In addition to Católica Impugnación, De cómo han de vivir las monjas de San Bernardo, en sus monasterios de Ávila, De vestir y de calzar, and Devoto tractado de lo que representan e nos dan a entender las cerimonias de la misa, discussed below, he wrote Breve e muy provechoso tractado de cómo havemos de comulgar, and De cómo se ha de ordenar el tiempo para que sea bien expendido (see Mir, 1911: 94-103).

Weissberger, in correspondence with author, September, 2003.

See Ishikawa, 2004: 28-35 for a discussion of these Christological treatises, which include Comendador Román, Coplas de la Pasión con la Resurrección (1490); Diego de San Pedro, La Pasión trobada (1492); Pedro Ximenes de Prexano, Luzero de la vida cristiana (1493); Andrés de Lí, Tesoro de la Pasión (1494); and Juan de Padilla, Retablo de la vida de Cristo (1505).

An example of the unorthodox material Talavera retained is Eiximenis's claim that while still in the womb Mary displayed humility, learned to sing the Magnificat, was accompanied by angels, and felt five aspects of pain and mourning for her fellow human beings; she was so pure that as an infant, she needed to nurse only once a day on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. According to Talavera's prologue, he was able to reconcile his austere spirit to such fanciful inventions by attributing them to divine inspiration (Eiximenis, 1496: passim).

Talavera himself wrote about the difference between the new law and the Mosaic law it replaced: «[C]omo la ley mosaica tenía por fin y galardón bienes temporales, riquezas, honras, salud de los cuerpos, abundancia de hijos y victoria de sus enemigos y bienes temporales y cosas semejantes ... la santa ley evangélica tiene por fin y galardón: bienes perdurables, espirituales y celestiales» [As the Mosaic law had as its goal and reward worldly goods, riches, honors, healthy bodies, many children, victory over enemies and worldly goods, and similar things ... the holy evangelical law has as its goal and reward eternal, spiritual, and celestial benefits] (Católica impugnación, 1961: 91).

For more on the association of the concept of stain and cleanliness, see Lehfeldt 2000: 48-49. While Lehfeldt is correct that macula, or «taint», was used in religious writing to denote ethnic impurity, Talavera himself never condemned conversos on the basis of their ethnic origins, as she suggests. For example, he disputes the condemnation of «nuevos cristianos y los descendientes. Lo que es grande ofensa de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, porque los que a su santa fé se convierten, como los santos dicen y aún como las leyes civiles quieren, han de ser honrados y muy humanamente tratados» [New Christians and their descendants. That is a great offense to our Lord Jesus Christ, because those who convert to his holy faith, according to the saints and even to the civil laws, should be honored and treated very humanely] (Católica impugnación, 1961: 83). Talavera's arguments on the legitimacy of sincere conversion must be seen in the context of the writings of Alonso de Cartagena (1385?-1456) and Juan de Torquemada (1388-1468). Like Talavera, both were conversos and respected churchmen; Cartagena, like Talavera, was trained at the University of Salamanca. For a thorough, thoughtful discussion of Cartagena's and Torquemada's radical Christian theology and their influential writings in defense of conversos, see Rosenstock, 2002. I am grateful to Michael Gerli for bringing this publication to my attention.

Although no documents exist to confirm this, it is possible that Talavera was of Jewish descent on his mother's side, as the Inquisition charged and Talavera himself did not deny (Aldea, 1975: 2517).

Further research may identify other scenes from the altarpiece, hitherto seen as straightforward renderings of Christian doctrine, that contain allusions to the converso controversy.