Eighteenth Council of Toledo

The Eighteenth Council of Toledo was the last of the councils of Toledo held in Visigothic Spain before the Moorish conquest and perhaps the last of the Siglo de Concilios, that is, the seventh century. It was held after the Seventeenth Council in 694 and before the coming of the Moors in 711, probably in 703 during the reign of King Witiza (701–710) or his co-reign with his father, Ergica, from 693. It was presided over by Gunderic, Archbishop of Toledo.

An account of the acts of the council was preserved through the Middle Ages, but was lost and is no longer extant. The issues dealt with are likewise lost, but it is presumed that the problems Witiza experienced with the church stem from this council. It is just possible that its acta were suppressed because of their tendentious nature. Later sources accuse Witiza of trying to force priests to marry.

Sources

• Collins, Roger. Visigothic Spain, 409–711. Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
• Thompson, E. A. The Goths in Spain. Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1969.
• Martínez Diez, Gonzalo. La colección canónica Hispana. Madrid, 1966.