St. Hilary of Poitiers

St. Hilary of Poitiers was born around 310 at Poitiers in Gaul (modern France), into a pagan family of standing, and died around 367. A married man of learning, he came to the Christian faith through his study of the Scriptures, and so impressed his fellow Christians that, though a layman, he was chosen bishop of Poitiers. He soon found himself at the center of the great struggle against Arianism, which denied the full divinity of Christ.

His fearless defense of the Nicene faith led the Arian emperor Constantius II to exile him to the East, where he deepened his knowledge of Greek theology and wrote his masterwork, On the Trinity. So vigorously did he confront the heresy that he became known as the 'Hammer of the Arians' and the 'Athanasius of the West.' He also mentored the young St. Martin of Tours. Honored as a Father of the Church, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1851, his feast kept on 13 January.