The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Hilary of Poitiers
c. 310 – 367 · Bishop of Poitiers · “Athanasius of the West” · Poitiers, Gaul
The Nicene Age
Who Hilary of Poitiers was
A married aristocrat of Gaul who reasoned his way from philosophy to the prologue of John’s Gospel, Hilary was elected bishop of Poitiers around 350 and almost immediately stood alone in the West against the imperial drive to condemn Athanasius. Exiled to Phrygia in 356, he used the sentence like a research grant: learned Greek theology at the source, wrote the twelve books of On the Trinity, and returned in 360 “a torch to the West.” He mentored Martin, planting Gaul’s first monastery beside him, and composed the earliest Latin hymns whose texts survive — doctrine set marching to meter. Even his opponents called him “the Rhône of Latin eloquence.”
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When did Hilary live?
Hilary of Poitiers is dated c. 310 – 367 in the archive, which places Hilary in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
What did Hilary write?
Hilary of Poitiers has 1 catalogued writing in the archive: On the Trinity.
Which early sources mention Hilary?
Hilary of Poitiers is named in 4 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Hilary of Poitiers, Jerome of Stridon and Sulpicius Severus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Hilary from?
The archive associates Hilary of Poitiers with Poitiers, Gaul. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Writings (1)
On the Trinity
c. 356–360I am well aware, O Lord God Almighty, that I owe Thee, as the chief duty of my life, the devotion of all my words and thoughts to Thyself… bestow upon us the meaning of words, the light of understanding, the nobility of diction, and the faith of the true nature.Read the interlinear source text →
Primary-source mentions (4)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
On the Trinity (De Trinitate)
c. AD 360For my part, I hold that the chief service I owe my life is that my every word and thought should speak of Him… Grant me, O Lord, to hold fast what I have professed in the creed of my regeneration, when I was baptized in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.Hilary of Poitiers · source text
On Illustrious Men 100 (the twelve books against the Arians weighed)
c. AD 392Hilary, bishop of Poitiers in Aquitania, wrote twelve books Against the Arians.Jerome of Stridon · On Illustrious Men 100 · source text
Life of Martin 5 (Martin seeks out Hilary; the exorcist's grade accepted)
c. AD 396Hilary appointed him to the office of an exorcist.Sulpicius Severus · Life of Martin 5 · source text
Chronicle II.42 (the exile who won Gaul back)
c. AD 403Connected in the archive
Western ally of Athanasius’s cause; patron and mentor of Martin of Tours
People
- Athanasius of Alexandria
- Martin of Tours
- Eusebius of Vercelli
- Auxentius of Milan
- Servatius of Tongeren
- Gregory of Elvira
- Phoebadius of Agen
Events in this lifetime
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Hilary.
- 1Gaulprovince only