 Recent research has distinguished between Hilary's thought before his period of exile in Phrygia under Constantius and the quality of his later major works.While Hilary closely followed the two great Alexandrians, Origen and Athanasius, in exegesis and Christology respectively, his work shows many traces of vigorous independent thought.Among Hilary's earliest writings, completed some time before his exile in 356, is his "Commentarius in Evangelium Matthaei", an allegorical exegesis of the first Gospel.