Catholic and Protestant Bibles: What is the Difference?

Catholic Exchange.com ^ | 02-06-07 | Mary Harwell Sayler

[Salvation]

Mary Harwell Sayler	Other Articles by Mary Harwell Sayler Printer Friendly Version
Catholic and Protestant Bibles: What is the Difference?

---

March 6, 2007

Question: What's the difference between a Catholic Bible and a Protestant one? Is our Old Testament the same as a Jewish Bible? If not, why?

Answer: The most noticeable differences occur in the number of books included and the order in which they have been arranged. Both the Jewish Bible and the Hebrew canon in a Protestant Bible (aka Old Testament) contain 39 books, whereas a Catholic Bible contains 46 books in the Old Testament. In addition, the Greek Orthodox, or Eastern Orthodox, Church accepts a few more books as canonized scripture.

To give you a quick overview of a complicated subject, here's what happened: Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, Babylonian conquerors forced the Jews to leave Jerusalem. Away from their Temple and, often, from their priests, the exiled people forgot how to read, write, and speak Hebrew. After a while, Jewish scholars wanted to make the Bible accessible again, so they translated Hebrew scriptures into the Greek language commonly spoken. Books of wisdom and histories about the period were added, too, eventually becoming so well known that Jesus and the earliest Christian writers were familiar with them. Like the original Hebrew scriptures, the Greek texts, which were known as the Septuagint, were not in a codex or book form as we're accustomed to now but were handwritten on leather or parchment scrolls and rolled up for ease in storage.

Eventually, the Jewish exiles were allowed to return to Jerusalem where they renovated the Temple. Then, in A.D. 70, warring peoples almost completely destroyed the sacred structure, which has never been rebuilt. Without this central place of worship, the Jews began looking to the Bible as their focal point of faith, but to assure the purity of that faith, only Hebrew scriptures were allowed into the Jewish canon. By then, however, the earliest Christians spoke and read Greek, so they continued to use the Septuagint or Greek version of the Bible for many centuries. After the Reformation though, some Christians decided to accept translations into Latin then English only from the Hebrew texts that the Jewish Bible contained, so the seven additional books in the Greek translation became known as the Apocrypha, meaning "hidden." Since the books themselves were no secret, the word seemed ironic or, perhaps, prophetic because, in 1947, an Arab boy searching for a lost goat found, instead, the Dead Sea scrolls, hidden in a hillside cave.

Interestingly, the leather scrolls had been carefully wrapped in linen cloth, coated in pitch, and placed in airtight pottery jars about ten inches across and two feet high where, well-preserved, they remained for many centuries. Later, other caves in the same area yielded similar finds with hundreds of manuscripts no longer hidden. Indeed, the oldest copies of the Bible now known to exist are the Dead Sea scrolls of the Septuagint.

Because of this authentic find from antiquity, many publishers in the twentieth century added back the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, First and Second Maccabees, as well as additions to Esther and Daniel. So now, when an edition of the Bible says "with Apocrypha" on the cover, the extra books from the Septuagint will usually be placed between the Old and New Testaments or at the end of the Bible. Catholic Bibles already contained those books, however, so you'll find them interwoven with other Old Testament books of history and wisdom writings. 

For the New Testament, it's a different story — and short. All of the books were written in Greek or Aramaic from the start. Although some debate occurred about which Gospels or Epistles should be included, all Christians eventually accepted all of the same 27 books in the same order. So, as long as you choose an edition that does not add explanatory notes opposed to a Catholic perspective, any reputable translation of the New Testament is fine.

 

© Copyright 2007 Catholic Exchange

[pissant]

Yes, that's the ticket. Let's toss out thousands of brilliant minds of our ancestors and just interpret everything as we see fit.

[Chi-townChief]

We have more books.

[Quix]

Let's toss out thousands of brilliant minds of our ancestors and just interpret everything as we see fit.

= = =

I don't see a screamingly brazen non sequitir as remotely close to the reality I know.

We do not toss out anything demonstrably valid. We do toss out traditions of men--particularly the tendency to equate them with God's Word.

[Salvation]

Thanks for the comparisons.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

2 Thessalonians 15

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.


How do you decide which teachings passed by word of mouth are legitimate or not?

[Quix]

His Spirit within us bears witness with our Spirit as Scripture declares.

Perhaps you've read Alamo-Girl's list of . . . authorities, ranked . . . etc.

[Quix]

How are you so confident that Christ's proscription of

TRADITIONS OF MEN

does not apply to a list of things in the Roman edifice, maticsterical etc?

[ScubieNuc]

No problem. There are websites that do a more thorough breakdown. Like Here . I'm not necessarily a KJ only person, but I do think it's important for people to recognize the significant differences between the more modern versions (this also includes the New KJV) and the original KJV.

My own church has NIV Bibles in the pews, which I have a problem with, but I raise my concerns when necessary.

Sincerely

[pissant]

Who is "we"?

If it were not for the "traditions" of men, no one would have bothered to assemble, interpret, translate, promote, or testify to these gospels. It took intelligence, judgement, activism, wisdom, money, drive, faith, and discernment to do all of those things. The intelligence, judgement, activism, wisdom, money, drive, faith, and discernment did not end the day St. Paul died or when the Nicene Creed was penned.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Paul is very clear that his teachings do not merely entail his letters, but also verbal lessons to people like Timothy. While I believe that the core of Christian belief is detailed in what has been canonized as the New Testament, I have no problem with other traditions being followed as long as they do not interfere with that core doctrine.

Basically, I believe that if you follow the Nicene Creed and believe nothing that contradicts that Creed, you are a Christian as far as a human can determine. Anything that is extraneous is fluff and not worth condemning people over.

I believe that calling your brothers "fools" is something that Jesus warned against.

[Sloth]

The Apocrypha makes clear the dishonesty of those Catholics who insist that "we gave you (sola scriptura Protestants) the Bible". Clearly, if the canons differ by omission of entire books, then Protestants are using some non-Catholic source of authority to determine which books are legitimate.

[Blogger]

imho, of course
Of course. Quix, are you okay? You seem to be holding back :)

[Jaded]

It doesn't say half-siblings.

[Jaded]

Luther wanted to scrap Revelations and James. Go figure.

[Jaded]

We see the truth just fine, thank you.

[nanetteclaret]

Having been both Presbyterian and Episcopalian, the Episcopal church is the only one that uses the Apocrypha. They very clearly delineate it and it is placed at the end of the Old Testament. I didn't even know what the "Apocrypha" was when I was a Presbyterian!

By the way, here is something interesting I ran across the other day:

Genesis 2:8
"And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed." KJV
"And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed." Douay-Rheims

"Garden in Eden" = "Paradise of Pleasure." I think I like "Paradise of Pleasure" better. It really describes what the Garden was.

[Alamo-Girl]

But how do you really feel? LOL!

Thank you for sharing your testimony!

On the subject of the thread, the most troubling difference I see between the Catholic/Orthodox and Protestant Bibles is with reference to the specially announced Name of God in the Song of Moses, i.e. the Rock. The Masoretic text retains the Name, the Septuagint washes over it and the Vulgate omits it.

Here is the research thread: Religion Forum Research Project: God is the Rock

[BelegStrongbow]

We read from the KJV per direction from our bishops. I generally read from the ESV and the New Jerusalem in addition. I have not found the NAB to be as useful as the others and have generally discarded all other versions.

I am Anglican, btw.

[wmfights]

Thanks for the link.

From what I've been able to figure out the differences really boil down to whether your OT is based on the commissioned copy known as the Septuagint, or the Hebrew Canon which had the vowels and accents added by the Masorites. The Septuagint included the books that even St. Athansius said were not inspired. The Hebrew Canon did not include those books and never has.

[markomalley]

Here is a page that documents the acceptance of many of the "disputed" books in the NT.

Bible Research > Canon > Disputed NT Books

---

Disputed Books of the New Testament

The table below shows which of the disputed New Testament books and other writings are included in catalogs of canonical books up to the eighth century. Y indicates that the book is plainly listed as Holy Scripture; N indicates that the author lists it in a class of disputed books; M indicates that the list may be construed to include the book as Holy Scripture; X indicates that the book is expressly rejected by the author. An S indicates that the author does not mention the book at all, which implies its rejection. See notes on the authorities and books following.

KEY TO BOOKS

Heb. - Epistle to the Hebrews
Jas. - Epistle of James
Jn. - Second and Third Epistle of John
Pet. - Second Epistle of Peter
Jude - Epistle of Jude
Rev. - Revelation of John
Shep. - Shepherd of Hermas
Apoc. - Apocalypse of Peter
Barn. - Epistle of Barnabas
Clem. - Epistle of Clement

1. Greek & Latin	Date	Heb.	Jas.	Jn.	Pet.	Jude	Rev.	Shep.	Apoc.	Barn.	Clem.
Muratorian Fragment	170	S	S	M	S	Y	Y	X	N	S	S
Origen	225	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	S	S	S	S
Eusebius of Caesarea	324	Y	N	N	N	N	N	X	X	X	S
Cyril of Jerusalem	348	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S	S
Cheltenham list	360	S	S	Y	Y	S	Y	S	S	S	S
Council of Laodicea	363	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S	S
Athanasius	367	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	X	S	S	S
Gregory of Nazianzus	380	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S	S
Amphilocius of Iconium	380	Y	N	N	N	N	N	S	S	S	S
Rufinus	380	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	X	S	S	S
Epiphanius	385	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S
Jerome	390	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S
Augustine	397	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S
3rd Council of Carthage	397	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S
Codex Claromontanus	400	M	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S
Letter of Innocent I	405	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	X	S	S
Decree of Gelasius	550	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	X	S	S	S
Isadore of Seville	625	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S
John of Damascus	730	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S
2. Syrian	Date	Heb.	Jas.	Jn.	Pet.	Jude	Rev.	Shep.	Apoc.	Barn.	Clem.
Apostolic Canons	380	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	S	S	S	S	Y
Peshitta Version	400	Y	Y	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
Report of Junilius	550	Y	N	N	N	N	N	S	S	S	S

NOTES

The most satisfactory treatment in English of the Church's New Testament canon is Bruce Metzger's The Canon of the New Testament: its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987). Still useful is the earlier study by B.F. Westcott, A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament (London: MacMillan, 1855; 6th edition 1889; reprinted, Grand Rapids, 1980). For a popular conservative survey see Norman Geisler and William Nix, General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986).

Muratorian Fragment. The oldest known list of New Testament books, discovered by Muratori in a seventh century manuscript. The list itself is dated to about 170 because its author refers to the episcopate of Pius I of Rome (died 157) as recent. He mentions only two epistles of John, without describing them. The Apocalypse of Peter is mentioned as a book which "some of us will not allow to be read in church." See English text.

Origen. An influential teacher in Alexandria, the chief city of Egypt. His canon is known from the compilation made by Eusebius for his Church History (see below). He accepted Hebrews as Scripture while entertaining doubts about its author. See English text.

Eusebius of Caesarea. An early historian of the Church. His list was included in his Church History. He ascribed Hebrews to Paul. See English text.

Cyril of Jerusalem. Bishop of Jerusalem. The omission of Revelation from his list is due to a general reaction against this book in the east after excessive use was made of it by the Montanist cults. See English text.

Cheltenham list. A catalog of uncertain date contained in a tenth-century Latin manuscript of miscellaneous content, probably from Africa. See English text.

Council of Laodicea. The authenticity of this list of canonical books has been doubted by many scholars because it is absent from various manuscripts containing the decrees of the regional (Galatian) Council. The list may have been added later. On the omission of Revelation see Cyril of Jerusalem above. See English text.

Athanasius. Bishop of Alexandria. His list was published as part of his Easter Letter in 367. After the list he declares, "these are the wells of salvation, so that he who thirsts may be satisfied with the sayings in these. Let no one add to these. Let nothing be taken away." See English text.

Gregory of Nazianzus. Bishop of Constantinople from 378 to 382. On the omission of Revelation see Cyril of Jerusalem above. See English text.

Amphilocius of Iconium. Bishop of Iconium in Galatia. See English text.

Rufinus. An elder in the church in Aquileia (northeast Italy), and a friend of Jerome. The Latin text is given in Westcott, appendix D. See English text.

Epiphanius. Bishop of Salamis (isle of Cyprus) from 367 to 402. The Greek text is given in Westcott, appendix D. See English text.

Jerome. Born near Aquileia, lived in Rome for a time, and spent most of his later life as a monk in Syria and Palestine. He was the most learned churchman of his time, and was commissioned by the bishop of Rome to produce an authoritative Latin version (the Vulgate). The Latin text is given in Westcott, appendix D. See English text.

Augustine. Bishop of Hippo (in the Roman colony on the northern coast of western Africa). The Latin text is given in Westcott, appendix D. See English text.

Third Council of Carthage. Not a general council but a regional council of African bishops, much under the influence of Augustine. See English text.

Codex Claromontanus. A stichometric catalog from the third century is inserted between Philemon and Hebrews in this sixth century Greek-Latin manuscript of the epistles of Paul. The list does not have Hebrews, but neither does it have Philippians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and so many scholars have supposed that these four books dropped out by an error of transcription, the scribe's eye jumping from the end of the word ephesious (Ephesians) to the end of ebraious (Hebrews). Besides the books indicated on the table the list includes the apocryphal Acts of Paul. See English text.

Letter of Innocent I. A letter from the bishop of Rome to the bishop of Toulouse. The Latin text is given in Westcott, appendix D. See English text.

Decree of Gelasius. Traditionally ascribed to Gelasius, bishop of Rome from 492 to 496, and thought to be promulgated by him as president of a council of 70 bishops in Rome, but now regarded by most scholars as spurious, and probably composed by an Italian churchman in the sixth century. The Latin text is given in Westcott, appendix D. See English text.

Isadore of Seville. Archbishop of Seville (Spain), and founder of a school in that city. His list appears in an encyclopedia he compiled for his students. The Latin text is given in Westcott, appendix D.

John of Damascus. An eminent theologian of the Eastern Church, born in Damascus, but a monk in Jerusalem for most of his life. His list is derived from the writings of Epiphanius. The Greek text is given in Westcott, appendix D. See English text.

Apostolic Canons. One of many additions made by the final editor of an ancient Syrian book of church order called The Apostolic Constitutions. The whole document purports to be from the apostles, but this imposture is not taken seriously by any scholar today. Nevertheless, the work is useful as evidence for the opinions of a part of the Syrian churches towards the end of the fourth century. The list of canonical books was probably added about the year 380. On the omission of Revelation see Cyril of Jerusalem above. See English text.

Peshitta Version. The old Syriac version did not include the four disputed books indicated on the table. These were not generally received as Scripture in the Syrian churches until the ninth century.

Report of Junilius. An African bishop of the sixth century. After visiting the Syrian churches he wrote a work describing their practices, in which his list is given. See Latin text in Westcott, appendix D.

Sub-Apostolic Literature

For a brief survey of works of this class and their place in the early Church, see Metzger, ch. 7

The Shepherd of Hermas. A autobiographical tale about a certain Hermas who is visited by an angelic Pastor (Shepherd), who imparts some legalistic teaching to him in the form of an allegory. Written probably in Rome around A.D. 100.

The Apocalypse of Peter. This work expands upon the Olivet discourse (Mat. 24-25) with descriptions of the last judgment and vivid scenes of heaven and hell. Written about A.D. 130.

The Epistle of Barnabas. A legalistic but anti-Jewish discourse on Christian life falsely ascribed to Barnabas, the missionary companion of Paul. Written probably about A.D. 120 in Italy.

The Epistle of Clement. A letter written about A.D. 100 to the church in Corinth from the church in Rome, and traditionally ascribed to Clement of Rome. The author has heard that the disorderly Corinthians have now ousted their elders, and in this letter he urges them to repent of the action.

---

Bible Research > Canon > Disputed NT Books