The Bear Bible
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The Spanish Protestant version printed at Basle in 1569; so called because the woodcut device on the title-page is a bear.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Bear Bible” mean?
The Spanish Protestant version printed at Basle in 1569; so called because the woodcut device on the title-page is a bear.
Is “The Bear Bible” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.