Today's Saint (January 14): Hilary of Poitiers
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Saint Hilary ( C. 315-367) is known as the "Athanasius of the West" and is also a Doctor of the Church. In the early Church, persecution was at the hands of pagan emperors; however, in the time of Hilary the Church was also attacked by the heretical Christian emperors who supported Arianism - a heresy which denied the divinity of Christ.Interestingly, the season of Epiphany is a time in which Jesus teaches us of His Divinity, and it is entirely appropriate that Hilary, a staunch supporter and apologist for the divinity of Christ, has his feast day during this season.
Hilary was one who, as the epistle for the day declares, fought against those false teachers who drew people who could "not endure sound doctrine" away from the Truth of the gospel message.
May we, along with Saint Hilary, be able to say at the end of our life, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (propers on page F26, People's Anglican Missal)
The above picture is a fresco by Parmigianino, in San Giovanni Evangelista, Parma, Italy.
The Day's Propers
Catholic Encyclopedia ArticleBooks Worth Considering
Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Churchwww.episcopalnet.org