Hilary of Poitiers

HILARY OF POITIERS (Roman Christian, c. 310-367)

Saint Hilary of Poitiers (actually Hilarius, a man's name meaning "happy") was a Bishop and a Doctor of the Church, sometimes called the "Hammer of the Arians" (and the "Athanasius of the West") for his staunch opposition to Arianism. After a solid pagan education, he was a married man and a father when he read the Bible and converted; his wife and daughter (Saint Abra) were baptized with him. The Christians of Poitiers unanimously elected him bishop in 350 or 353. Like Athanasius, he was exiled by an emperor (but only once, for four years), where he continued writing. The reason for his exile is unclear, but his hobby was getting other bishops condemned for heresy, so it may have been plain old enmity. He left numerous works of theology, history, and hymnody and is remembered in biographies, the names of churches, and as the patron saint of lawyers.

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Irenaeus of Lyon

IRENAEUS OF LYON (Greek, c. 130-202 CE)

Irenaeus was a Greek bishop noted for guiding and expanding Christian communities in what is now southern France, as well as for his opposition to heresy and definitions of orthodoxy. He is said to have heard Polycarp preach, and Polycarp heard John the Evangelist, making Irenaeus the last-known living link with the Apostles. As bishop of Lugdunum (Lyon), he wrote a refutation of Gnosticism, especially as taught by Valentinus. He established three pillars of orthodoxy: the scriptures, the apostles' traditions, and the teachings of the apostles' successors. The surest source of Christian guidance, he said, is the Church of Rome, and he is the earliest to affirm the importance of the now-canonical gospels. He is the 37th and most recent (January 21, 2022) saint  to be named a Doctor of the Church.

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