Julian of Toledo

Primate of the Visigothic church, son of Jews (not a convert). Skarsaune treats him as the most prominent named Jewish believer in that church until his death in March 690.

Julian of Toledo (c. 642 to 690), son of Jews and not a convert himself, became the most powerful primate of the Visigothic church. Skarsaune treats him as the most prominent named Jewish believer in that church: trained under Eugenius II, he marked Spain as an independent archbishop until March 690.1 In seventh-century Visigothic Spain, Skarsaune distinguishes forced conversions (a temporary survival strategy) from permanent voluntary ones, which Jews themselves treated as apostasy. Under Bishop Aurasius of Toledo (603 to 615), Rabbi Isaac, Joseph, Naphtali and other prominent Jews converted; the synagogue head Levi Samuel reacted harshly, and Count Froga even carried out internal Jewish 'justice' against the converts.2