WHY THE CATHOLIC BIBLE HAS 73 BOOKS
WHY THE CATHOLIC BIBLE HAS 73 BOOKS
AND THE PROTESTANT BIBLE HAS 66 BOOKS
THE 7 DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS OF THE BIBLE: The deutero-
canonical books of the Bible are 7 books of the Bible that were accepted by the
apostles but rejected by the Jews and are accepted today by some Christians but
rejected by others. They were written majorly in Greek but a very small portion
written in Aramaic and Hebrew. These books are
1. Wisdom;
2. Sirach/Ecclesiasticus;
3. Baruch;
4. Tobit;
5. Judith;
6. I Maccabees (First Maccabees);
7. II Maccabees (Second Maccabees).
*WHY THE 7 DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS WERE WRITTEN MAINLY IN GREEK LANGUAGE: The deuterocanonical books were written
majorly in the Greek language because Greek was the language of civilization and
education in the Ancient Near East at the time these books were written. The Greek
empire, led by Alexander the Great, conquered many nations and kingdoms and
imposed Greek language and culture on the people they conquered. The Jews were
among the people conquered by the Greeks whose kings were called the Seleucids.
By the time of the events recorded in these seven books, Hebrew, (the language of
the Israelites) which was used to write the other 39 Old Testament books, had been
suppressed and no longer used in education and civilization. It had already been
replaced by Greek when the seven books were written. That’s why Greek was used
in writing these book.
* SCRIPTURES BEFORE 90 AD: The Old Testament has 46 books. 39 of these
were written in Hebrew, the language of the Israelites, while the other 7 (listed
above) were written mainly in Greek, and a small portion in Aramaic and Hebrew.
They contain the events that happened in the life of Israel after their return from
Babylon to the time of Jesus. They were written after then ones written in Hebrew
just as the events they report took place after those reported in the books written in Hebrew language. Both the 39 books written in Hebrew and the 7 written in Greek
were all put together as scriptures and they formed 46 books of the Hebrew Scrip-
ture. The 7 books were already in existence and used for more than 100 years be-
fore Christ. When Christianity came, both Jews and Christians accepted and used
these books as scriptures until around 90 AD (the first century of Christianity). The
New Testament books had not been collected and included in the Bible at this time.
*THE JEWS REMOVED 7 SCRIPTURE BOOKS AROUND 90 AD: Even
though the Hebrew/Jewish scripture had 46 books, the authoritative decision to
draw the canon of scriptures (the list of books that would make up the scripture) to
a definitive close was not made until around AD 90. It was around 90 AD that the
Jewish religious leaders, the rabbis, decided to draw the final list of the books that
would be part of the Jewish scripture (which we call Old Testament today). In do-
ing this, they decided that, of the 46 scripture books already extant (in existence),
only the 39 books written in the Hebrew language (the language of the Israelites
and Jews) were to remain in scripture as the ones divinely inspired and having the
authority of God for teaching faith and morals. They decided that, because the
other 7 books were not written in Hebrew, the language of their ancestors, they
could not be considered as equally inspired and authoritative for faith and morals
as the 39 that were written in Hebrew. Consequently, the rabbis removed the 7
books from the Jewish canon of scriptures and retained only the other 39 books.
However, they considered the 7 books to be very holy and spiritual and recom-
mended them for spiritual reading but not to be taken as scriptures of equal author-
ity as the other 39 books.
*WHY THE JEWS REJECTED THE 7 BOOKS: The reason for this rejection
was that they were not written in Hebrew, the original language of Israel, used to
write the other 39 books. The rejection had nothing to do with content and mas-
sage. It was because the 7 books were not written in Hebrew. The problem was
language, not content.
*WHY CHRISTIANS RETAINED THE 7 BOOKS AFTER 90 AD: While the
Jews rejected these 7 books around 90 AD (which they had used for over two hun-
dred years), the early Christians kept the books for three main reasons.
1. Inspiration: The seven books were divinely inspired and authoritative for
faith and morals. What determines the authenticity and relevance of sacred writings is divine inspiration, not the language of writing. The Jews rejected
the seven books just because they were not written in Hebrew. However, the
early Christians understood that these books were inspired (breathed forth) by
God just as the other 39 that were written in the Hebrew language. Language
of expression does not affect the origin and source of the message.
2. Importance of the books: The second reason the Christians refused to follow
the Jews in rejecting the seven books was the importance of the books. These
books contained what God continued to do in the life of Israelites after their
return from Babylon until the time of Christ. Throwing them away would mean
losing all the information and history of God’s mighty works through which he
prepared his people for the messianic fulfilment in Christ.
3. Right Authority: The third reason the Christians did not accept the decision of
the Jews was that it was not the Jews who had the authority to decide the con-
tent of scriptures for Christians. It was the apostles/leaders of the Church who
had that authority.
Therefore, the Old Testament of the Christian Bible continued to contain all the 46
books. Therefore the Christian Bible always had 73 books - 46 OT and 27 NT. At
that time, the whole of Christianity existed as one church, namely, the Catholic
Church and all Christians were Catholics.
*PROTESTANT'S REJECTION OF THE 7 BOOKS
In 1517 AD, when Christianity had existed and kept the 46 Old Testament books of
the Bible for about one thousand five hundred and seventeen years, a Catholic
priest called Martin Luther broke away from the Church. He established his own
Church, called the Lutheran Church (named after Luther, the founder). Luther de-
cided that he would leave the Christian/ apostles’ canon/list of biblical books and
go back to the Jewish canon/list of biblical books. Thus, he removed the 7 deutero-
canonical books from the Christian Bible. Consequently, when his new Bible was
printed, it had only 66 books, the 39 Old Testament books which Jews accepted
and the 27 NT books of the Christians (73 - 7 = 66). Protestant churches, all the
churches that came out of Luther’s protest (called the Reformation), follow the
edited list of Luther and have the 66-book Bible.
*CATHOLIC PRESERVATION OF THE 7 BOOKS: Responding to Luther’s
rejection of the 7 books and editing of the Bible, the Catholic Church stated authoritatively (particularly at the Council of Trent, 1545-1563), that the early Christians
were not wrong in their decision to preserve the 7 books. The Church maintained
that the decision of one man (Luther) could not override the consensus of early
Christians which had stood for more than 1400 years at the time of Luther’s deci-
sion. Following the apostles and early Christians, therefore, the Catholic Church
has continued to preserve and hold the 7 books (written mainly in Greek) to be as
inspired and, consequently, authoritative for faith and morals as the other 39 gen-
erally accepted Old Testament books (written in Hebrew). Thus, the Old Testament
has 46 books and the New Testament has 27.
SYNTHESIS OF “G” & “H” ABOVE: From The Reformation on, we have had
the Christian/apostles’ Bible of 73 books (called the Catholic Bible) and the Martin
Luther edited Bible of 66 Books (called the Protestant Bible). Protestants, follow-
ing Luther, use the 66-book Bible while Catholics, following the apostles and pre-
serving the original list, continues to use the 73-canon Bible. Catholics did not
write the 7 books. They were written by Jews and used more than a hundred years
before Jesus and Christianity.
*WHICH ONE IS THE “CHRISTIAN” BIBLE?
We have one Christian Bible simply called “THE BIBLE.” However, the Bible has
two editions or canons, the Catholic edition and the Protestant edition of one Chris-
tian Bible. Both the 73-book edition of the Bible held by Catholics and the 66-book
one held by Protestants are Christian. The one called “Catholic Bible” is the Christ-
ian Bible having the seven deuterocanonical books while the on called “Protestant
Bible” is also the Christian Bible without the deuterocanonical books. It is true that
the Catholic edition is the one that has the complete list of biblical books approved
by the early Church. However, both editions are Christian. This is a humble and
ecumenical view. Out of biases and pride, Protestants and Catholics each call their
own the authentic Christian Bible and the other one not the Christian Bible. This
view is decisive. An honest and humble differentiation should be made.
*WHY THE 7 BOOKS ARE CALLED “DEUTEROCANONICAL” OR
“APOCRYPHAL”
Deuterocanonical: The Greek word for “second” is “deuteros,” and the word
“kanon” (canon in English) means “rule” “measurement” or “measuring stick.”
Therefore, the books are called “deuterocanonical,” meaning “of the second
canon.” The 39 nooks accepted by all are called the first canon (list) of the Old
Testament. Because the other 7 books are not accepted by all, they are considered
the second canon, that is, the second list, of the OT books of the Bible.
Apocryphal: The Jews call these 7 books “APOCRYPHAL BOOKS.” The Eng-
lish adjective - “apocryphal” is from the Greek word “apokryfa” which means “ob-
scure,” “hidden” or “not clear.” The Jews use this term for the 7 books because
they claim that their origin and authenticity are not clear. However, the Jewish rab-
bis who did the editing around 90 AD did not considered the 7 books to be hereti-
cal at all. They even recommended them for spiritual reading and nourishment but
not as the final authority for teaching faith and morals. The reason for the rejec-
tion was just that they were not written entirely in Hebrew, the language of the Is-
raelites.
*. IMPORTANCE OF THE 7 DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS: These
books tell us what God continued to do in the life of the Jews for the last years be-
fore Christ. From the time that Hebrew ceased to be the language of civilization
and education to the time of Christ, God continued to work in the life of the Jews,
preparing them for the fulfillment of his covenant in the coming of Christ. Without
these 7 books, we lose information about all that God did for the Jews for many
years before Christ and the New Testament writings. These books are indispens-
able to knowing the experience of the Jews and God’s work from the time that the
writing of biblical books in the Hebrew language stopped to the time of the early
Christian writings. Rejecting these books does a big harm to salvation and biblical
history and information.
—————————
By: Fr. Robert Agbo
AND THE PROTESTANT BIBLE HAS 66 BOOKS
THE 7 DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS OF THE BIBLE: The deutero-
canonical books of the Bible are 7 books of the Bible that were accepted by the
apostles but rejected by the Jews and are accepted today by some Christians but
rejected by others. They were written majorly in Greek but a very small portion
written in Aramaic and Hebrew. These books are
1. Wisdom;
2. Sirach/Ecclesiasticus;
3. Baruch;
4. Tobit;
5. Judith;
6. I Maccabees (First Maccabees);
7. II Maccabees (Second Maccabees).
*WHY THE 7 DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS WERE WRITTEN MAINLY IN GREEK LANGUAGE: The deuterocanonical books were written
majorly in the Greek language because Greek was the language of civilization and
education in the Ancient Near East at the time these books were written. The Greek
empire, led by Alexander the Great, conquered many nations and kingdoms and
imposed Greek language and culture on the people they conquered. The Jews were
among the people conquered by the Greeks whose kings were called the Seleucids.
By the time of the events recorded in these seven books, Hebrew, (the language of
the Israelites) which was used to write the other 39 Old Testament books, had been
suppressed and no longer used in education and civilization. It had already been
replaced by Greek when the seven books were written. That’s why Greek was used
in writing these book.
* SCRIPTURES BEFORE 90 AD: The Old Testament has 46 books. 39 of these
were written in Hebrew, the language of the Israelites, while the other 7 (listed
above) were written mainly in Greek, and a small portion in Aramaic and Hebrew.
They contain the events that happened in the life of Israel after their return from
Babylon to the time of Jesus. They were written after then ones written in Hebrew
just as the events they report took place after those reported in the books written in Hebrew language. Both the 39 books written in Hebrew and the 7 written in Greek
were all put together as scriptures and they formed 46 books of the Hebrew Scrip-
ture. The 7 books were already in existence and used for more than 100 years be-
fore Christ. When Christianity came, both Jews and Christians accepted and used
these books as scriptures until around 90 AD (the first century of Christianity). The
New Testament books had not been collected and included in the Bible at this time.
*THE JEWS REMOVED 7 SCRIPTURE BOOKS AROUND 90 AD: Even
though the Hebrew/Jewish scripture had 46 books, the authoritative decision to
draw the canon of scriptures (the list of books that would make up the scripture) to
a definitive close was not made until around AD 90. It was around 90 AD that the
Jewish religious leaders, the rabbis, decided to draw the final list of the books that
would be part of the Jewish scripture (which we call Old Testament today). In do-
ing this, they decided that, of the 46 scripture books already extant (in existence),
only the 39 books written in the Hebrew language (the language of the Israelites
and Jews) were to remain in scripture as the ones divinely inspired and having the
authority of God for teaching faith and morals. They decided that, because the
other 7 books were not written in Hebrew, the language of their ancestors, they
could not be considered as equally inspired and authoritative for faith and morals
as the 39 that were written in Hebrew. Consequently, the rabbis removed the 7
books from the Jewish canon of scriptures and retained only the other 39 books.
However, they considered the 7 books to be very holy and spiritual and recom-
mended them for spiritual reading but not to be taken as scriptures of equal author-
ity as the other 39 books.
*WHY THE JEWS REJECTED THE 7 BOOKS: The reason for this rejection
was that they were not written in Hebrew, the original language of Israel, used to
write the other 39 books. The rejection had nothing to do with content and mas-
sage. It was because the 7 books were not written in Hebrew. The problem was
language, not content.
*WHY CHRISTIANS RETAINED THE 7 BOOKS AFTER 90 AD: While the
Jews rejected these 7 books around 90 AD (which they had used for over two hun-
dred years), the early Christians kept the books for three main reasons.
1. Inspiration: The seven books were divinely inspired and authoritative for
faith and morals. What determines the authenticity and relevance of sacred writings is divine inspiration, not the language of writing. The Jews rejected
the seven books just because they were not written in Hebrew. However, the
early Christians understood that these books were inspired (breathed forth) by
God just as the other 39 that were written in the Hebrew language. Language
of expression does not affect the origin and source of the message.
2. Importance of the books: The second reason the Christians refused to follow
the Jews in rejecting the seven books was the importance of the books. These
books contained what God continued to do in the life of Israelites after their
return from Babylon until the time of Christ. Throwing them away would mean
losing all the information and history of God’s mighty works through which he
prepared his people for the messianic fulfilment in Christ.
3. Right Authority: The third reason the Christians did not accept the decision of
the Jews was that it was not the Jews who had the authority to decide the con-
tent of scriptures for Christians. It was the apostles/leaders of the Church who
had that authority.
Therefore, the Old Testament of the Christian Bible continued to contain all the 46
books. Therefore the Christian Bible always had 73 books - 46 OT and 27 NT. At
that time, the whole of Christianity existed as one church, namely, the Catholic
Church and all Christians were Catholics.
*PROTESTANT'S REJECTION OF THE 7 BOOKS
In 1517 AD, when Christianity had existed and kept the 46 Old Testament books of
the Bible for about one thousand five hundred and seventeen years, a Catholic
priest called Martin Luther broke away from the Church. He established his own
Church, called the Lutheran Church (named after Luther, the founder). Luther de-
cided that he would leave the Christian/ apostles’ canon/list of biblical books and
go back to the Jewish canon/list of biblical books. Thus, he removed the 7 deutero-
canonical books from the Christian Bible. Consequently, when his new Bible was
printed, it had only 66 books, the 39 Old Testament books which Jews accepted
and the 27 NT books of the Christians (73 - 7 = 66). Protestant churches, all the
churches that came out of Luther’s protest (called the Reformation), follow the
edited list of Luther and have the 66-book Bible.
*CATHOLIC PRESERVATION OF THE 7 BOOKS: Responding to Luther’s
rejection of the 7 books and editing of the Bible, the Catholic Church stated authoritatively (particularly at the Council of Trent, 1545-1563), that the early Christians
were not wrong in their decision to preserve the 7 books. The Church maintained
that the decision of one man (Luther) could not override the consensus of early
Christians which had stood for more than 1400 years at the time of Luther’s deci-
sion. Following the apostles and early Christians, therefore, the Catholic Church
has continued to preserve and hold the 7 books (written mainly in Greek) to be as
inspired and, consequently, authoritative for faith and morals as the other 39 gen-
erally accepted Old Testament books (written in Hebrew). Thus, the Old Testament
has 46 books and the New Testament has 27.
SYNTHESIS OF “G” & “H” ABOVE: From The Reformation on, we have had
the Christian/apostles’ Bible of 73 books (called the Catholic Bible) and the Martin
Luther edited Bible of 66 Books (called the Protestant Bible). Protestants, follow-
ing Luther, use the 66-book Bible while Catholics, following the apostles and pre-
serving the original list, continues to use the 73-canon Bible. Catholics did not
write the 7 books. They were written by Jews and used more than a hundred years
before Jesus and Christianity.
*WHICH ONE IS THE “CHRISTIAN” BIBLE?
We have one Christian Bible simply called “THE BIBLE.” However, the Bible has
two editions or canons, the Catholic edition and the Protestant edition of one Chris-
tian Bible. Both the 73-book edition of the Bible held by Catholics and the 66-book
one held by Protestants are Christian. The one called “Catholic Bible” is the Christ-
ian Bible having the seven deuterocanonical books while the on called “Protestant
Bible” is also the Christian Bible without the deuterocanonical books. It is true that
the Catholic edition is the one that has the complete list of biblical books approved
by the early Church. However, both editions are Christian. This is a humble and
ecumenical view. Out of biases and pride, Protestants and Catholics each call their
own the authentic Christian Bible and the other one not the Christian Bible. This
view is decisive. An honest and humble differentiation should be made.
*WHY THE 7 BOOKS ARE CALLED “DEUTEROCANONICAL” OR
“APOCRYPHAL”
Deuterocanonical: The Greek word for “second” is “deuteros,” and the word
“kanon” (canon in English) means “rule” “measurement” or “measuring stick.”
Therefore, the books are called “deuterocanonical,” meaning “of the second
canon.” The 39 nooks accepted by all are called the first canon (list) of the Old
Testament. Because the other 7 books are not accepted by all, they are considered
the second canon, that is, the second list, of the OT books of the Bible.
Apocryphal: The Jews call these 7 books “APOCRYPHAL BOOKS.” The Eng-
lish adjective - “apocryphal” is from the Greek word “apokryfa” which means “ob-
scure,” “hidden” or “not clear.” The Jews use this term for the 7 books because
they claim that their origin and authenticity are not clear. However, the Jewish rab-
bis who did the editing around 90 AD did not considered the 7 books to be hereti-
cal at all. They even recommended them for spiritual reading and nourishment but
not as the final authority for teaching faith and morals. The reason for the rejec-
tion was just that they were not written entirely in Hebrew, the language of the Is-
raelites.
*. IMPORTANCE OF THE 7 DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS: These
books tell us what God continued to do in the life of the Jews for the last years be-
fore Christ. From the time that Hebrew ceased to be the language of civilization
and education to the time of Christ, God continued to work in the life of the Jews,
preparing them for the fulfillment of his covenant in the coming of Christ. Without
these 7 books, we lose information about all that God did for the Jews for many
years before Christ and the New Testament writings. These books are indispens-
able to knowing the experience of the Jews and God’s work from the time that the
writing of biblical books in the Hebrew language stopped to the time of the early
Christian writings. Rejecting these books does a big harm to salvation and biblical
history and information.
—————————
By: Fr. Robert Agbo
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