Jerusalem: Image of Hilary’s Christocentric Eschatology in the Tractatus super Psalmos

Abstract In his lengthy Tractatus super Psalmos, Hilary of Poitiers states only twice that humans are to “live the life of the angels.” Nevertheless, these rare statements seem to undermine both the role of the human body in eschatological life and the christocentrism of Hilary’s soteriology. However, this paper will argue that Hilary’s designation of different eschatological locations for humans and angels—namely in Mt. Zion and Jerusalem, respectively—in the Tractatus super Psalmos demonstrate that Hilary, at least in this later work, believes that while humans will resemble angels in certain aspects, ultimately they will be conformed to Christ whose body is the holy temple or Church of the heavenly Jerusalem, Mt. Zion itself.