ISIDORE OF SEVILLE (Ismoitus HtsrALENsts), one of the most distinguished ecclesiastics of the 6th century. He is particularly remarkable as among the earliest representatives of the church of Spain, and of that great movement in the western church by which the doctrinal and moral system of Christianity was brought into har mony with the habits and institutions of those various races and nationalities which, by successive immigrations and wars, were eventually erected into the Hispano-Gothic king dom, which exercised so powerful an influence on what is called Latin Christianity. He was born about 560 or 570, at Carthagena, where his father. Severianus, was prefect. Two of his brothers, Fulgentius and Leander, were, like himself, bishops, the first of Carthagena, the second succeeding himself in the see of Seville. The episcopate of Isi dore is rendered notable by the two half-ecclesiastical, half-civil councils of Toledo in 619 and in 633, which were held under his presidency, and the canons of which may almost be said to have formed the basis of the constitutional law of the Spanish kingdoms, both for church and for state, down to the great constitutional changes of the 15th century. He also collected with the same object all the decrees of councils
and other church laws anterior to his time. His death, which occurred in 636, forms one of the most remarkable scenes in early Christian history. When he became sensible of the approach of death, he summoned his flock to his bedside, exhorted them to mutual forbearance and charity, prayed their forgiveness for all his own shortcomings in his duty, and directed all his property to be distributed among the poor. His works, which are in the most various departments of knowledge—theological, ascetical, liturgi cal, scriptural, historical, philosophical. and even philological—were first published in 1580; but the most complete edition is that of Arevali, 7 vols. 4to (Rome, 1797-1803). We are indebted to Isidore for many fragments of Greek and Latin authors, among the number several of whom hardly any other remains have been preserved.