Hilary Frees Gaul from the Heresy

So the Arians, with their affairs flourishing and everything going as they wished, went in a body to Constantinople, where the emperor was. There they found the delegates from the Synod of Seleucia, and by the exercise of the emperor’s power they forced them to follow the example of the Westerners and accept that heretical confession of faith. Many who refused were tormented with harsh imprisonment and hunger, until at last they surrendered their conscience as a captive. But many who resisted more bravely were stripped of their bishoprics and driven into exile, and others were put in their places. So, with the best priests either terrified by threats or driven into exile, everyone gave way before the faithlessness of a few. [a]

Hilary was there at the time, having followed the delegates from Seleucia. Since no definite orders had been given about him, he was waiting on the emperor’s will, to see whether he might be ordered to return to exile. When he saw the extreme danger the faith had been brought into, since the Westerners had been deceived and the Easterners were being overcome by wickedness, he presented three petitions in public, asking for an audience with the emperor so that he might debate questions of faith in the presence of his opponents. But the Arians opposed this with all their might. In the end Hilary was ordered to return to Gaul, as a sower of discord and a troubler of the East, while the sentence of exile against him remained uncanceled. But having wandered over almost the whole earth, which was infected with the evil of faithlessness, his mind was full of doubt and deeply shaken by the mighty burden of cares that pressed on it. He saw that many thought it right not to enter into communion with those who had accepted the Synod of Ariminum; but he thought the best thing he could do was to bring them all back to repentance and amendment. In frequent councils within Gaul, while almost all the bishops publicly confessed the error that had been committed, he condemned the proceedings at Ariminum, and restored the faith of the churches to its original form.

Saturninus, however, bishop of Arles, who was in truth a very bad man, of an evil and corrupt character, resisted these sound measures. Besides the disgrace of being a heretic, he was convicted of many unspeakable crimes and cast out of the church. So, having lost its leader, the strength of the party opposed to Hilary was broken. Paternus of Périgueux too, just as deluded, and not shrinking from openly professing faithlessness, was expelled from the priesthood. Pardon was granted to the others. This much everyone admits: that our regions of Gaul were set free from the guilt of heresy through the devoted efforts of Hilary alone. But Lucifer, who was then at Antioch, held a very different opinion. He condemned those who had met at Ariminum so strongly that he even separated himself from the communion of those who had received them as friends after they had made amends or shown repentance. Whether this resolve of his was right or wrong, I will not take it on myself to say. Paulinus and Rhodanius died in Phrygia. Hilary died in his own country in the sixth year after his return.