Peccatrix Ecclesia: Hilary of Poitiers's De Mysteriis as Biblical Ecclesiology

• Autores: Alex Fogleman
• Localización: Journal of early Christian studies: Journal of the North American Patristic Society, ISSN 1067-6341, Nº. 1, 2020, págs. 33-59
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article considers Hilary of Poitiers's De mysteriis as an example of patristic reflection on the nature of the church. While it has often been recognized as an exegetical work, this treatise also provides a rare account of the biblical foundations of the church and its relation to Christ. Throughout the work, Hilary consistently relates how the Old Testament ought to be read as containing the mystery of Christ and the church. In particular, he highlights the church's sinful-yet-graced relation to Christ. The church is a sinful church—what Hilary calls a peccatrix ecclesia—that becomes sanctified through the church's bond with Christ the sinless bridegroom. This article furthermore situates Hilary's treatise in the context of pro-Nicene responses to the councils of Ariminum and Seleucia in 359 and the decisions made at the council of Alexandria in 362. Hilary's moderate position towards bishops who "lapsed" by subscribing to the Homoian creed at Ariminum—against the more rigorist position of someone like Lucifer of Cagliari—accords with the sober reflections on the sinful makeup of the church in the De mysteriis.