St. Hilarius Arelatensis
St. Hilarius Arelatensis [1]
(HILARY, bishop OF ARLES), was born about A.D. 403, of a noble family, and at an early age attached himself to Honoratus, first abbot of Lerins. When about twenty-five years of age he accompanied Honoratus to his see of Aries, but shortly left it to pursue a monastic life, removed from the cares and bustle of the world. His patron Honoratus dying A.D. 430, Hilary was elected bishop, but he accepted the office with great reluctance. In discharging its functions he conducted himself as an humble and charitable man, but as a rather severe and haughty ecclesiastic. A.D. 455 Hilary deposed the bishop of Vasontis, Chelidonius, on a charge of having violated the canon law in becoming a priest notwithstanding he had formerly married a widow. Chelidonius referred the matter to pope Leo, but Hilary refused to acknowledge the papal jurisdiction in the matter. Pope Leo, jealous of his own authority, and always anxious to extend his power, was very wrathful at Hilary's summary proceedings, nor could Leo be appeased, though the bishop of Arles took a journey on foot to Rome in order to set matters right. Each saint adhered to his own opinion, and they parted with mutual ill will, and by a rescript of Valentinian in 445, the metropolitan of Gaul was made virtually subordinate to the papal see. Hilary died A.D. 449. His works extant are, Vita Sancti Honorati, a panegyric: Epistola ad Eucharium both of which may be found in Bib. Max. Patr. vol. 7. Waterland attributes the composition of the Athanasian Creed to Hilary (Treatise on Athan. Creed). See Cave, Hist. Lit.; Hook, Eccl. Biog. 6, 54; Mosheim, Ch. Hist. 1, 340; Clarke, Succession of Sacred Literature, 2, 191; Waterland, Works, 1, 8; 3:214 sq.; Mihner, Hist. Ch. Christ, 2, 317; Riddle, Christ. Antiquities; Milman, Latin Christianity, 1, 272 sq.
