LEÓN, LUIS DE

LEÓN, LUIS DE (1528–1591), Spanish poet, humanist, and Augustinian friar. Born in Belmonte, New Castile, he spent most of his life in Salamanca where, as a professor, he dominated the university until some intolerant rivals discovered his new christian origin. The fact that his great-grandmother had been burnt at the stake as a relapsed Jewess led to his imprisonment for five years at Valladolid from 1572 at the hands of the Inquisition. Luis de León was accused of Judaizing and of doubting the authority of the Vulgate, the literal accuracy of which he had called into question. His Spanish translation of the Song of Songs reinforced these charges. Luis de León claimed that he knew no rabbinic commentaries on the Bible. There is reason to doubt the truth of this assertion. How can a biblical Hebraist ignore rabbinic exegesis? His own writings deny the truth of his claim. In his commentary on the Song of Songs, he mentions Abraham Ibn Ezra and in his commentary on Job, he refers to Jewish scholars. Elsewhere in his trial he did speak about several Jewish scholars. In dozens of cases in his commentaries on the two books, there is clear evidence that he knew Hebrew. Habib Arquim showed that his notes reflect rabbinic comments. It is obvious that Luis de León was well acquainted with rabbinic sources. It is also evident that he used kabbalistic sources, particularly the Zohar. After his eventual acquittal, Luis de León returned in triumph to Salamanca. These experiences are scarcely reflected in his poetry, which is a model of equilibrium. Apart from original verse and translations from the Bible and from classical and Italian literature, he wrote a number of theological and exegetic works, in which he invoked the support of the Christian Kabbalah. Luis de León's work unites the medieval Christian, biblical Hebrew, and classical traditions in the harmony of the Spanish Renaissance. Further research is needed to show the extent and depth of Luis de León's close familiarity with rabbinic and kabbalistic sources, which were blended with profound knowledge of medieval Christian traditions. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: A.F.G. Bell, Luis de León: A Study of the Spanish Renaissance (1925); J.M. Cohen, History of Western Literature (1956), 137f. ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: A. Habib Arkim, La influencia de exégesis hebrea en los comentarios bíblicos de fray Luis de León (1966); A. Kottman, in: Journal of the History of Philosophy, 13 (1975), 297–310; C. Carrete Parrondo, in: Identidad y testimonio (1979), 31–36; L. Rodríguez, in: Estudio agustiniano, 15 (1980), 93–116; A. Márquez, in: Nueva revista de filología hispánica, 30 (1981), 513–33; L.J. Woodward, in: Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, 61 (1984), 426–31; C. de la Rica, in: El Olivo, 21 (1985), 73–86; A. Blanco, in: Boletín de la Real Academia Española, 65 (1985), 357–408; 66 (1986), 93–134; M. Olivari, Rivista storica italiana, 99 (1987), 147–80; C.P. Thompson, The Strife of Tongues: Fray Luiz de león and the Golden Age of Spain (1988); A. Guy, Fray Luis de León, 1528–1591 (1989); R. Lazcano González, Fray Luis de León; bibliografía (1990). (Kenneth R. Scholberg / Yom Tov Assis (2nd ed.)