The Catholic Canon
Q. Do Catholics have the same Bible as Protestants? If no, why?
A. No, Catholics have the same NT as Protestants, but add books from the Apocrypha (called Deuterocanon by Catholics), written during the 400 inter-testament “silent years”, to their OT. These include:
• Historical:
* Tobit
* Judith
* 7 more chapters in Esther (chapters 10-16)
* 1 Maccabees
* 2 Maccabees
• Wisdom
* Wisdom of Solomon
* Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus)
• Prophets
* Baruch
* 2 more chapters in Daniel (chapter 13 Susanna, chapter 14 Bel and the Dragon), plus 2 more verses in chapter 3, prayers of the three children v 23-24)
Several books are also included in the Appendix to the Latin Vulgate, formerly the official Bible version of the Roman Catholic Church:
• 3 Esdras (They called Ezra 1 Esdras, and Nehemiah 2 Esdras)
• 4 Esdras
• Prayer of Manasseh
Catholics accept the additional 7 books and chapters as part of Scripture (the canon) based on the recognition of the Catholic church, which holds tradition as authoritative. This single difference in the basis of authority allowed many unbiblical teachings into the Catholic Church. Protestants do not accept them as canonical because they believe they were not inspired by God, and were only the writings of men. They contain teachings inconsistent with the rest of Scripture, and our Lord and the apostles never quoted from them. The tests of canonicity are given in the chart and a detailed discussion is beyond the scope of this blog.
Tests of Canonicity
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