What is the Catholic Bible?

Many Christians are surprised to learn that the Catholic Bible is different than the Protestant Bible. Although all 66 books in the Protestant Bible are in the Catholic Bible, the Catholic Bible contains additional whole books as well as extra sections within the 66 books. All of these are in the Old Testament. The Catholic Bible contains 73 books in total: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Protestant Bibles contain 66 books in total: 39 in the Old Testament and the same 27 books in the New Testament.

The additional books are:

The Catholic Church refers to the additions as “deuterocanonical.” The prefix “deutero” means “second,” and “canonical” refers to the officially recognized books of the Bible. The term indicates that the Catholic Church recognized these books later—over 1,200 years later—than the 66 original books. Protestants often refer to these additions as the “Apocrypha.” This label comes from a word meaning “hidden” or “obscure.” The term reflects their view that the additions are not canonical.

Protestants do not believe God inspired the additions. They base this view in part on passages such as 2 Timothy 3:16–17 and 2 Peter 1:20–21. In holding this perspective, they continue to affirm the reasons Christians rejected these writings centuries earlier. For example, the New Testament quotes and alludes to the Old Testament extensively but never refers to a single verse or story from the additions. Protestants also emphasize that these additions contain content that contradicts the 66 original books. They also point out that the Jewish people did not recognize them as inspired Scripture.

Should the additions be in the Bible? The early church debated how to answer this question. Most early church fathers, such as Jerome (347–420), Athanasius (296–373), and Cyril of Jerusalem (313–386), opposed the inclusion of these books. However, Jerome, the translator of the Vulgate—the Bible in Latin—faced intense pressure from the church in Rome. As a result, he included the writings despite his reservations. Over time, the Vulgate became the official Catholic Bible and remained so for around 1,200 years.

The Catholic Church did not recognize the additions as part of the their Bible until the Council of Trent (1545–1563), in response to the Protestant Reformation. The additions taught doctrines important to the Catholic Church’s arguments against Protestantism. These included prayer for the dead and purgatory (2 Maccabees 12:39–45), which are not found in the original 66 books. The early Protestant Reformers, such as Martin Luther (1483–1546), John Calvin (1509–1564), and Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531), agreed with the early church. They argued that the additions did not belong in the Bible. As a result, Protestants excluded them from the Bible because they were not part of it in a theological sense.

The most popular English translations of the Catholic Bible today are the New American Bible, the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, and the New Jerusalem Bible. Each includes the additions. Otherwise, these translations are generally reliable.

Christians can study the additional books and sections to learn about history and literature. They can also gain insight into the worldview these writings reflect. However, since they are not inspired, it would be wrong to accept their theological teachings and allow them to influence the church's doctrine (2 Timothy 2:13; Titus 2:1).