Cipriano de Valera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cipriano de Valera
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Cipriano de Valera, La Biblia del Siglo de Oro
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| Born | 1531 |
| Died | c.1602 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Alma mater | University of Seville |
| Occupation | Theologian |
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Notable work
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Reina-Valera Bible |
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Cipriano de Valera (1531–1602) was an important Spanish religious leader. He was a Protestant Reformer who had to leave his home country. He is famous for editing the first major update of the Spanish Bible. This version is now known as the Reina-Valera Bible. Valera also worked on other books, including a Spanish version of John Calvin's Institutes.
Contents
Valera's Life Story
Early Life and Becoming a Protestant
Cipriano de Valera was born in a town called Fregenal de la Sierra in Spain. He studied at the University of Seville for about six years. There, he learned about logic and philosophy. He was influenced by the sermons of Giles of Viterbo.
After his studies, Valera became a monk in a group called the Hieronymites. He lived at the Monastery of San Isidoro. He took the last name 'de Valera' as was common for monks there. Many monks at San Isidoro, including Valera, started to follow the ideas of the Reformation. This was a big change in Christian beliefs.
Because of these new ideas, twenty-two of the forty monks were accused of going against the church. Twelve of them, including Valera and Casiodoro de Reina, quickly fled to Geneva. Those who stayed faced harsh punishment. Many were burned at the stake in public ceremonies. Valera was tried even though he wasn't there, and a dummy representing him was burned.
Life in Geneva and England
Valera first went to Geneva, where he was influenced by the work of John Calvin. Calvin was a very important leader in the Protestant Reformation. In 1559, Valera moved to England when Elizabeth I became queen.
That same year, Valera became a professor of Theology at the University of Cambridge. He also became a Fellow at Magdalene College. Later, in 1565, the University of Oxford also gave him a master's degree.
In 1567, Valera moved to London. He became the minister of the Church of St Mary Axe. This church was for Spanish Protestant refugees. Casiodoro de Reina had also been a pastor there before him. Valera also often traveled to Amsterdam to help the Reformation movement there.
His Final Years
The exact year Valera died is not known. The last known event in his life was the publishing of the Reina-Valera Bible in 1602. He was around 71 years old when he passed away.
Valera's Important Writings
In 1559, Valera helped write the Spanish Confession of London. This document explained the beliefs of Spanish and Italian Protestants in London. It showed that their beliefs were true to Christian teachings.
After Spain's attempt to invade England with the Spanish Armada failed, Valera began writing many of his own books. His first original Spanish book printed in England was The Two Treatises on the Pope and on the Mass (1588). In this book, he criticized some parts of the Roman Catholic Mass. He believed that if Spanish people could understand the Bible better, they would question the power of the Pope.
Another work was A Treatise for the Purpose of Confirming in their Christian Faith the Captives of the Barbary Pirates (1594). This book showed his efforts to share his faith with sailors and prisoners.
Later in his life, in 1597, Valera translated John Calvin's Institutes into Spanish. This was a very important book about Protestant beliefs.
The Reina-Valera Bible
Valera's most famous work was updating Reina's 1569 Spanish translation of the Bible. He worked on this for twenty years. In 1602, he traveled to Leiden to present the first copy of the updated Bible. It was then published and became known as the Reina-Valera Bible. This version is still widely used today.
Because of his many works, Valera was listed in the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. This was a list of books that the Roman Catholic Church forbade people from reading. He was also called "el hereje español," which means "the Spanish heretic," because of his strong Protestant views.
What Valera Said
Here are some famous quotes from Cipriano de Valera:
"Therefore, open your eyes, O Spaniards, and forsaking those who deceive you, obey Christ and His Word which alone is firm and unchangeable for ever. Establish and found your faith on the true foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and sole Head of His Church" Introduction to Valera's translation of Calvin's Institutes, 1597
"The reason for my motivation in making this edition, was the same that motivated Casiodoro de Reina, who had been motivated by that hallowed Person, the Lord Himself. He desired to proclaim the glory of God and to make a clear service to his nation. Therefore, he began to translate the Holy Bible (into Spanish)" Introduction to the Reina-Valera Bible, 1602
See also
In Spanish: Cipriano de Valera para niños
Images for kids
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Portrait of Judith de Valera, Valera's daughter.
