Why Do Catholics Have a Different Bible than Protestants?

TL;DR

The Catholic Bible has 73 books, the Protestant Bible has 66 books, and Orthodox Bibles have even more, leading to discrepancies in the Christian world.

Transcript

If you’ve ever opened a Protestant Bible, you’ve likely noticed a major difference from our own Catholic Bible: their Old Testament has fewer books than ours. Well, that, and their Bible actually looks like it’s been used before instead of sitting on a shelf for years… but that’s a different topic. Whereas the Catholic Bible contains 73 books, the ... Read More

Key Insights

• 📔 The Catholic Bible has more books than the Protestant Bible.
• 🛃 Orthodox Churches have different versions of the Bible due to a gradation of inspiration and the influence of local customs.
• ⚾ Protestant Bibles removed books based on a desire for a more authentic version of the Hebrew Scriptures.
• ❓ The Catholic Church established criteria for the canon of Scripture.
• ❓ The canon was officially promulgated at the Council of Trent for Catholics.
• 🎚️ The Eastern and Western Churches have different levels of legalism and emphasis on mystery.
• 🍉 The Protestant Reformation resulted in a distinct break from Tradition in terms of the canon.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does the Catholic Bible have more books than the Protestant Bible?

The Catholic Church established criteria for the canon of Scripture, including association with an Apostle, wide circulation, and consistent theology. Some books originally included by Catholics were later removed by Protestants.

Q: Why do Orthodox Churches have different versions of the Bible?

Orthodox Churches have a different approach to the canon, recognizing a gradation of inspiration. Local customs and traditions continue to influence their liturgies, resulting in slightly variant versions of both Testaments.

Q: Why did the Protestant Bible remove books from the canon?

Martin Luther and other Protestants considered the Hebrew versions of the Old Testament as more authentic. Books like Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Sirach, Wisdom, and Maccabees, written in Greek, were seen as inauthentic and removed from the canon.

Q: Was the canon of Scripture promulgated by an Ecumenical Council?

The canon was not officially established at an Ecumenical Council until the Council of Trent for Catholics. The East has always had its own valid method of determining the canon.

Key Insights:

• The Catholic Bible has more books than the Protestant Bible.
• Orthodox Churches have different versions of the Bible due to a gradation of inspiration and the influence of local customs.
• Protestant Bibles removed books based on a desire for a more authentic version of the Hebrew Scriptures.
• The Catholic Church established criteria for the canon of Scripture.
• The canon was officially promulgated at the Council of Trent for Catholics.
• The Eastern and Western Churches have different levels of legalism and emphasis on mystery.
• The Protestant Reformation resulted in a distinct break from Tradition in terms of the canon.
• The plurality of ancient canons and the need for humility when dealing with Scripture is highlighted.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Church was guided by the Hebrew Scriptures and various texts before the Bible existed, leading to different versions of the Bible in different places.

• The Catholic Church set criteria for accepting works into the New Testament, leading to the establishment of the canon of Scripture.

• Orthodox Churches have a different view on the canon, recognizing a gradation of inspiration, while the Protestant Bible removed books based on a desire for a more authentic version of the Hebrew Scriptures.