45

The influence of the Pauline corpus on the work and thought of Hilary of Poitiers is evident as much in the bishop’s exegetical approach to biblical texts as in the subjects he he treats. Among these, justification by faith is the subject of a remarkable development in his principal works, in particular in the Commentarium in Matthaeum, in which the bishop of Poitiers emphasizes the exclusive capacity of faith to justify the human being and the powerlessness of works to do so. This apparent radicalism of his approach in his earliest known work has permitted a partial understanding of Hilary's treatment of justification by faith. In this article we will analyze the true nature of the role that faith and merit play in salvation throughout the writings of the Bishop of Poitiers while putting his thought in context with that of the Apostle.