The History and Impact of the Reina-Valera Bible Translation
1. S
REINA VALERA
1960
Tradition, History, and a sign of Hope for the Future
2. But first, a history:
Casiodoro de Reina
S A former monk.
S Converted to Lutheranism.
S Ran away from Spain to avoid
the Inquisition.
S Worked with many scholars.
S Opened a translation workshop
in Switzerland.
4. Lutheran Influences and
Characteristics
S A scholarly conversation. Reina ,
the moderator.
S Accesibility
S Language of the People
S Deuterocanonical included
S Siglo de Oro Spanish
5. Cipriano de Valera
The student does the master proud
S Also a former monk.
S Student of Reina, worked closely
with the first version.
S Moved to England and was protected
by Elizabeth I.
S Taught at Cambridge until death.
S The spirit of the way in which he
approached Reina would influence
every other revision.
7. July, 1949
S Biblical Scholarship is in a high point after the discovery
of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
S White protestant Americans wish to see a love for the RV
version similar to the anglo KJV.
S First Evangelical Latino-American Conference
8. THIS IS THE WORD!
A quote from the process…
S …the difficulty in assessing just what types and how many
changes were desirable, if the constituency was to be served
and satisfied, was the fact that despite this desire for some
limited number of changes the Protestant constituency in
Spanish-speaking Latin America is predominately very
conservative on matters of Biblical interpretation.... On one
occasion the very mention of "manuscripts" in a talk about the
history of the Spanish Bible brought an expression of deep
concern from one pastor, who arose and in an almost tearful
plea, held out a battered copy of the Reina-Valera text (1909)
and said, "But is not this the Word of God?" ("Reina-Valera
Spanish Revision of 1960," The Bible Translator [New York:
ABS, Vol. 13, No. 1, Jan. 1962], p. 108)
9. 1960 is the year!
S Maps, Glossary, No Commentary, Concordance.
S Headings to match the KJV.
S Over 10,000 challenges (Ruth to Rut, Bethelehem to
Belén)
S Acceptance and Criticism
10. S Benefits: ecumenism, wide use, preservation of Spanish (teaching tool).
S Hermeneutical Freedom.
S However is not updated with scholarship.
S Easy to manipulate.
S Bibliolatry
S Hope for the future: ELCA contributions to the conversation in terms of a way
of reading that points to the Gospel and Christian Freedom.