Moshe de Leon was a Spanish rabbi and kabbalist. Though he wrote kabbalistic works which appeared under his name, his most famous association is with the Zohar, which is attributed to the Tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Due to his intimate involvement in the emergence of the Zohar, some attribute its composition, in part or in its entirety, to him. This association figured in controversies surrounding the Zohar shortly after it became widely known. He was widely knowledgeable both in philosophy and Kabbalah, and he was a gifted writer with a flair for evocative turns of phrase. He dedicated two of his works to Todros HaLevi Abulafia. He spent most of his adult years in Guadalajara, before moving to Avila in his latter years.