León, Luis de (1527 or 1528–1591)

Spanish poet and theologian. He was imprisoned by the Inquisition (1572–77), partly for his translations of the Song of Solomon, and partly through his position in controversies associated with biblical translation in general. The case lasted five years, and he was found innocent of charges of heresy. His prose works, De los nombres de Cristo (1583–85) and La perfecta casada (1583), and his lyric poetry, such as ‘Noche serena’ and ‘De la vida del cielo’, reveal a mind that combined the best of Christian and Greek humanism.

León was born at Belmonte. In 1561 he was elected to the chair of theology at Salamanca University; he resumed the chair upon his release from prison.