Miguel de Barrios

Miguel de Barrios was a Spanish Jewish poet, playwright, and historian, born in 1635 in Montilla, Spain, to a family of Portuguese conversos. He later relocated to Amsterdam, where he became a part of the city's Portuguese Jewish community. As a prolific author, Barrios explored various themes in his works, including the experiences of his community and the relationship between Jewish law and authority.

Barrios' notable writings include a memorial to the victims of the Inquisition, Contra la verdad no hay fuerza, and a portrayal of Amsterdam's Sephardic community, Triumpho del govierno popular, published in 1683. In this work, he also addressed the expulsion of Spinoza from the Amsterdam synagogue, attributing it to Spinoza's defiance of rabbinic authority and his rejection of the obligation to observe Mosaic Law. Through his writings, Barrios contributed to the discourse on the perfection, eternity, and superiority of Jewish law, a theme shared by several of his contemporaries. He passed away in 1701, leaving behind a legacy as a significant figure in the literary and intellectual landscape of his time.