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While conversion from Judaism to Christianity is documented all through the Middle Ages, beginning in the middle of the thirteenth century the phenomenon of conversion on the part of learned Jews and their subsequent involvement in either attacks on Jewish life or missionizing efforts aimed at their former coreligionists became increasingly prominent. One of the earliest of these new style converts was a southern French Jew probably named Saul, who subsequently took the Christian name Paul and eventually became a member of the Dominican Order. The conversion of this Jew obviously took place during his later years, since he left behind in the Jewish community a wife and children.