St. Hilary of Poitiers was a bishop who was born in Poitiers, a town in the Gaul province of the Western Roman Empire, in the early decades of the fourth century. He became the bishop of that city in AD 353 and reposed there in AD 369. Some historians note that he was born to pagan parents and that it was the reading of the Holy Scriptures that drew him to the Christian faith.
Because he refused to denounce St. Athanasius of Alexandria, who had taken a firm stand against Arianism, Emperor Constantius II exiled St. Hilary in AD 356 to Phrygia, during a council held at Béziers. (At that time, Emperor Constantius had compiled a long list of those exiled for opposing Arianism, as recorded by Sulpicius Severus – Chronicon II, 39.) It is during this period of exile, St. Jerome testifies, that he composed his famous works (De Viris Illustribus 100). Among these, the most important is the treatise in twelve books written against the Arians. While in Phrygia, he studied the writings of Latin authors, especially those of Origen, which helped him grasp the emptiness of Arian theology and supported him in his literary endeavors. He also wrote a work on the councils convened for the bishops of Gaul, especially against the background of the Councils of Seleucia and Rimini, during this time of exile.
While in Phrygia, following the emperor’s directive, he participated in the synod of bishops held at Seleucia in AD 359 (Chronicon II, 45). That same year, when the synod of Western bishops convened at Rimini in Italy accepted the Arian creed, he requested the emperor’s permission to publicly debate the bishops; although permission was denied, he was allowed to return to his own diocese. In AD 361, he presided over the council of bishops in Paris for the Gaul province, taking a leadership role in opposing Arian positions.
In recognition of his fight against Arianism, he was honored with the titles “Athanasius of the West” and “Hammer of the Arians.” In 1851, Pope Pius IX officially recognized him as a Doctor of the Church, giving ecclesial acknowledgment to his struggle against Arianism.
Rev. Dr. Alex Sebastian Kollamkalam
