St. Hilary of Poitiers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A SONG OF DAWN

From  heaven has fled the starry night,
And startled sleep has taken flight;
The rosy morn, uprising, spills
Her crystal light o’er vales and hills.

Soon as the earliest ray we see,
Our souls are lifted, Lord, to thee;
Dear God, to thee, our prayers we bring;
To thee rejoicing hymns we sing.

Lord, be our hearts and hopes renewed
In light and love and gratitude,
So may our deeds, illumed by thee,
Worthy thy love and glory be.

We praise thee, Lord, forevermore;
Thee, with the Son our souls adore,
And with the Spirit, three in one,
Reigning while endless ages run.

-St. Hilary of Poitiers (310 – c. 367)
Translated by Daniel Joseph Donahoe

St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers in France, is known by some as the Athanasius of the West, for his defense of Nicene theology. This was before St. Ambrose became Bishop of Milan and rose to similar prominence and more fame. He wrote on many topics, including theosis, as below:

We shall be promoted to a glory conformable to that of Him Who became Man for us, being renewed unto the knowledge of God, and created again in the image of the Creator, as the Apostle says, Having put off the old man with his doings, and put on the new man, which is being renewed unto the knowledge of God, after the image of Him that created him. (Col. 3:9-10) Thus is man made the perfect image of God. For, being conformed to the glory of the body of God, he is exalted to the image of the Creator, after the pattern assigned to the first man. Leaving sin and the old man behind, he is made a new man unto the knowledge of God, and arrives at the perfection of his constitution, since through the knowledge of his God he becomes the perfect image of God. Through godliness he is promoted to immortality, through immortality he shall live forever as the image of his Creator. (On the Trinity 11.49)

You can read more about St. Hilary here.
He is remembered in the East and in the West on January 13.

7 thoughts on “St. Hilary of Poitiers

  1. When I read the name of the saint in your title, my first thought was of Hilaire Belloc, the Anglo-French historian, writer, and activist. Sure enough: Hilaire is of French origin, derived from the Latin Hilarius, which means “cheerful” or “happy.” (Related words: hilarity, hilarious.) The name has been borne by several saints; Hilary is the English form, Ilario the Italian, and Hilario Spanish. Neat!

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