Moses de León

Timeline

1. c. 1240–1270León · LeónMoshe ben Shem-Tov received training in scripture and mysticism in the Jewish communities of northern Castile. He later became known as 'de León', indicating ties to Jewish intellectual networks around León, though no confirmed list of his teachers survives.
2. c. 1275–1290Guadalajara · GuadalajaraIn the later 13th century Moses compiled the Aramaic Zohar in the Guadalajara area and circulated it under the name of the ancient Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai. The text blends biblical interpretation, theosophy, and narrative, and spread rapidly in transcription among Castilian Jewish scholars. He also wrote short Hebrew mystical treatises.
3. c. 1290–1304Ávila · ÁvilaMoses later moved to Ávila and elsewhere, continuing to sell or transcribe portions of the Zohar and corresponding with other Kabbalah scholars in Castile. Isaac of Acre later recorded that Moses's widow admitted the text was Moses's own work; the anecdote's authenticity is disputed, but it shows that some already doubted the ancient attribution.
4. 1305Arevalo · Province of ÁvilaMoses died at Arevalo in 1305. The Zohar continued to circulate under the ancient attribution until modern scholarship assigned the main compilation work to him and his circle. His historical significance lies in giving Kabbalah a core scripture comparable to rabbinic literature, rather than founding an independent order.