THE SEVENTH-CENTURY KINGDOM 131not to allow anyone who was not a Catholic to dwell in his realm. VIII
Toledo of 653, held under King Reccesuinth, did likewise.'4
Whilst the rhetoric of these pronouncements grew in its intensity
in the denunciation of the 'abominable and impious faithlessness
of the Jews' (VIII Toledo), and in the statements of the aspirations of
the rulers, no new laws were introduced to further restrict or coerce
the Jews during this period. Their position probably deteriorated
little between the death of Sisebut in 621 and the beginning of the
reign of Reccesuinth in 653. Some have seen the conciliar decree of
IV Toledo concerning the removal of children from their parents as
applying to all Jews, but if so it can hardly have been enforced as
otherwise there would have been no Jewish communities left.'5 It is
more likely that Sisebut's original decree was never fully implemented
and that the council's ruling was only dealing with the families of
those who had been forced to convert but had later returned to their
original faith. Any other view would make of IV Toledo a cataclysm
for the Jewish community that it clearly was not.
Thus, with the exception of IV Toledo, the conciliar pronounce-
ments of the period 621-653 seem more designed to keep the kings
from lessening the disabilities of the Jews, rather than increasing
them. Canon three of VI Toledo, opening with its grandiose state-
ment of Chintila's desire to see a kingdom united in its religion, is
really devoted to his promise not to show favour to the Jews, nor to
permit any compromise that might strengthen the position of their
faith. In the first half of the seventh century it is the Church that
clearly took the initiative over the question of the Jews. With the
exception of Sisebut, the kings appear luke-warm on the issue. The
bulk of the legislation was promulgated, admittedly with royal assent,
in the Church councils. Only three civil laws exist from this period
relating to the Jews: one from the reign of Reccared and two from
that of Sisebut, all concerned with the matter of Jewish ownership of
Christian slaves.'6 Up to the early 650s, all of the legislation dealt
solely with the legal standing of the Jews in relation to the Christians.
If they were prepared to accept the disabilities involved, Jews could
continue to practise their religion, officially disapproved of, but in
practice unmolested by their Christian rulers.
The reign of Reccesuinth changed all of this. By the time of the
promulgation of this law code in 654, the king had issued a series of
decrees that sought, for the first time, to outlaw some of the funda-
mental practices of Judaism. Thus the celebration of the Passover was