Tuesday, January 13, 2026

It is the 13th of January 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

St. Hilary might not be one of the more familiar church fathers. Yes, “Hilary” became associated with the feminine sex in the 20th century, but has long been a masculine name in the Christian West, especially on account of St. Hilary of Poitiers, who is remembered on this, the 13th of January.

Hilary comes from the Latin “Hilarius,” meaning cheerful or glad. Our man was born and given this name around 300 in Poitiers in central France. He was raised in a pagan household and given the education of an upper-class Roman. He would have been coming of age with the legalization of the Christian faith but showed more of an interest in the esoteric cults and Judaism.

His conversion came about while reading the Gospel of John- he was moved by the picture of Jesus as the eternal logos- the coeternal second person of the Trinity. Upon becoming a Christian, he threw himself into local service and the defense of the divinity of Jesus.

For his part, serving the local church, he was elected Bishop in 350. And despite the council of Nicaea 25 years prior, the Arian disputes were continuing to rage. The emperor, Constantius II (the son of Constantine the Great), favored a compromise with the Arians, and this drew the ire of Hilary.  

Let me pause for a second... “Arians”? Yes- these were those who said Jesus was not coequal with the Father. A prophet? A teacher? Sure…. But not the same as Yahweh. This was popular then for the same reason similar ideas are popular today- Jesus is easier to digest as a good man we can fashion after ourselves. But it is also in direct opposition to the picture of the Messiah given in Scripture- that of the sacrificial deity.

For Hilary, and others, this Jesus would be incapable of his saving work- were he less than God, his sacrifice would be incomplete.

For his arguing, Hilary was sent into exile around 356, but having been sent to the East, he was able to work with St. Basil the Great and the other Eastern Fathers defending Nicene orthodoxy.

It was also while in the East that Hilary would be exposed to the same phenomenon that bewitched St. Ambrose of Milan: congregational singing. After his exile, Hilary would not only bring the practice to the West, but like Ambrose would also be responsible for writing some of the first Western Latin hymns.

Upon returning home, he would encourage a young monk, Martin, in establishing a monastery (this would be Martin of Tours, one of the great patron saints of Europe). Hilary would write a treatise on the Trinity, and his commentary on the book of Matthew is one of the oldest extant commentaries we have.

Because he was associated with defeating the dastardly Arians, he would be called the “Athanasius of the West” (Athanasius was in Alexandria, Hilary in Gaul), and there would be numerous legends surrounding the French saint. One issue was the fact that when he converted, he was married and had a daughter. One legend arose that he prayed his daughter would be reminded of a virgin, and just to be safe, asked God to take her in her sleep. When he did, his wife asked if she could get the same treatment that night. And so, apparently, it was (according to the legend).

The other very curious medieval legend has Hilary debating a heretic pope Leo when the pope, defeated theologically, “by the conduit of his nether part voided out all the entrails of his body, and so died suddenly”. You can do with that what you will- even the Medieval chroniclers had to note that there was no such heretical pope Leo and this story was likely a pious invention to herald a man who did so much to defend orthodoxy, despite his cheery name, he was the “Hammer of the Arians”- St. Hilary, died in 367 and is celebrated on this, the 13th of January.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and more fun in Acts:

4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 13th of January 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite Hammer is MC and Hilary is Duff- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who knows that Norm on Cheers is his middle name- first name: Hilary. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.