catholic bible
The Catholic Bible is the collection of Christian Scriptures used in the Catholic Church, consisting of 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. It includes several books and passages not found in most Protestant Bibles, which Catholics call the deuterocanonical books.
What is the Catholic Bible?
- The Catholic Bible is recognized by the Catholic Church as inspired Scripture and is proclaimed in the liturgy worldwide.
- It is divided into the Old Testament (before Christ) and New Testament (after Christ), both centered on God’s covenant with humanity.
How many books and what’s different?
- Catholic Bibles have 73 books: 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament, while most Protestant Bibles have 66 books total.
- The “extra” Old Testament books in Catholic Bibles are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1–2 Maccabees, plus additional sections in Esther and Daniel.
Extra books vs Protestant Bibles
| Feature | Catholic Bible | Most Protestant Bibles |
|---|---|---|
| Total books | 73 (46 OT, 27 NT) | [3][7]66 (39 OT, 27 NT) | [7][1]
| Deuterocanonical books | Included as Scripture (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1–2 Maccabees, plus additions). | [1][3][7]Usually excluded from canon, sometimes in a separate “Apocrypha” section. | [7]
| Use in worship | Read at Mass and used doctrinally. | [10][5]Varies by denomination; deuterocanonical books rarely used liturgically. | [7]
How the Catholic canon developed
- Early councils such as Hippo (393) and Carthage (397, 419) listed essentially the same 73-book canon later reaffirmed at the Council of Trent (1545–1563).
- These decisions confirmed which books the Church recognized as inspired, rather than “creating” new books.
Popular Catholic Bible translations today
- Common modern English Catholic translations include the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), the Revised Standard Version – Second Catholic Edition (RSV‑2CE), and the New Jerusalem Bible.
- These editions include the full Catholic canon and are often used in study, prayer, and public reading.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
