This book looks at the poetry of Fray Luis de León together with other works in both Latin and Spanish of biblical and classical texts.

A study of the mentality of the 16c Spanish writer, Fray Luis de León. Luis de León, poet and Biblical exegete, lived from 1527 to 1591. The study attempts to explain the impression received from his prose and verse works that he intended them to conform to what he believed to exist in Nature, society, and the spiritual world, but that he gave equal attention to their aesthetic form, i.e. the figures and fictions they contain. The following questions are posed: does Fray Luis make any distinction between truth and fiction inthe content of his works, or between poetic language and logical language in their form? If so, does he use any consistent criteria for these distinctions?

"Fray Luis de León: A Biographical Fragment" by James Fitzmaurice-Kelly offers a captivating glimpse into the life and achievements of the renowned Spanish scholar and poet Fray Luis de León. Through meticulous research and engaging narrative, Fitzmaurice-Kelly paints a vivid portrait of this influential figure of the Spanish Golden Age. From de León's academic pursuits to his encounters with the Inquisition, this ebook delves into the triumphs and tribulations of a man whose intellectual legacy continues to resonate through the centuries.

Humanism and Religion in Early Modern Spain brings together twenty-five essays by renowned historian Terence O’Reilly. The essays examine the interplay of religion and humanism in a series of writings composed in sixteenth-century Spain. It begins by presenting essential background: the coming together during the reign of the Emperor Charles V of Erasmian humanism and various movements of religious reform, some of them heterodox. It then moves on to the reign of Philip II, focusing on the mystical poetry and prose of St John of the Cross. It explores the influence on his writings of his humanist learning – classical, biblical and patristic. The third part of the book concerns a verse-epistle by John’s contemporary, Francisco de Aldana. One chapter presents the text with a parallel version in English, whilst two others trace its debt to Florentine Neoplatonism, particularly the thought of Marsilio Ficino. The final part is devoted to the humanism of the poet and Scripture scholar Luis de León, and specifically to the confluence in his work of biblical and classical motifs. This book is essential reading for scholars and students of early modern Spanish history, as well those interested in literary studies and the history of religion. (CS 1102).