Bizzell, Patricia. "Rationality as Rhetorical Strategy at the Barcelona Disputation, 1263: A Cautionary Tale." CCC 58.1 (2006): 12-29.
Abstract:
Often, composition teachers present public debate as if it occurs on a rhetorically level playing field, with victory going to the person who argues most logically. Real-world contestants are seldom so equal in power. We can enrich our pedagogy by studying such encounters; example: the 1263 disputation at Barcelona between Rabbi Nachmanides and Friar Paul Christian.