Welcome back! We hope you're ready for the first full week of Lent Madness action. Today, we head up to the Confusion Corner quadrant of the bracket as Melania the Elder faces Hilary of Poitiers. What's not confusing is that both of our contestants come to us via the 4th century. Spanish nun vs. French bishop.
On Saturday, Madeleine Sophie Barat slipped past Mesrop Mashtots 53% to 47%. We also test drove a new voting system which most, but not everyone, was able to successfully navigate. Thanks to everyone for your forbearance as we seek to balance security with ease of voting. With some tweaks, it should be smoother today.
Now back to voting!
Melania the Elder
Melania the Elder was born in Spain in the fourth century to a wealthy Roman family. When she was fourteen, she married (most likely, the Roman prefect Valerius Maximus) and moved to Rome. When she was 22 years old, her husband, probably many years older than she was, and two of her three children died within months of each other. Shortly thereafter, she sold her possessions and left for Egypt to adopt an ascetic life. She left her surviving son in the care of a guardian.
Melania (along with Rufinus Aquileia, her monastic companion) ultimately found her way to Jerusalem. While there, she established a monastery for 50 monastic women and funded the monastery founded by Rufinus. She and Rufinus worked closely together until around 400 when she returned to Rome to be with her son and his family. While in Rome, she had a deep impact on her granddaughter, Melania the Younger, who would ultimately follow in her ascetic footsteps.
Melania the Elder was one of the more scholarly and learned ascetic women of her time. She was known to esteemed theologians such as Evagrius Ponticus and Augustine of Hippo. She was a student of theology and studied Origenism extensively. Origen (also a fellow Lent Madness contestant) was a third-century theologian whose writings became a lightning rod at the end of the fourth century. As the Origenist controversy roiled the church, Melania worked both to defend Origenism as well as to promote unity. Saint Jerome’s early praise of her and later vitriol directed toward her perhaps best illustrates her intellectual prowess and the threat that she posed to his own theological sensibilities.
In addition to her scholarly work, Melania also financially supported and promoted monastics throughout her life. In addition to the monasteries that she founded and funded in Jerusalem, she offered regular support to other monastics as various theological controversies regularly shifted balances of power. Melania the Elder returned to her ascetic life in North Africa before finally journeying back to Jerusalem where she died in 410. She left a considerable endowment to support the continued work of the monastery that she established there.
Collect for Melania the Elder
Most High and Merciful God, who called your servant Melania to forsake earthly comforts in order to devote herself to studying the scriptures and to welcoming the poor: Instruct us in the ways of poverty and the grace of hospitality, that we might comfort those who have no place to rest and teach the way of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hilary may have been a leader of the church more than 1,700 years ago, but his keen understanding of the Trinity along with his profound teachings remain hallmarks of Christianity today.
Born in 310 CE in Poitiers, France, Hilary was a highly educated son of pagan parents. His study of both the Old and New Testaments led to his conversion to Christianity.
He was unanimously elected bishop of Poitiers in 350. He came into authority during a deep dispute and quickly became embroiled in a controversy about the Trinity: he supported Athanasius’s understanding of the Trinity and the full divinity of the Son. Unfortunately, this position put Hilary out of favor with Emperor Constantius II, who, in 355, ordered all bishops to sign a condemnation against Athanasius. Hillary refused, which prompted a four-year exile to Phrygia, located in modern-day Turkey.
He was not idle in exile. Hilary continued to function as bishop to his diocese, writing two of his most important books, an epistle, and many letters to leaders throughout the church. Among his many achievements, Hilary introduced Greek doctrine to Western Christianity. He was a prolific writer, including the critically important book, De Trinitate (On the Trinity). Three hymns are attributed to Hilary, including “Hail this day’s joyful return,” found in the 1982 Hymnal.
Hilary’s legacy is far-reaching, with Saint Augustine of Hippo calling him “the illustrious doctor of the churches,” and Saint Jerome considering him “the trumpet of the Latins against the Arians.” Pope Pius IX named Hilary a doctor of the church in 1851, one of only 36 doctors of the church, so named in recognition of his significant contributions to theology. He is considered the patron saint of lawyers. Hilary died in 367 in the same city where he was born, and his feast day is celebrated on January 13.
Hilary’s depth of understanding about the existence of God is exemplified in one of his more famous quotations: “There is no space where God is not; space does not exist apart from Him. He is in heaven, in hell, beyond the seas; dwelling in all things and enveloping all. Thus He embraces, and is embraced by, the universe, confined to no part of it but pervading all.”
Collect for Hilary of Poitiers
Keep us steadfast, Lord God, in that true faith that we professed at our baptism; that, like your servant Hilary of Poitiers, we may rejoice in having you for our Father, and may abide in your Son, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; for you live and reign for ever and ever as one God in Trinity of Persons. Amen.
287 comments on “Melania the Elder vs. Hilary of Poitiers”
When it comes to ascetic life...Melania the Elder wins...
When it comes to doctoring the doctors...Hilary of Poitiers wins...However since Hilary of Poitiers is considered Patron Saint of Lawyers...Melania the Elder gets my vote...I don't have anything against Lawyers...except how much it costs to have one...or in some cases to not have one...
I have yet to have any issues casting my vote with this new system. I could make a whole slew of jokes about it but I'll just keep them to myself!
So…. For those of us who had difficulty voting: were our votes actually counted?
Gosh! I wish my phone could hand me a nice "I Voted!" sticker...problem free for me! Not that Hilary needs a lot of help!
I did refresh and still no vote accepted. No problem voting on Saturday.
Tried to vote on my phone. It did not appear to go through, so voted on my PC. Hope I have not inadvertently voted twice ~ I do not want to be banished to the outer reaches of Madness!
Melania appeared to me in a vision to tell me that the voting is rigged.
Voted for Melania as she not only established centers of thought, prayer and study, but she supported them to continue after her. If many have been prevented from having their votes registered, maybe both candidates will advance?
Tried to vote what is captcha?
Yes! I was able to vote now.
Ooh, tough decision today. Both are wonderful saints, but my vote goes to Melania as a theologian and for her influence on younger generations.
Once I read that Melania the Elder left her son in the care of guardians after her husband and other children died, I couldn't support her. She may have done excellent works and came back later, but that act alone seems incredibly self-centered to me.
Hilary is more famous, but I sympathize with Melania accepting marriage at age 14,death of her family, willingness to follow God's direction to Egypt, Jerusalem,and Rome. She wisely used her assets both financial and personal to leave a lasting legacy.
Still can’t vote. I’ve enjoyed Lent Madness for the last few years, but I’m just about finished.
Good evening, could I respectfully request the use of AD instead of CE? Are we celebrating Christ's example, or our own generation's rejection of Christ?
With gratitude,
Andy Airasian
Won’t let me vote
Melania the Elder opposed Origen? Origen, the first theology of the early church!! Hey Melania, I don't care -- do you?
Another tough choice. I went with Melania because of her study of theology and support of monastics at a time when women were not really recognized for their intellectual contributions to the Church. I am amused that Jerome first praised her and then wrote against her...apparently she touched a real nerve there!
I would not be saddened to see Hilary move forward. My husband is a lawyer so his patron saint is important too. This is the fun (?!) of Lent Madness, as we struggle to choose between persons who have made a real difference in the world.
I voted for Melania because I liked what she did better than what Hilary did, not what I think of Hilary Clinton or Melania Trump.
Gotta go with the patron saint of lawyers.
I hope didn’t vote twice! This AM I got the spinning wheel problem but was able to vote tonight. I hope if I did vote twice I will be forgiven, it’s one of those intent things, you know, like involuntary manslaughter vs murder.
Anyway, both saints were awesome but I voted in the solidarity of sisterhood—risking a dip in the lake of fire to do it.
There are many comments disapproving of Melania's leaving her young child behind. I'm not one to always support the female saint, but I can't help wondering if as many people would disapprove of a male saint leaving a child behind?
I had no problem making my vote. I think the issues people are having have been resolve.
Same here - spinning snowballs of death. Alas!!
able to vote today
YEAH
Vote buttons still not live on iPad, Safari, VPN active. And these two are too similar for me to know how to vote just yet. Wikipedia is no help! I do know we shouldn’t criticize Melania for leaving her son; who are we to judge a 22-year-old woman who has already borne 3 children, then lost two of them and her husband in quick succession? She may well have been unfit to raise her son at that point. She is to be praised for pulling herself out of it.
Voting fine on Android phone, Firefox dark mode. Even says “thank you for voting”!
I’m voting late and am happy to report encountering no technical problems.
Melania is an impressive figure, but Hilary outpoints her. We owe a lot to him and the other stalwarts, of whom Athanasius is chief, who articulated and defended the doctrine of the Holy and Undivided Trinity. So I was already going to vote for Hilary when I read that he was the patron saint of my profession, and voting for him became a duty as well as a pleasure.
Just a bit of feedback on the new vote button. I had to really push hard on the circle for my preferred saint today. Several times, harder and harder. Then the vote button was easy to push. I don’t know why I had to click really hard to make it fill in so I could vote. I hope that did not translate to my trying to vote more than once! I did only click vote once!
What a hoot that we have Melania and Hillary! OBVIOUSLY, the political coincidences cannot be overlooked, bu.t I tried not to let that influence my voting.
Such fun!
Voted happily, easily and once. Benefit to pacific coast schedule. Thanks SEC.