Doctors of the Church: St. Hilary of Poitiers

St. Hilary of Poitiers was born in Poitiers, France, in 315.

His parents were pagans and raised Hilary as a pagan; his education included learning Greek, a common language of the day.

Hilary lived the common life of the time working, marrying and having a family (a daughter). He dedicated himself to the study of the New and Old Testaments which led Hilary to abandon his standing as a pagan and become a Christian about the time that he was 35 years of age. He was baptized a Christian along with his wife and daughter.

He was held in high regard in the Christian community in Poitiers; he was elected as the Bishop of Poitiers in 353.

During the years Hilary served as the Bishop of Poitiers, the universal Christian community was divided in its interpretation of the relationship of Jesus Christ to God the Father. Two distinct concepts predominated thinking within Christianity at the time:

• The assertion that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was begotten by God the Father, is distinct of the Father and is subordinate to the Father (known as Arianism- a belief held largely by the eastern Christian church);
• The assertion of Jesus Christ as within the Holy Trinity – God in three persons – Father, Son, Holy Spirit. (a belief held largely in the western Christian church)

St. Hilary was a firm believer and guardian of the Holy Trinity. His strong beliefs brought him into conflict with the Roman emperor of the day, Constantius II; Hilary’s actions to defend his thinking on the Holy Trinity resulted in his being sent into exile in Phyrgia (a region in modern day Turkey) by Constantius II for a period of 4 years.

He devoted much of his time in exile to writing. Among theological works composed by St. Hilary while in exile, is De Trinitate (On the Trinity); it is comprised of 12 books and considered a major theological work on the topic.

St. Hilary of Poitiers died in 367; he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1851.

A quote attributed to St. Hilary of Poitiers:

“There is no space where God is not; space does not exist apart from Him. He is in heaven, in hell, beyond the seas; dwelling in all things and enveloping all. Thus He embraces, and is embraced by, the universe, confined to no part of it but pervading all.”

To Reflect Upon:

• How do we respond when faced with topics or issues where individuals hold strong convictions or line of thinking that differ from our own? How can we face approach a dialogue on these topics constructively while holding true to our beliefs? 

By Ken Kenriksen