▁( mes hum mad im ) ▁was ▁motiv ated ▁by ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁facts : ▁a ▁change ▁of ▁belief ▁could ▁account ▁for ▁the ▁conversion , ▁as ▁could ▁the ▁desire ▁to ▁marry ▁a ▁Christian ▁or ▁to ▁escape ▁from ▁the ▁restrictions ▁on ▁life ▁as ▁a ▁Jew , ▁or ▁to ▁res ec ure ▁a ▁liv elihood ▁or ▁home . ▁Such ▁convers ions ▁proved ▁particularly ▁dev ast ating ▁for ▁the ▁English ▁and ▁Spanish ▁Jewish ▁communities . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 0 th ▁century , ▁most ▁of ▁Europe ▁was ▁under ▁the ▁rule ▁of ▁Christian ▁monarch s ▁who ▁made ▁Christian ity ▁the ▁official ▁religion ▁of ▁their ▁real ms . ▁In ▁the ▁seriously ▁dimin ished ▁Roman ▁or ▁By z antine ▁Empire , ▁Christian ity ▁had ▁been ▁the ▁state ▁church ▁since ▁the ▁ 3 8 0 ▁Ed ict ▁of ▁Th ess al onica . ▁A ▁privile ged ▁n iche ▁for ▁Jews ▁in ▁the ▁new ▁order ▁non eth eless ▁remained . ▁The ▁Church ▁forb ade ▁Christians ▁from ▁charg ing ▁interest ▁to ▁fellow ▁Christians ; ▁therefore ▁the ▁only ▁source ▁of ▁lo ans ▁were ▁non - Christ ians ▁such ▁as ▁Jews . ▁ ▁While ▁this ▁status ▁did ▁not ▁always ▁lead ▁to ▁peace ful ▁conditions ▁for ▁the ▁Jewish ▁people , ▁they ▁were ▁the ▁most ▁compatible ▁non - Christ ians ▁for ▁the ▁position ▁due ▁to ▁their ▁shared ▁dev otion ▁to ▁the ▁same ▁Abraham ic ▁God ▁that ▁the ▁Christians ▁worship ed . ▁While ▁many ▁Jews ▁rose ▁to ▁prom in ence ▁in ▁these ▁times , ▁J uda ism ▁was ▁mostly ▁pract iced ▁in ▁private ▁to ▁avoid ▁per