 January.
Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.
- AA.SS. Ian. I (1643), 782–802, which includes the Life and Miracles by Fortunatus; works in P.L., ix–x, also in C.S.E.L. (1891 ff.); the Tractatus Mysteriorum is edited by J. P. Brisson in S.C., xix (1947); Eng. tr. of De Trinitate by S. McKenna (1954); studies include J. Daniélou and others, Hilaire de Poitiers, évêque et docteur, (Études Augustiniennes, 1968); E. R. Labande (ed.), Hilaire et son temps (Centenary Studies, 1969); biographies by A. Largent (1902) and P. Galtier (1960); see also D. H. Williams's reassessment in J.E.H., xlii (1991), 202–17
