Judah Leon Templo

Who is Judah Leon Templo?

Jacob Judah Aryeh Leon Templo was a ḥakam, translator of the Psalms, and expert on heraldry, of Marano descent.

He was son of Abraham de Leon. He became ḥakam in Middelburg and, after 1643, in Amsterdam, where he was engaged also as teacher in the Talmud Torah. He vocalized the entire Mishnah which was printed in 1646 at the establishment of Manasseh ben Israel, with the anonymous collaboration of Adam Boreel.

Jacob Judah caused a great stir by a plan, drawn by him, of Solomon's Temple. It was exhibited before Charles II of England. The author published a short, comprehensive description in Spanish entitled Retrato del Templo de Selomoh.. This was translated into Dutch in the same year; into French in 1643; and by himself into Hebrew in 1650, with the title Tabnit Hekal. Duke August of Brunswick, and more particularly his wife Elizabeth, wished a German translation of this description and entrusted the task to Johann Saubert of Helmstädt. Someone else published such a translation in 1665, and Saubert therefore wrote a Latin translation in that year. An English version appeared in 1778, done by