Die Conversos

The 15th century saw the last wave of mass conversions to the Christian faith on the Iberian Peninsula. The formerly large Jewish population there was coerced, sometimes with open violence, to accept baptism. However, significant parts of the Christian majority never accepted the converts as equals and doubted their professed faith. This discrimination was in turn denounced by various prelates and scholars in sermons, letters and treatises. This study is the first to take an in-depth look at the key tenets of their theology, their specific interpretation of the Bible, and its roots in canon law and in the tradition of the Western Church.