Letter 20
Sisebut→Isidore of Seville|c. 614 AD|epistulae wisigothicae|From Toledo
King Sisebut [r.612-621, the most learned of the Visigothic kings and himself a Latin poet] writes to Isidore of Seville [bishop and encyclopedist, c.560-636] addressing the forced conversion of Jews in Visigothic Spain — a policy Sisebut had personally ordered. Sisebut defends the conversions on theological grounds while acknowledging practical difficulties, illustrating the intersection of royal policy and ecclesiastical authority in the Visigothic kingdom. Isidore later criticized the forced conversions in his writings, making their exchange a rare document of disagreement between king and bishop.
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King Sisebut [r.612-621, the most learned of the Visigothic kings and himself a Latin poet] writes to Isidore of Seville [bishop and encyclopedist, c.560-636] addressing the forced conversion of Jews in Visigothic Spain — a policy Sisebut had personally ordered. Sisebut defends the conversions on theological grounds while acknowledging practical difficulties, illustrating the intersection of royal policy and ecclesiastical authority in the Visigothic kingdom. Isidore later criticized the forced conversions in his writings, making their exchange a rare document of disagreement between king and bishop.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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