Casiodoro de Reina, a former Catholic monk of the Order of St. Jerome, and later an independent Lutheran theologian,[4] with the help of several collaborators[5] produced the Biblia del Oso, the first complete Bible printed in Spanish.

As secondary sources, de Reina used the Ferrara Bible for the Old Testament and the Latin Edition of Santes Pagnino throughout.

[11] Even the 1995 New Testament is based on the traditional Textus Receptus despite the fact that the United Bible Societies use modern critical Greek texts as the basis for other translations.

[14] Since the resurgence of the King James Only movement in the United States (and its exportation to other countries), there has been much debate among Christian groups who use the Reina–Valera Bible.

The Reina–Valera Bible is authorized to be used in Spanish-language services by many religious groups, including the Church of Christ, Scientist[15] and the Anglican Communion.