Christology in the Gospel of Matthew According to Hilary of Poitiers
Annabella Pizzi
The early Christian Church held its first ecumenical council in Nicea in 325 A.D. The First Council of Nicea was called by Emperor Constantine, the first Roman Christian emperor. The council was fairly well attended, with a total of 318 bishops present. Among other issues, the council was convened to discuss the divine and human natures of Christ. Arius, a Christian priest from Alexandria, held that Christ was completely human, and possessed no divine qualities. The Council of Nicea declared Arius and his ideologies heretical, asserting that Christ was indeed “homoiousios,” or of the same substance as God the Father, in addition to his human nature. Early Chrisitian commentators, such as Hilary of Poitiers, maintain Christ’s dual nature in their writings. Hilary of Poitiers lived from 317 to 367 A.D., and was a “Latin theologian, biblical commentator, and hymn writer” from what is now known as France (Appendix I, CB, 537). In addition to The Trinity, Hilary’s “defense of the teachings of the Council of Nicea,” his responses to “The Temptation of Jesus,” “The Baptism of Jesus,” and “The Garden of Gethsemane” in the Gospel of Matthew, Hilary of Poitiers reveals his concurrent beliefs to those expressed in the Council of Nicea, on the christological nature of Jesus, through his differentiation of the spiritual and physical natures in these select passages (Appendix I, CB, 537).
Hilary of Poitiers first demonstrates his beliefs on the dual nature of Jesus in his analysis of “The Baptism of Jesus” in Matthew 3: 16-17. In this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus presents himself to John the Apostle to be baptized in the River Jordan. Hilary writes that at first, John denied Jesus’ request, stating that baptism was for the sake of purification, and Jesus had not committed any sins; therefore, was not in need of baptism. Hilary notes that for this reason, Jesus was not baptized as a purely divine figure, but rather as a man, as an example to humanity. Once Jesus was baptized, the “heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove” (Matthew 3: 16). Then, God spoke directly to Jesus, proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3: 17). Hilary of Poitier acknowledges Jesus’ dual nature at this moment. Hilary explains that in this moment, Jesus is “revealed as the Son of God by sound and sight” (Hilary of Poitiers, CB, 50). Through the images given by the Holy Spirit, and the voice of God, Jesus is recognized as the divine son. Hilary writes that Jesus was thus sent to earth to an “unfaithful people” as an example of righteousness, which is demonstrated in Jesus’ request of baptism. While Jesus is physically man as seen in the baptism of his flesh, God’s expression of love and acknowledgment of Jesus shows his divinity. For early Christians, interpretations such as these reaffirmed Christ’s dual nature, demonstrating that both his humanity and divinity were for their salvation.
Hilary expands on Christ’s dual natures in his analysis of Matthew 4: 1-7, “The Temptation of Jesus.” In this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is taken by the Holy Spirit, and led “into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4: 1-2). Jesus is then tormented by the devil for a period of forty days and nights, and is starving. Hilary of Poitiers reflects on the physical and divine implications of Jesus’ hunger during his temptation. As a man, Jesus was physically hungry as the devil anticipated. However, it was through his divinity that Jesus was able to live for forty days without physical nourishment. Hilary notes that Satan thought Jesus would be easily deceived as Adam had been in the Garden of Eden, but he was not. Unlike Adam, Jesus’ additional divine nature meant he “hungered not for food, but for the salvation of humanity” (Hilary of Poitiers, CB, 57). Jesus tells the devil that he need not bread to survive, but rather the word of God, and “because he was not man only…abstained from earthly food” and was “nourished by the Spirit of God” during his trial in the wilderness (Hilary of Poitiers, CB, 60). With this assertion, the devil tried to tempt Jesus even further by bringing him to the highest point of the temple, and making promises of absolute authority if Jesus were to cede himself to the devil. Despite these trials, Jesus never submitted to the devil, but rather warned him to never “tempt your God and Lord” because God is all powerful (Matthew 4: 7). Jesus was sent to earth by the father to save its inhabitants from Satan, and his actions are a testament to the strength of the divine. Jesus lived through his hunger in an act of resistance against the devil who had greatly underestimated the strength that Jesus possessed as a result of his divinity (Hilary of Poitiers, CB, 57).
Finally, Hilary of Poitiers explains Jesus’ christological nature in his commentary on “The Garden of Gethsemane.” In Matthew 26: 36-41, Jesus arrives in Gethsemane and instructs his disciples to wait while he prays in a separate area of the garden. Jesus takes “Peter and the two sons of Zeb’edee” with him to pray, and reveals his pain to them (Matthew 26: 37). Knowing he will suffer and die soon, Jesus tells the men that his “soul is very sorrowful, even to death,” and tells them to stay with him in the garden (Matthew 26: 38). Jesus then leaves Peter and Zebedee’s sons to speak to his father alone, and when he returned to them, they were sleeping. As a result, Jesus warns Peter to pray that he is not tempted further, because “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26: 41). In the first line of his commentary, Hilary acknowledges the misconception that Jesus’ divine nature had been tainted by his sorrow towards his own death. Hilary clarifies that despite his sorrowful feelings, Jesus' divine nature remained pure, because “taking on of the flesh with its feeble condition” could never “corrupt the power of his incorruptible substance” (Hilary of Poitiers, CB, 487). Hilary elaborates further, writing that Jesus was not afraid of death, but rather the “moment of death” (Hilary of Poitiers, CB, 487). Hilary writes that Jesus knew was going to physically suffer as he died, but also knew that the apostles were going to deny him while he was being crucified for fear of their own lives. For the true believers, Hilary writes that their faith would be “confirmed by the power of resurrection” (Hilary of Poitiers, CB, 487). Those who truly believed in Jesus’ divine nature and were wholly dedicated to the Lord would be rewarded in their faith with the resurrection. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus acknowledges his own christological nature when he submits to the father and asks God to let “this cup pass,” or to spare him from a gruesome death, for he knows that his human body will suffer greatly (Matthew 26: 39). Jesus tells God that while he knows he will suffer, if it is God’s wish for him to die, then such shall happen. Despite Jesus’ suffering and the death of the human body, his divine soul will live forever, as promised by God in the Scriptures.
Heavily influenced by the 325 A.D. Council of Nicea, Hilary of Poitiers offers numerous commentaries on the christological nature of Jesus throughout the Gospel of Matthew. In response to “The Baptism of Jesus” in Matthew 3: 16-17, Hilary writes on Christ’s purification of the flesh that represents his humanity. Jesus possessed a dually divine nature; therefore, he did not need to be baptized, for his soul was already pure from birth. In that moment, Jesus receives baptism not as a divine being, but rather as a man serving as an example to human kind to accept the Lord into their lives and purify themselves from sin. In “The Temptation of Jesus,” in Matthew 4: 1-7, Jesus is taken into the wilderness by the devil for a period of forty days and nights and is tempted by the devil. Jesus resists Satan through his refusal to eat or drink, and is instead fueled by the word of God. This resistance demonstrates both his humanity and divinity, for no human would be able to survive without food for such a long period of time, and no divine being would be physically weakened by the absence of food. In “The Garden of Gethsemane” in Matthew 26: 36-41, Jesus is worried about the suffering he is about to endure as he dies, and is also worried about the apostles. Jesus knows that as a human being he is destined to experience an agonizing death before he is divinely resurrected and reaches eternal life. Jesus also worries for his disciples, because the devil has already tempted them. Jesus’ sorrow in this moment is a reflection of his humanity, for humans are subject to worry, but his divinity allows him to accept that he will suffer, and keep hope that his disciples will not deny him in his time of death. As both a human and a divine entity, Jesus experiences life on earth and acts as an example of righteousness to all.
Bibliography
The New American Standard Bible. La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 2020. Wilken, Robert Louis, ed. The Church’s Bible: Matthew. Translated by D. H. Williams. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018.