We learn from the Holy Scriptures, that Christ is called the Son of God, and it is but just, and consistent with Christian doctrine, that, as we present the favor of liberty to all true believers, we should suppress infidels, even to the loss of their lives; and, in order that the faith of Christ may increase in us to the utmost, the perfidious doctrines of the Jews must be destroyed to the very foundation. Therefore, in all devotion, we decree that henceforth, whenever a Jew, of either sex, renounces the perfidy of his religion, and is converted to the profession of the true Catholic faith and, repudiating the errors of his rites and ceremonies, lives his life according to the customs of the Christians, he shall be free from every burden and disability, which formerly, when attached to the Jewish faith, he would have been subject to for the public benefit; so that his privileges will increase with his freedom from those exactions which are imposed upon such as are blinded by the wickedness of their infidelity, and controlled by the inherited errors of their ancestors. For it is unjust that such persons as are known to have assumed the gentle yoke of Christ, and the light burden of his religion, through sincere conviction, should be oppressed with heavy taxation, or subjected to the pecuniary burdens imposed upon other Jews. It shall be, in every respect, lawful for all such persons who are true believers, to engage in trade, and to carry on business transactions with Christian customers; and if any Christian, not informed of the conversion of said Jews, should desire to purchase anything of them, it shall not be lawful for him to do so, until said converted Jews declare that they are Christians, and recite for him the dominical prayer or the Apostles’ Creed in the presence of witnesses; and, as true followers of Christ accept or signify their willingness to partake of food used by Christians.

If any hypocrite should be found among those converted to the Holy Faith, he shall be condemned to slavery, and all his property shall be confiscated for the benefit of the royal treasury. Such Jews, however, as remain obstinate, and, in the perfidy of their hearts, refuse to embrace the Catholic religion, we decree shall undergo the following penalty, to wit: they shall not dare to go into foreign countries for the purpose of commerce; nor shall openly or secretly engage in trade with Christians, but shall only have the privilege of transacting business with one another; and they shall pay the taxes imposed upon them, as in such case provided; and shall pay to the public treasury, out of their own property, the taxes due from those Jews who have been converted. All slaves, buildings, lands, olive-orchards and whatever other real property they are found to have acquired from sales by Christians, or in any other manner whatsoever, although it may have been in their possession for many years, shall be confiscated for the benefit of the royal treasury, and the king shall have the absolute disposal of the same. Should any Jew, who remains in infidelity, dare to act contrary to this law, or to transact business with any Christian, having been reprimanded, he shall be given to the Crown, along with all his possessions, to be a slave forever.

We admonish all Christians, calling to witness the Divine Personage by whose blood we have been redeemed, that none of them presume, in any way, to transact business with such Jews as continue in the obstinacy of their perfidious belief. Where a Christian commits such an offence, if he is a person of superior rank or power, he shall pay three pounds of gold to the royal treasury. And if anyone should buy from such Jews anything that is worth more than twice what he paid for it, he shall pay out of his own property, three times the value of the same, along with the original price, to the royal treasury. If, however, a person of inferior station should be guilty, he shall receive a hundred lashes, and all the property which he is possessed of shall be given to the king, who shall have the right to dispose of any, or all of it, at his pleasure.[54]

TITLE III. CONCERNING NEW LAWS AGAINST THE JEWS, IN WHICH OLD ONES ARE CONFIRMED, AND NEW ONES ARE ADDED.

I.Concerning Old Laws Enacted Against the Transgressions of the Jews, and the Confirmation of the Same.
II.Concerning Blasphemers Against the Holy Trinity.
III.Jews shall not Absent themselves, or Remove their Children or Slaves, to Avoid the Blessing of Baptism.
IV.Jews shall not Celebrate the Passover According to their Customs, or Practise Circumcision, or Induce any Christian to Renounce the Church of Christ.
V.Jews shall not Presume to Keep the Sabbath, or Celebrate Festival Days, According to their Ritual.
VI.Every Jew shall Cease from Labor on Sunday, and on all Appointed Holidays.
VII.Jews shall not make any Distinction in their Food, According to their Custom.
VIII.A Jew shall not Marry a Person Nearly Related to him by Blood, or Contract Marriage without the Benediction of a Priest.
IX.Jews who Insult our Religion, while Attempting to Defend their own Sect, shall not Betake themselves Elsewhere; nor shall Anyone Shelter them while Fugitives.
X.No Christian shall Accept a Gift from a Jew, to the Detriment of the Christian Faith.
XI.Jews shall not Dare to Read Such Books as the Christian Faith Rejects.
XII.Christian Slaves shall not Serve, or Associate with, Jews.
XIII.Where a Jew Declares that he is a Christian, and, for this Reason, does not wish to Dispose of a Christian Slave.
XIV.The Confession of Jews; and In What Way Each One of Them, who is Converted, must Write Down the Proof of his Conversion.
XV.Conditions under which Jews must Make Oath, when, having been Converted, they give in their Confession of Faith.
XVI.Concerning the Christian Slaves of Jews, who have not Proclaimed Themselves Christians, and those who Expose Them.
XVII.No Jew, under any Authority whatever, shall Dare to Oppress, Punish, or Imprison a Christian, Except by Order of the King.
XVIII.If Slaves of Jews, not yet Converted, should Claim the Grace of Christ, they shall be Liberated.
XIX.Jews shall not Rule Christians under the Authority of Mayors of Towns, or of Superintendents of Estates; and Concerning the Penalties to be Imposed upon Such as Appoint them to Office.
XX.Where a Jew comes from Another Country into any of the Provinces of Our Kingdom, he Must, at once, Present himself before a Bishop, a Priest, or a Judge; and What shall be Done under the Circumstances.
XXI.How Assemblies of Jews shall Visit the Bishop on Appointed Days.
XXII.Where Anyone has a Jew in his Service, and a Priest Demands him, the Master shall not have a Right to Retain said Jew.
XXIII.All Restraint of and Control over the Jews shall be Vested in the Priesthood.
XXIV.Concerning the Penalties to be Imposed upon Priests and Judges who Neglect to Enforce the Laws against the Jews.
XXV.No Judge shall Presume to Investigate the Offences of the Jews without the Knowledge of an Ecclesiastic.
XXVI.Bishops shall be Immune from Punishment, when their Priests do not Inform them of Such Things as Should be Corrected.
XXVII.Concerning the Mercy to be Shown by Princes towards Those who have been Truly Converted to the Christian Faith.
XXVIII.Bishops shall Give to all Jews a Copy of this Book, which has been Published for the Purpose of Correcting their Errors; and their Confessions and a Record of their Conversion, shall be Deposited among the Archives of the Church.

I. Concerning Old Laws Enacted Against the Transgressions of the Jews, and the Confirmation of the Same.

The perfidy and cunning of the Jewish heresy increases in criminality, in the same proportion as attempts are made to abolish it by law. And, as we are about to promulgate new edicts for the suppression of these errors, it is now proper to first confirm those which have been enacted by our predecessors; and in order the better to adapt the same to the offences of the Jews, it is necessary for us to revise all preceding edicts; so that, in this way, the new laws being collated with the old ones, those which should be approved may be confirmed, as is fitting; and, at the same time, the new statutes may be drawn up so that they shall not conflict with those already in force, but that all may be united, and the entire body of laws made clear for the administration of justice. Thus, whenever edicts already in force may be judged worthy of confirmation, and whatever new edicts we may think it advisable to promulgate, may both become more manifest, and, in this manner, by the application of both classes of laws, the truth may be the more readily established. For example, we have found a law among those formerly promulgated, which declares that all heresy must be eradicated. It is reasonable and evident, however, that this must be added to and amended, in such a way that if anyone induced by the insanity of unbelief should treat with contempt any of its provisions, no matter to what rank or station he may belong, and should attempt to defend any perverse dogma in public, he shall be subjected to severe penance, exiled, and his property confiscated for the benefit of the king; and even if he should, at any time, renounce the errors of his perverse sect, he shall under no circumstances be permitted to return from exile; and his property shall be irrevocably held by those upon whom the king has bestowed it. Where any Jew, deluded by blind ignorance, retains the errors of his sect in his heart, and evinces a disposition to defend the same, either by word or deed, he must go to the bishop, or some priest of the district, for instruction; and the latter must explain to him the precepts of religion, and, with the consent of the metropolitan, also give him the formulas of doctrine and the rules of faith. If any heretic, after having been instructed as aforesaid, should still persist in his error, he shall be liable to the penalty imposed by a preceding law; that is to say, the one which is provided for those who publicly defend their own sect, in opposition to our religion. And we hereby especially confirm such laws as are directed against the offences of the Jews, to wit: such as have been enacted concerning the wickedness of the Jews, or for the purpose of eradicating their errors. Thus, Jews shall no longer celebrate the Passover, according to their customs; or presume to marry, as formerly; or practise circumcision; or distinguish food as clean and unclean; or presume to torture Christians, or to testify against them, and no Jew shall circumcise a Christian slave. All Christian slaves who have been either sold or set at liberty by Jews, shall at once receive their freedom unconditionally, and under no circumstances shall a Christian slave remain in the service of a Jew. Concerning the law by which all Christians are forbidden to protect a Jew, we decree that no Christian, under any circumstances, by any act or favor, shall attempt to shelter or defend a Jew; or shall presume to conceal a judaizing Christian. We, therefore, decree that the severe laws formerly promulgated to suppress the perfidy of the aforesaid Jews shall remain in force, for all time; with the exception of such as are referred to in the two following chapters, which have been found to be contradictory to the others, as well as opposed to the principles of justice, and to our ordinances; and we hereby declare, in the plenitude of our wisdom, that said laws shall remain irrevocable and forever in force, provided they in no wise conflict with such others as we may hereafter promulgate. In respect to such edicts as seem to us improper and conflicting, the following two are repugnant to reason and to our institutions; wherefore they shall, henceforth, not be observed and shall have no force or effect in law. The first of these is that whereby the detestable power of liberating Christian slaves is bestowed upon the Jews. The second we condemn, because it subjects to the same penalty those who are guilty of different offences. While there are different degrees of guilt according to the laws, the latter do not always impose different penalties, but many crimes are treated alike, and each offence is not punished according to the measure of its guilt; for it is evident that crimes of greater and less gravity should not be punished in the same manner; especially as our Lord has said in the Divine Law that the penalty shall be in proportion to the offence; and, therefore, this law which prescribes the penalty to be inflicted for the transgressions of the Jews shall be hereafter considered of no validity and effect; for the reason that God does not desire the death of His creatures or rejoice in their perdition, but wishes that they may live in Him through their redemption. Henceforth we shall devote ourselves to the restraining of all malice; to the suppression of infidelity; and to the eradication of all profane doctrines; and we shall boldly resist the attacks of our enemies, and overwhelm them with the weapons of Divine power.

II. Concerning Blasphemers Against the Holy Trinity.

If God in the Holy Scriptures, declares that whoever insults his brother is worthy of punishment, and as the sentence of Divine justice condemns him as a still greater transgressor who sins against the Holy Spirit, how much more unpardonable shall he be who, in the future, shall denounce the Saviour Himself! Therefore, if anyone should blaspheme the name of Christ, the Son of God, and speak with contempt of His holy body and blood as a sacrament, and should refuse to partake of the same, or, having partaken of it, should cast it away; or should utter any blasphemy against the Holy Trinity, that is to say, against the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the blasphemer shall have his head shaved, and receive a hundred lashes, by order of the priest or judge in whose diocese or district said crime was committed, and the culprit shall also be placed in chains, and be condemned to endure the misery of exile. The property of said offender shall be given to the king, and shall remain irrevocably in the possession of those upon whom he may choose to bestow it.

ERVIGIUS, KING.