A converso from judaism, Paul Christian (Cast: Pablo Cristiano; Cat: Pau Cristià) entered the Dominican order, where he met influential friars such as Ramon de Penyafort or Ramon Martí.
He was elected as representative of the Christian side in the Disputation of Barcelona (1263), a debate against Moshe ben Nahman, Talmudist and rabbi of Girona.
After the Disputation, he continued preaching to the Jewish communities in Catalonia and France, and probably took part in the Second controversy of Paris (1269).
Bibliography:
- Cohen, Jeremy, The friars and the Jews: the evolution of medieval anti-Judaism. Ithaca 1982, p. 103-128.
- Robert Chazan, Barcelona and beyond. The disputation of 1263 and its aftermath. Berkeley, 1992.
- Roos, Lena, «Paul Christian. A jewish Dominican preaching for the Jews», Studia Theologica 57 (2003), p. 49-60.