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2 - Hilary of Poitiers

from Part I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2019

Irene van Renswoude
Affiliation:
Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Summary

This chapter discusses developments in the Christian rhetoric of free speech in the fourth century, after Christianity had become an accepted religion. A theological controversy arose, known as the Arian controversy, that pitched supporters of different interpretations of Christian doctrine against each other. Christians, who saw themselves as heirs of the martyrs, needed to find a new rhetoric of opposition that fitted the realities of the post-persecution era. Was it acceptable to inveigh against a Christian emperor because he subscribed to an alternative interpretation of Christ’s truth? This chapter focusses on the rhetoric of Bishop Hilary of Poitiers (d. 368) who came to be regarded as the head of the anti-Arian faction in the West and wrote an invective against Emperor Constantius II. In Hilary’s letters, we find a new vocabulary and rhetoric of free speech which covered a whole range from persuasion to criticism, from polite advice to outright abuse. The chapter shows how Hilary created a new, powerful image of a Christian truth-teller that was built on the cultivated memory of martyrs, apostles and prophets.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Hilary of Poitiers
  • Irene van Renswoude, Universiteit van Amsterdam
  • Book: The Rhetoric of Free Speech in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
  • Online publication: 23 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139811941.003
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  • Hilary of Poitiers
  • Irene van Renswoude, Universiteit van Amsterdam
  • Book: The Rhetoric of Free Speech in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
  • Online publication: 23 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139811941.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Hilary of Poitiers
  • Irene van Renswoude, Universiteit van Amsterdam
  • Book: The Rhetoric of Free Speech in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
  • Online publication: 23 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139811941.003
Available formats
×