Bear Bible 1569

Facsimile edition of the 1569 Bear Bible by Casiodoro de Reina, bound in guaflex, with gold-stamped spine, gilt edges, a bookmark ribbon, laid paper, and a slipcase with the same binding as the facsimile. The Bear Bible is the first complete translation of the Bible into Castilian Spanish from Greek and Hebrew. Its name comes from the bear depicted on the cover, reaching for a honeycomb, as religious icons were avoided because, at that time, translation into vernacular languages was forbidden. Until then (1569), it had not been possible for ordinary people to access the sacred book. Casiodoro de Reina is the Protestant friar who undertook the translation. He fled Spain with a group of monks and settled in Geneva, later moving to London, where the first Spanish-speaking church in Great Britain was founded. He later lived in the Netherlands, where he began his translation work.