HILARY OF ARLES, ST.

Bishop of Arles (430?–449); b. 401; d. Arles, France, May 5, 449. With the encouragement of his kinsman (St.) honoratus, Hilary become a monk at lÉrins. He served Honoratus briefly during his episcopate at Arles (c. 428–c. 430), was present at his death (January 14 or 15), and was chosen his successor. gennadius testifies to Hilary's learning (De vir. ill. 70), while prosper of aquitaine made witness to Hilary's (a variant reads Euladius) concurrence with St. augustine's teaching except in the areas of grace and predestination (Augustine, Epist. 225.9). On Prosper's testimony, Hilary is considered a Semi-Pelagian.

Hilary's authentic works include an anniversary Sermo de vita s. Honorati, a letter to Eucherius of Lyons, and verses. Several other compositions may also be his. According to Gennadius (De vir. ill. 100) the Vita s. Hilarii was written by Bp. Honoratus of Marseilles (d. after 492 or 496).

Hilary's episcopacy was marked by strong pastoral action; he presided at several councils, including that of Orange in 441 (J. D. Mansi, Sacorum Conciliorum nova. Et amplissima collectio 6:433–452), and engaged in a dispute with Pope leo i. On July 26, 428, Pope celestinei had apparently restricted the metropolitan jurisdiction of the bishop of Arles to the civil province of Vienne. Hilary acted outside these limits in 443 or 444 by joining other bishops in the deposition of Bp. Chelidonius of Besançon (province of Maxima Sequanorum) and in the replacement of the ailing Bp. Projectus, whose see is unknown. Both prelates appealed to Pope Leo. Although Hilary appeared unexpectedly at a synod in Rome discussing these depositions, he was unable to dissuade the pope from decreeing (probably July 445) the restoration of the two bishops and the suppression of the Arles metropolitanate. Ultimately, a petition to Rome by 19 Gallic prelates moved Pope Leo (May 5, 450) to restore the authority of Arles over all but five bishoprics in the province of Vienne. By this date, Hilary had been dead a year and had been succeeded by Bishop Ravennius (449–452).

Feast: May 5.

Bibliography: s. cavallin, Vitae sanctorum Honorati et Hilarii (Lund 1952). honorat de marseille, La vie d'Hilaire d'Arles, tr. p. a. jacob (Paris 1995). Clavis Patrum latinorum, ed. e. dekkers (2d ed. Streenbrugge 1961) 500–509. b. kolon, Die Vita S. Hilarii Arelatensis (Paderborn 1925). d. franses, Paus Leo de Groote en S. Hilarius van Arles (Bois-le-Duc 1948). j. chÉnÉ, "Le semipélagianisme du midi de la Gaule, d'après les lettres … d'Hilaire à S. Augustin" Recherches de science religieuse 43 (1955) 321–341. É. griffe, La Gaule chrétienne à l époque romaine (Paris 1947–) 2.2. t. g. jalland, The Life and Times of St. Leo the Great (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; 1941). o. chadwick, "Euladius of Arles," Journal of Theological Studies 46 (1945) 200–205.

[h. g. j. beck]