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The earliest evidence for forced mass conversion of Jews in the Middle Ages comes from 7th century Visigothic Spain. Sources indicate that the conversi and the relapsi , converted Jews accused of returning to their original faith, were the focus of constant preoccupation.
In this paper I suggest that the construct of the relapsi is to be understood as part of “structures of thought” which emerged at the time and which were meant to have a long career in medieval history. To investigate the theological, legal and social context in which the category of the relapsi was fashioned, I examine:
- Issues concerning the validity of forced baptism
- The interplay between royal and ecclesiastical power in 7th century Spain
- The conceptual framework, rhetorical strategies and metaphors of the texts which point to the oral character and ritual functions of legal speech.
My argument regarding the centrality of the relapsi in the context of the emergent “thought structures” is further supported by comparative evidence drawn from later periods of Spanish, but also from French and English history.