On January 13, Catholics will celebrate St. Hilary of Poitiers, a
fourth-century philosopher whose studies made him a champion of orthodox
Trinitarian theology during one of the most difficult periods of Church
history.
Little is known about St. Hilary's life before he became a bishop.
Fittingly, what historians do know about him derives mostly from
personal details contained within his extensive theological works.
Those
remarks indicate that Hilary was born to a pagan family in present-day
France, most likely around 310 – three years before the Roman Empire
declared its official toleration of Christianity.
Hilary himself grew up apparently without any significant Christian
influence, but received an otherwise comprehensive education in the
Latin and Greek classics.
Not unusual for his era, he rigorously studied
both Greek philosophy and the Bible. Like many other early Church
Fathers, he came to accept the truth of the Bible by recognizing its
compatibility with philosophy and the sciences.
This was a gradual process for him, however, and it was not until 345
– by which time he was already married, and had a daughter– that Hilary
committed himself to full membership in the Catholic Church by
receiving baptism with the rest of his family.
His rise within the
Church, however, was not gradual at all: around 353, the people of
Poitiers called for him to be made their bishop.
By its nature, the position involved tremendous responsibility, as
well as significant personal sacrifice.
While the early church permitted
some married men to become bishops, they were traditionally required to
practice celibacy within marriage, and many adopted a radically
simplified lifestyle akin to monasticism.
There are indications that
Hilary followed this ascetical path, once ordained.
Moreover, Hilary's election as the Bishop of Poitiers coincided with
the second wave of the Church's first great doctrinal controversy, in
which he would play a significant role.
Although the Council of Nicaea
in 325 had confirmed the Church’s rejection of Arianism – which claimed
Jesus was only human, not divine – powerful forces within both the
Church and the empire clung to the heresy.
Only a few years after his assumption of episcopal rank, Hilary found
himself virtually alone in defending Jesus’ deity before a hostile
crowd of bishops in the southern French region of Gaul.
The bishops
appealed to Emperor Constantius II, who favored a modified version of
Arianism and declared Hilary’s exile from Gaul.
Constantius II did not likely suspect that by banishing Hilary to
Phrygia he would inspire the bishop to mount an even greater defense of
orthodox theology.
There, he wrote his most important work, “On the
Trinity,” showing the Bible’s consistent witness to the central mystery
of Christian faith.
Remarkably, this staunchly orthodox bishop also showed great charity
toward those he believed were honestly mistaken.
He worked closely with
groups of clergy and faithful whose formulations of dogma he perceived
to be merely imperfect or imprecise, but not intentionally heretical, to
support what was correct in their understanding and lead them into full
adherence with tradition.
Hilary even traveled to Constantinople during his exile, to explain
to the city’s bishops why their emperor was not orthodox.
After the
death of Constantius II in 361, Hilary was able to return to his diocese
at Poitiers.
Once exiled for opposing Arianism in Gaul, he lived to see
it squarely condemned in the local church after his return.
Although deeply committed to the leadership of his own diocese,
Hilary took steps late in his life to support orthodox teaching in other
regions.
Most significantly, he denounced Auxentius, the Arian bishop
of Milan.
Subsequent opposition to Auxentius led to his succession by
St. Ambrose of Milan, who, in turn, greatly influenced the conversion of
St. Augustine.
St. Hilary died at Poitiers in 367, after having passed on his
teachings and way of life to a number of students, including St. Martin
of Tours.
Long regarded and celebrated as a saint within the Church, St. Hilary was also declared a Doctor of the Church in 1851.
SIC: CNA/INT'L