They also contain some accurate historical and cultural information from the silent years of the intertestament period. OBJECTOR: But if the books of the Maccabees were not part of the canon of Scripture in the first place, it was not wrong to reject the practice of praying for the dead. He was a pastor for 10 years. Other Apocryphal doctrine also supports praying and offering sacrifices for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:38-46). Then, later down the line, a group of Jews went back to the Hebrew scriptures and at the time those extra books in Hebrew were missing. As king of Babylon, he destroyed Jerusalem in 587-586 B.C. Some of the books and letters quickly gained acceptance as being faithful, accurate, and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Seven of the disputed writings are stand-alone books, while the other . Start thinking about your own spiritual journey and where you are heading. (Sirach 22:3) says the birth of a daughter is loss., (Sirach 42:14) says, Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good; and it is a woman who brings shame and disgrace.. What's with these "extra" books in the Bible? The truth of the matter is that those seven books were always accepted by Christians, and that Martin Luther dropped . These books are . The Jewish Bible contains 24 books. Protestants only have 66. Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth The "canonical" books were those books which were approved for reading at the Liturgy. This is what "canon" (a Greek word meaning "rule") originally referred to. The Catholic Church has 73 books in its Bible. God authored the Bible, and it is error free. Why did Martin Luther remove these books? Become a better Catholic, a better Methodist, a better Pentecostal, For a more in depth view, take a look at this article from EWTN. In 1st Maccabees, the author admits on several occasions that there were no prophets during the time it was written: (1 Macc 4:46)(1 Macc 9:27)(1 Macc 14:41). These books and additions were written during the three centuries before Jesus. Why Does the Catholic Bible Have More Books? Also see What Is the Longest Book of the Bible? Also to know, what are the extra books in a Catholic Bible? It's very much the opposite. Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; Historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees Become a better Catholic, a better Methodist, a better Pentecostal God created us in His image what does that image look like? The letter of Pope St. Innocent I in 405 also officially listed these books. (Jude mentioned Enoch, but Enoch was not the author of the books that bear his name.) Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the controversy of the 'extra' books in the Catholic Bible. + 27 N.T. I recommend it to . The earliest Greek manuscripts of the Old Testament, such as Codex Sinaiticus (fourth century) and Codex Alexandrinus (c. 450), include the deuterocanonical books with the others. Why do Catholics worship Mary? Some of the disputed writings are stand-alone books, like Tobit. How do you know who interprets the Bible correctly and who is mistaken? But because he does not use a quote, the source is less certain. Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and many more. (Tobit 14:15) says Nebuchadnezzar and Ahasuerus (Es 1:1) captured Nineveh, but history shows us that Nabopolassar and Cyaxares captured it in (612 B.C.). It contains 46 books from the old testament, 27 books from the new testament, making it 73 books of the Bible. (Tobit 9:1-6) The author seems to show the journey from Ecbatana to Rages took a day. The "extra" books in the Catholic Bible are called the Apocrypha. The Catholic sources say there were two main "canons" for the Old Testament at the time of Christ. Sirach, Wisdom, Tobit, 1 Maccabees, Judith, additions to Daniel, and Esther are just a few of the harrowing stories contained in these special books of the Bible. (Tobit 12:11-15) speaks of 7 angels who present prayers to God. Neither is there any indication that these books were considered inspired from God like the other canonical books. (Bel And The Dragon 14:23-27) The Babylonians worshipped a live dragon and wanted Daniel to worship it too. Today, we take a look at why the Vatican removed 14 books from the bible. Q. These books were kept in Catholic Bibles because it is believed that the Bible which Jesus read was a Bible that included the books of the "Apocrypha," the deuterocanonical books. Protestants tend to refer to the extra books in the Catholic Bible "the Apocrypha" because they believe they aren't inspired and because some promote teachings that contradict inspired books. The prefix sept refers to the legend that 70 scholars worked to complete the translation. While the Vatican is widely available to visitors and serves as a mostly public totem of the Catholic religion, there are also many interesting and surprising mysteries to uncover about this specific institution. The following article hopes to help you make more suitable choices and get . Keep in mind that people have tried to Reform the Church from the very beginning the New Testament is full of accounts where the Apostles must correct Churches and warn them against many Heretics leading souls astray. They help fill out the story of the Jewish community during this time. Who was the first to include the books in the Bible? They did not attempt to preserve them. This is a free sample class from the New Saint Thomas Institute as taught by Dr. Taylor Marshall. Protestants dislike the term "deuterocanonical" because they believe there is just one canon and not a secondary canon. It is known that the most popular Bible at the time of Jesus was the Greek Septuagint version - which includes these extra books. This largely took place as a result of the Protestant Reformation. So why do Catholics believe that the Apocrypha should be included with the canonical books, and Protestants dont? Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Ben Sira), Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees. Seven Old Testament books are found in Catholic Bibles but not in Protestant ones. (Judith 1:1-7) says Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Assyrians in Nineveh. Also see How Many Verses Are In the Bible? It is published under Catholic canon law. Why does the Catholic Bible have seven more books than other Bibles? The Catholic Bible contains a total of 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament (Protestant Bibles have 39) and 27 in the New Testament (the same as Protestant Bibles). PLUS, would Jesus use Scripture that was in error? Catholics argued that the Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint, actually contained the Apocrypha, and that the early church fathers used Apocryphal books in public worship and accepted them as Scripture. The Catholic church based its Bible off the expanded Greek translation and early on shifted which books were included. One area of important disagreement is whether or not certain books should be included in the Bible. 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation. These are also the books that make up the Hebrew Bible or Jewish Canon. In several apocryphal books, the writers clearly admit that they were not inspired or writing perfectly: (2 Macc 2:24-32)(2 Macc 15:38-39)(prologue to Sirach). As a professor, he has taught Bible and theology courses at two Christian universities. (See: Q: #95 for more on Purgatory), (2 Maccabees 14:42-46) Glorifies a mans suicide and calls it noble.. Also see Do Catholics Read the Bible? Why was it important for Paul and the other Apostles to correct these Heresies? Basically, the Jews of Jesus day used the Greek Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament. #3. to learn more. Having said all of this, I do not believe that one should totally avoid reading these apocryphal books. A few argue that there are 12. Yet, it is very interesting to note that these extra Catholic Books were never accepted as divine by the Catholic Church until the year 1546 A. D. (Revelation and the Bible, edited by Carl F. H. Henry, p. 171). Apocrypha: The word "Apocrypha" literally means "things that are hidden," but is . Not only are there serious contradictions in the Catholic Apocrypha in regards to doctrine, but there are also historical errors that are found. Simple. For example, in 170 A.D. Melito, the Bishop of Sardis, wrote, When I came to the east and reached the place where these things were preached and done, and learned accurately the books of the Old Testament, I set down the facts and sent them to you., These are their names: the five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua the son of Nun, Judges, Ruth, four books of the Kingdom, two books of Chronicles, the Psalms of David, the Proverbs of Solomon and his wisdom, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Job, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, The Twelve in a single book, Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra.. In 1545-1563, the Catholic Council of Trent joined together to canonize the Apocrypha. Others would add many other arguments for rejecting the disputed books. Not so. (Sirach 33:26) says to use racks and tortures for a wicked servant (slave). These seven works are Tobit, Judith, the first and second Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (or Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach), and Baruch. The deuterocanonical book is the Greek Septuagint Collection used to create the book of the Old Testament. These errors in the apocryphal books attribute error to God, and therefore CANNOT be God-inspired. Please see the About page for details. The second was the "Alexandrian canon" which was the Septuagint. These are simply different ways to describe the same collection of literature. Don't believe me? So, why arent these books included in the Protestant Old Testament? That's it! Does the Eastern Orthodox Church accept the writings in question? Deuterocanonical books, on the other hand, are books that were not originally considered to be inspired, but were later determined to be so by the Roman Catholic Church during the Council of Trent on April 8, 1546 (in part due to the Protestant Reformation started by Martin Luther in 1517, who coincidentally died on Feb 18, 1546). How did Protestant Christians lose these books from their Bibles? Protestants tend to refer to the extra books in the Catholic Bible, the Apocrypha, because they believe they arent inspired and because some promote teachings that contradict inspired books. During that time, Martin Luther began to publicly criticize the Catholic church for not having scriptural support for some of their practices, like praying for the dead. A: There are seven books in the Catholic Bible Baruch, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Tobit and Wisdom that are not included in the Protestant version of the Old Testament. In the Catholic Bible, these apocryphal books are included: 1 and 2 Maccabees and 1 and 2 Esdra, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit and Judith, as well as several additions to the book of Daniel. In fact, all of the New Testament books of the Catholic Bible were selected because the Church's bishops agreed that those books alone were divinely inspired, accurate teachers of the true faith received from Jesus and the Apostles. So, what Jesus seems to be saying in the above verses is, in essence, that from the very beginning of the Old Testament (Abel in Genesis) to the end of the Old Testament (Zechariah [Zacharias] in 2 Chr 24:21) righteous blood (had been) shed upon the earth. If Jesus had considered the apocryphal books to be canonical, He would not have ended with His example at 1 & 2 Chronicles, as the apocryphal books were written after the Hebrew/Jewish canon. As stated above, Nebuchadnezzar exiled the Judeans in 587-586 B.C. Copyright JesusAlive.cc All rights reserved. (Judith 9:10,13) Judith prays for Gods help in practicing deceit. A: There are seven books in the Catholic Bible - Baruch, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Tobit and Wisdom - that are not included in the Protestant version of the Old Testament. (Percentages Explained). Some say there are 13 books in question, while others say there are only seven. It is only the blood of Christ that cleanses us. Depending on a persons point of view about the disputed books, each term is sometimes considered controversial in certain contexts. The Protestant Reformers rejected the books as being of the same inspired nature as the other 66 books of the Bible. Your email address will not be published. In fact, He seemed to make it clear where He considered the Old Testament to start and finish. (This is used for the Catholic teaching on Purgatory.) They have exactly the same books that the Protestant Bible has, but some are combined (the minor prophets, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra/Nehemiah). = 66) and the Apocryphal books which are the third and fourth books of Esdras ; the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Jesus Sirach, Baruch ; what was added to the Story of Esther ; the Song of t. The extra books in the Catholic Bible are commonly referred to in two ways: (1) Apocrypha and (2) Deuterocanonical books. 1618 Ben King Road | Kennesaw, Ga 30144 | (o) 770-428-7139 | www.stcatherinercc.org |office@stcatherinercc.org, prayer, education, fellowship, and charity. to learn more. What about St. Jerome? The majority of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, a minority in Aramaic, and the New Testament was written in Greek. He fed them to the dragon and it burst open and died. The Jews, to whom care of the Old Testament was given by God (Rom 3:1-2)(Rom 9:4), never considered them to be God-inspired. New Testament. They also order their books differently. However, it is apparent that these books (and NUMEROUS other apocryphal books) are not God-inspired and this should be kept in mind if reading them. What is the reason why there are extra books in the Catholic Bible? Its important to know the Truth. But Protestants didn't just take out books; they used a different. Many today are sadly lacking in information as to the extra books found in the Catholic Bible and just exactly how they got there. Under the protection of the Blessed VirginMary,the parishioners of St.Catherineof Sienastrivetolive ascommitted disciplesofJesusChristthrough. (1 Maccabees 6:8-16/2 Maccabees 9:19-29) King Antiochus appears to have died two different ways in two different places. Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, boiled them together and made them into cakes. (Wisdom Of Solomon 8:19-20) Promotes souls as pre-existent. The first book is Genesis, the last book is 1 & 2 Chronicles. For this, the Babylonians threw Daniel in the lions den (verse 31) AGAIN (see: Dan 6:16-24) for 6 days, but he wasnt eaten again (verses 40-42). In the second century, the translators of the Latin Bible included the books. Catholics call them the deuterocanonical (literally, "second canon") books; Protestants call them the apocryphal (literally, "hidden," thus "unknown, spurious") books. Jesus is not simply a lucky rabbits foot that gets you through those pearly gates. The Jews in the Old Testament era rejected the books. But here's the simple truth: the Protestant Bible did not remove these fourteen books. (Judith 4:3) says while Nebuchadnezzar was king (4:1), the people of Judea returned from captivity. How many Bibles are there in Catholic? The Protestant Bible consists of 66 books which are considered to be divinely inspired. The first being the Synod of Rome in 382, the Council of . How did the Early Church operate after receiving the teachings ofthe New Testament? There are a number of reasons given. Some, like Martin Luther, believed that there was a benefit to reading the books, even though they were not on par with Scripture. There are several reasons that Protestants reject the books in question. 185 miles though. This journey was app. Later Councils at Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) ratified this list of 73 books. It is commonly said that Judaism officially excluded the deuterocanonicals and the additional Greek texts listed here from their scripture in the Council of Jamnia (c. 70-90 AD), but this claim is disputed. This is a fact unknown to many Catholics, who have just naturally assumed these extra books were always there. By Vladimir Savchuk|July 20, 2022|Questions|4 mins, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window). (Percentages Explained), link to Do All Christian Denominations Use the Same Bible Translation? Christians are sometimes wholly unaware that this difference exists, completely misled as to why there is a difference, or confident that their particular canon of books is undoubtedly the original. Slim and pocket-sized for handy reference Perfect companion for Bible study This title from the popular "Made Easy" series is designed to help readers understand the history of the Bible. Yes. Extra Books in the Catholic Bible? Required fields are marked *. These books contradict the whole counsel of God and therefore are seen by Protestants as unfit additions to the canon. (Esther 15:7) says the king became very angry when he saw Esther. Another point is that these books were found to have doctrinal errors. Another theological conflict is the doctrine of purgatory. The Septuagint contains the disputed books. The history of the standing of these extra books is complex and obscure. Neither Jesus Christ, nor any of the New Testament writers, ever quoted from the Apocrypha. In one sense, the translators of the Septuagint were, when they included the books in their Greek translation of the Old Testament. The New Testament contains the same 27 books for all Christians. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life., Protestants believe that the Bible is very clear that Gods grace alone saves sinners. Why are they there! What is the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books? Think about it. So, here is my not so short answer for all of you.The verses in question are Esther 10 . In fact, when the The Jewish Council of Jamnia met in A.D 90, they rejected the Apocrypha as Scripture. Also, there are additions to the books of Esther (Esther: chapters 10:4-16:24) and Daniel (3 books added: Song Of The Three Young Men [inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24], Susanna [incorporated as Daniel chapter 13], and Bel And The Dragon [incorporated as Daniel chapter 14]). Many Catholics sincerely wonder why and how we can say we have the Bible and yet do not include these extra books which are obviously to be found in theirs. For a more in depth view, take a look at this article from EWTN~ exerpt fromDEFENDING THE DEUTEROCANONICALS, byJames Akin: In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformers removed a large section of the Old Testament that was not compatible with their theology. 3:4). A:These books which are found in the Catholic Old Testament are called apocryphal (Gr: apokruphos) books by Protestants, meaning hidden or concealed. Catholics generally call them deuterocanonical (2nd canon). The letter of Pope St. Innocent I in 405 also officially listed these books. (It is also worth noting that God is not mentioned at all in the Protestant canon of Esther, but numerous times in the apocryphal additions to Esther.). (Note: Nebuchadnezzar was Nabopolassars son. The books that comprise the Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books can be counted in two different ways. It is possible that people added the books later, which is a suggestion supported by the fact that New Testament writers did not quote from the books. Jews in the Old Testament era, the Roman Catholic Church, and Protestant churches all reject these additional writings. Two of the most prominent writers in Jewish history; Josephus (37 A.D.- 100 A.D.) and Philo (20 B.C.- 50 A.D.), rejected them as scripture. However, they never quote from any of the disputed books. He didn't like what they supported, and they supported Catholic teaching ( i.e. Why do Catholic Bibles have a longer Old Testament than Protestant Bibles? This adds to the confusion with other topics such asPurgatory and praying to the Saints in Heaven. The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament completed in Egypt in the third century before Christ. Answer (1 of 42): In the Protestant church we distinguish between the Canonical books (39 O.T. and carried the Jews into exile (1 Kin 24:1-25:26). They do make for interesting reading in some places. What are the first 7 books of the Bible? Protocanonical is used to describe the books of the Old Testament (39 books) that all Christians throughout history have considered God-inspired. Get the Facts. The nation of Israel treated these books with respect, but they never accepted them as true books of the inspired Jewish Scripture. and Nebuchadnezzar from 605-562 B.C. Why does the Catholic Bible have seven more books than other Bibles? Altogether there are seven such books (plus a few chapters in Esther and Daniel): Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach (a.k.a. These books include Baruch, Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom (or Wisdom of Solomon), and Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus). The Old Testament, on the other hand, is where things become a little complicated. The only exception was Augustine (A. D. 400) who included the books of the Apocrypha (those "extra" books that some Bibles include between the books of the Old and New Testaments). These books were kept in Catholic Bibles because it is believed that the Bible which Jesus read was a Bible that included the books of the "Apocrypha," the deuterocanonical books. Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, and other teachers in the New Testament quote from most of the books in the Old Testament, and often from the Septuagint translation. Or should the real question be "Why do Protestant Bibles have fewer books?"Father Mike Nixon explains. Baruch 3:4 reads, O Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, and of their children, that have sinned before thee, and have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord their God, wherefore evils have cleaved fast to us. (NAB). What do they contain! Click here to sign up foremail blogupdates! The Catholic Bible is composed of the 46 books of the Old Testament (with the deuterocanonical books) and the 27 books of the New Testament.. Old Testament. The books of the Apocrypha are accepted primarily by the Roman Catholic Church and are included in Catholic Bibles. By comparison, the books of the Catholic Bible include all 66 in the previous list plus seven extra books. The Jews were in exile for nearly 50 years, thus they returned after his reign.