GIULIANO of TOLEDO, St. — He is believed to have been of Jewish origin; he was a disciple of the archbishop EUGENIO II of Toledo, the poet. St. GIULIANO of Toledo (lived c. 642–c. 690) is the most prominent figure of the Visigothic episcopate, both in character, as a theologian, and as a prince of the Church. In January 680, after the death of Quirico, he was elected metropolitan bishop of the royal city. He attended the four Councils of Toledo (XII–XV), presiding over all of them, even though he was not the eldest bishop. Under his presidency, the Twelfth Council of Toledo (681) sanctioned the removal of Wamba and the coronation of Ervigio. To GIULIANO is owed the ever-increasing importance of the Toledan see, culminating in the recognition of its supremacy over all other churches in Spain (683).
His literary figure rests on the following works: *Liber prognosticorum futuri saeculi*, a dogmatic-ascetical work in three books; the first treatise *De novissimis* that we possess; *De sextae aetatis comprobatione*, in three books of anti-Jewish polemics, written at the request of King Ervigio, on the centuries-long struggle with the Jews; *Antikeimenon libri duo*, a reconciliation of apparently conflicting passages in Scripture; *Vita s. Ildefonsi*, a biography and eulogy of the personality of his predecessor; an *Apologeticum fidei* addressed to Pope BENEDICT of Rome, now lost, which clarified certain theological points on the Trinity and Christology in the name of the Fifteenth Council of Toledo; Rome requested some explanations regarding certain formulas used therein, which the metropolitan of Toledo fully satisfied; *De remediis blasphemiae*, recently identified; *Historia rebellionis Pauli adversus Wambam*, a remarkable work of seventh-century historiography, documented and conceived in the classical manner; an *Ars grammatica*, of great interest for the history of medieval culture, similar in its acceptance to the *Etymologiae* of St. Isidore; it is based on the *Grammatica* of Donatus, though influenced by many other earlier grammarians.
St. GIULIANO is one of the precursors of the *Sentencias y Sumas* that dominated the Middle Ages. His style is dignified and elevated, vibrant in polemical discussion, and warm with patriotic enthusiasm in his historical contributions.