Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers

January 13 – St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers –

(c. 300 – c. 368) Bishop of Poitiers and a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the “Hammer of the Arians” (Latin: Malleus Arianorum) and the “Athanasius of the West.” So great was the respect in which he was held by the citizens of Poitiers that about 353, although still a married man, he was unanimously elected bishop. At that time Arianism was threatening to overrun the Western Church; to repel the disruption was the great task which Hilary undertook. Among 4th-century Latin writers earlier than Ambrose, Hilary holds first place. Augustine of Hippo called him “the illustrious doctor of the churches”, and his works continued to be highly influential in later centuries.