What Should You Know about What Bible Catholics Use?

What Bible do Catholics use? Many people may not realize there is even a difference between Catholic and Protestant Bibles. In fact, the Catholic Bible contains a group of books called the Apocrypha that is not included in the Protestant Bible. What’s the difference? Why do we need to know?

To answer those questions, we need to take a closer look at what each Bible contains and the criteria for what was included in the canon of each Bible to understand why Protestants believe what they believe about the Scriptures.

Do Catholics Use a Different Bible than Other Christian Traditions?

Yes, the Catholic Bible is different than other traditions. In the article “What Bible Do Catholics Use,” Ben Reichert gives a list of books that are included in the Catholic Bible but do not appear in the Protestant Bible, including:

• Tobit – history of Israelite exile in Assyria
• Judith – history of Israelites during the Assyrian siege of Israel
• Baruch – written during the Babylonian exile
• Sirach – wisdom book
• 1 Maccabees – Seleucid attack of Judea and a revolt
• 2 Maccabees – condenses 1 Maccabees while focusing on spiritual dimensions
• Additions to the book of Esther
• Additions to the book of Daniel

Reichert’s article describes what is included in each book and how the group is collectively known as The Apocrypha, meaning hidden or secret, or sometimes as the Deuterocanon, meaning belonging to the second canon. In “What are the Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible?” Charles Johnson also gives details of each book’s contents and an explanation of what was included in the canon.

So, why do Catholics and Protestants use different versions?

How Was the Catholic Bible Formed?

The article “What is the Apocrypha?” gives a brief history of how the canon was formed. In the third century B.C., Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) into Greek, known as the Septuagint. It also included works that other Jewish scholars considered extraneous.

In the fourth century A.D., Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, known as the Latin Vulgate. Jerome doubted that these additional books were divinely inspired, but The Council of Rome in 382 A.D. affirmed the apocryphal books as part of the Catholic Bible despite his doubts.

What Bible Did Catholics Use Before the Protestant Reformation?

During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther rejected the deuterocanonical books on the basis that they were written after God stopped speaking to the prophets and called them The Apocrypha. In response to the Reformation, the Council of Trent (1546) voted to make the so-called Apocrypha dogma, and they were included in the Catholic Bible as scripture. On the other hand, Martin Luther included the books in his 1534 Bible but separated them with a note stating they were not divinely inspired. It remained a separate section in The Geneva and King James Bibles (although it was removed from the KJV in 1885).

What Bible Do Catholics Use Today?

Since the Council of Trent (1546), the following apocryphal books are considered part of the canon by the Catholic Church:

• Tobit
• Judith
• Additions to Esther and Daniel
• 1^st and 2^nd Maccabees
• Wisdom of Solomon
• Sirach
• Baruch

To see a list of the approved translations according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, see the article “Approved Translations of the Bible.” The Eastern Orthodox Church also considers these books scripture. The Anglican and Episcopalian Churches reject them, and the United Methodist Church rejects them as scripture but still allows them to be read in church. The Lutheran Church includes them but with a note that they are not equal to scripture.

Why Should Protestants Know What Bible Catholics Use?

After hearing the history of the Catholic and Protestant Bibles, you may wonder how any of this relates to a modern-day Protestant Christian. Actually, there are several reasons why it is important to know the differences between the Catholic Bible and the Protestant Bible.

First, while people like Jerome and Martin Luther did not consider the books divinely inspired, they did consider them useful to read. They didn’t think it was scripture, but they did think of it as good resources, like modern Christians use concordances and commentaries.

Second of all, we should be informed as to why Protestants do not accept the books as scripture. Besides the previously mentioned reasons, another issue is that these books are used to support dogmas that Protestants do not believe to be scriptural:

1. Giving money to atone for sins was taken from Sirach 3:30 and Tobit 4:10.
2. Praying for the dead is supported by 2 Maccabees 12:43-45.
3. Praying to the saints is supported by 2 Maccabees 15:12-16.
4. Purgatory is supported by 2 Maccabees 12:39-45.

The apocryphal books were also not recognized as Scripture because they were not recognized as Scripture by their writers, Christ, or the Apostles. The writers themselves never claimed that it was meant to be Scripture, in contrast to writers of the Old Testament who open their books with a reference to divine inspiration:

• Jeremiah 1:1-2 – “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.”
• Isaiah 1:1-2a – “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken.”
• Malachi 1:1 – “The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.”

The writers made it clear that their words came from God and not themselves.

Also, understanding the differences between the Catholic and Protestant Bible helps us understand allusions in the New Testament to some of these books, which were considered part of Jewish history if not actually divinely inspired scripture:

• Hebrews 11:5 says, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God,” may have been derived from Sirach 44:16.
• Hebrews 11:35, which says, “Women received their dead raised to life again,” may reference 2 Maccabees 7:29.

Knowing where the quotes came from shows an awareness of the books in the Jewish culture of that day, even though they were not considered part of the canon.

Finally, it helps Protestants gain a historical perspective about why we believe what we believe. We should not make decisions based on third-party evidence. It is always best to go back to original sources. I have read the books of The Apocrypha. They are a source of historical events as well as beautiful poetry. While it may not be divine scripture, I agree with Jerome that it contains useful information; however, it should not be read as the divine Word of God. Like any writing, we need to read it in relation to divine scripture to see if it aligns with God’s Word. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can discern what is truth and what is just good information.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/RoterPanther

Linda Lyle is a writer, teacher, knitter, and unintentional collector of cats. She has written articles for the Alabama Baptist, Open Windows, Refresh, as well as multiple novels and novellas. Her newest book, 5-Minute Prayer Plan for When Life Is Overwhelming, is set to release in October. She spins yarns on her blog The End of My Yarn at lindalyle.com. 

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