During the Seventeenth Council of Toledo, convened by King Egica, a striking charge was leveled against the Jewish population of Hispania. Egica, in the face of ongoing conflicts with Muslims in the region, accused the Jews of conspiring with the Islamic invaders, an allegation that arose from the mounting tensions between Christians and Muslims in Iberia. The council gathered bishops and nobles to deliberate on these pressing issues, and the environment was charged with anxiety over the perceived threats to the Visigothic kingdom. In this intense atmosphere, the allegations against the Jews were particularly compelling, reflecting deep-seated prejudices and the desire for a scapegoat. The council's decision to sentence the Jewish population to slavery marked a significant and troubling moment in Visigothic society and legal history. It demonstrated the intertwining of religion and governance, where religious leaders endorsed drastic political measures against minorities in response to broader societal fears.

The proceedings of the council revealed the fragile nature of power and the lengths to which leaders would go to fortify their rule. King Egica's actions could be viewed as an attempt to consolidate Christian unity against an external threat, albeit at the cost of the very fabric of society’s diversity. It also illustrated a tactical use of religion to justify systematic oppression, aiming to generate a societal consensus against a common enemy, perceived or real. By targeting the Jewish community, the Visigothic leadership sought to rally other groups around a shared religious identity, thus diverting focus from internal political issues that significantly affected the kingdom's stability.

This moment foreshadowed centuries of anti-Semitic policies and violence in Europe, setting detrimental precedents of marginalization and persecution. The repercussions of this council established a framework for how minority groups could be viewed in the context of national security, often resulting in conflict and forced oppression in the face of socio-political crises.