Lectionary Statistics - How much of the Bible is included in the Lectionary for Mass? (Popquiz!)

catholic-resources.org ^ | Updated on January 2, 2009 | Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

[GonzoII]

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC LECTIONARY WEBSITE
by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

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Lectionary Statistics

How much of the Bible is included in the Lectionary for Mass?
Not as much as you might think, yet far more than was included in the Roman Missal before the Second Vatican Council!

The bishops assembled at Vatican II declared, "The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly so that a richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God's word. In this way the more significant part of the Sacred Scriptures will be read to the people over a fixed number of years" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, #51). As the following tables show, the current Lectionary for Mass does indeed offer a "richer fare" of biblical readings during the Eucharistic liturgy than was available before Vatican II. However, since many parts of the Bible (esp. the Old Testament) are still not included in the Lectionary, one must go beyond the readings used at Mass to cover the entire Bible.

The following tables compare the current edition of the Lectionary for Mass (1981 Latin, 1998/2002 USA editions)
with the pre-Vatican II Missale Romanum (substantially unchanged between 1570 and 1969, with a few modifications in 1951)
and the complete New American Bible (see the bottom of this page for a key to the column headings).

Readings from the Old Testament:

Before Vatican II, each Catholic Mass included only two biblical readings, which were normally referred to as "The Epistle" (since the first reading was almost always taken from one of the New Testament letters) and "The Gospel." Readings from the Old Testament were never used on Sundays, but only at the Easter Vigil, the Vigil of Pentecost, the feast of Epiphany and its octave, during Holy Week, and on some weekdays (esp. Ember days, weekdays of Lent, the feasts of some saints, and some votive Masses).

Since Vatican II, Masses on Sundays and major feast days include three biblical readings, the first of which is usually taken from the Old Testament (except during the Easter Season, when the first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles). The OT reading is normally very brief and thematically related to the Gospel reading of the day, so there is no detectable order or semi-continuous pattern from one Sunday to the next. Weekday Masses usually have only two readings, the first of which is taken from either the OT or the NT, according to a two-year weekday cycle.

OT	Name of Book	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Vigils & Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
		# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
1	Genesis	50	1533	100**	6.5 %	138	9.0 %	428	27.9 %
2	Exodus	40	1213	28	2.3 %	112	9.2 %	208	17.1 %
3	Leviticus	27	859	0	0 %	9	1.0 %	42	4.9 %
4	Numbers	36	1289	0	0 %	11	0.9 %	81	6.3 %
5	Deuteronomy	34	959	9	0.9 %	52	5.4 %	106	11.1 %
6	Joshua	24	658	0	0 %	9	1.4 %	42	6.4 %
7	Judges	21	618	0	0 %	0	0 %	51	8.3 %
8	Ruth	4	85	0	0 %	0	0 %	21	24.7 %
9	1 Samuel	31	810	0	0 %	31	3.8 %	148	18.3 %
10	2 Samuel	24	695	0	0 %	19	2.7 %	110	15.8 %
11	1 Kings	22	817	0	0 %	37	4.5 %	166	20.3 %
12	2 Kings	25	719	0	0 %	14	1.9 %	100	13.9 %
13	1 Chronicles	29	943	0	0 %	0	0 %	0	0 %
14	2 Chronicles	36	821	0	0 %	8	1.0 %	17	2.1 %
15	Ezra	10	280	0	0 %	0	0 %	21	7.5 %
16	Nehemiah	13	405	0	0 %	8	2.0 %	19	4.7 %
17	Tobit	14	245	0	0 %	0	0 %	71	29.0 %
18	Judith	16	340	0	0 %	0	0 %	0	0 %
19	Esther	16	272	0	0 %	0	0 %	7	2.6 %
20	1 Maccabees	16	922	0	0 %	0	0 %	54	5.9 %
21	2 Maccabees	15	556	0	0 %	8	1.4 %	35	6.3 %
22*	Job	42	1068	0	0 %	11	1.0 %	87	8.1 %
24*	Proverbs	31	915	0	0 %	24	2.6 %	47	5.1 %
25	Ecclesiastes	12	222	0	0 %	4	1.8 %	34	15.3 %
26	Song of Solomon	8	117	0	0 %	0	0 %	7	6.0 %
27	Wisdom of Solomon	19	436	0	0 %	42	9.6 %	102	23.4 %
28	Sirach/Ecclesiasticus	51	1372	0	0 %	48	3.5 %	208	15.2 %
29	Isaiah	66	1291	24**	1.9 %	166	12.9 %	322	24.9 %
30	Jeremiah	52	1364	0	0 %	38	2.8 %	162	11.9 %
31	Lamentations	5	154	0	0 %	0	0 %	8	5.2 %
32	Baruch	6	213	30**	14.1 %	27	12.7 %	44	20.7 %
33	Ezekiel	48	1273	14**	1.1 %	48	3.8 %	180	14.1 %
34	Daniel	14	530	24**	4.5 %	5	0.9 %	178	33.6 %
35	Hosea	14	197	16	8.1 %	11	5.6 %	38	19.3 %
36	Joel	4	73	0	0 %	5	6.8 %	27	37.0 %
37	Amos	9	146	0	0 %	13	8.9 %	51	34.9 %
38	Obadiah	1	21	0	0 %	0	0 %	0	0 %
39	Jonah	4	48	10**	20.8 %	6	12.5 %	39	81.3 %
40	Micah	7	105	0	0 %	4	3.8 %	24	22.9 %
41	Nahum	3	47	0	0 %	0	0 %	8	17.0 %
42	Habakkuk	3	56	0	0 %	5	8.9 %	12	21.4 %
43	Zephaniah	3	53	0	0 %	8	15.1 %	13	24.5 %
44	Haggai	2	38	0	0 %	0	0 %	18	47.4 %
45	Zechariah	14	211	0	0 %	5	2.4 %	24	11.4 %
46	Malachi	3	55	0	0 %	6	10.9 %	18	32.7 %

* Note 1: The above table does not include the Psalms, since they are used so often in various ways during the Mass.
** Note 2: The 1951 revision of the Roman Missal reduced the number of OT readings at the Easter Vigil from twelve to four,
and omitted all six OT readings from the Pentecost Vigil, thereby further reducing the total amount of the OT read before Vatican II;
remaining were only 33 verses of Genesis, 28 of Exodus, 9 of Deuteronomy, 12 of Isaiah and 16 of Hosea. For details, see the Roman Missal page.

OT Summary:

OT Section	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Vigils & Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
	# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
Torah/Law	187	5853	137	2.3 %	322	5.5 %	865	14.8 %
Historical Books	316	9186	0	0 %	134	1.5 %	862	9.4 %
Wisdom Books (w/o Psalms)	163	4130	0	0 %	129	3.1 %	485	11.7 %
Four Major Prophets	191	4825	92	1.9 %	284	5.9 %	894	18.5 %
Twelve Minor Prophets	67	1050	26	2.5 %	63	6.0 %	272	25.9 %
OT Total (w/o Psalms)	924	25044	255	1.0 %	932	3.7 %	3378	13.5 %

Note 3: The 1951 revision of the pre-Vatican II Roman Missal (see note 2 above) reduced the total to only
98 verses or 0.39% of the Old Testament (aside from the Psalms) read at Vigils and major feast days.

Readings from the New Testament:

Before Vatican II, the same readings were used each year for the various Masses in the Roman Missal. The first reading was usually from one of Paul's Letters or the Catholic Epistles. The Gospel readings were most often taken from Matthew or John, less frequently from Luke, and only rarely from Mark.

Since Vatican II, much more of the New Testament is included in the Lectionary for Mass. The Acts of the Apostles is used as the first reading on the Sundays and weekdays during the Easter season. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are read semi-continuously on the Sundays of Ordinary Time on a three-year cycle, while passages from the Gospel of John are used mostly during the seasons of Lent and Easter and on several major feast days. Excerpts from all other NT books and letters are used as the second reading at Masses on Sundays and major feasts according to a three-year cycle, and/or weekday Masses on a two-year cycle. (Click on any of the previous underlined links for more details.)

NT	Name of Book	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
		# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
1	Matthew	28	1071	373	34.8 %	594	55.5 %	916	85.5 %
2	Mark	16	678	30	3.4 %	414	61.1 %	653	96.3 %
3	Luke	24	1151	188	16.3 %	650	56.5 %	1011	87.8 %
4	John	21	879	256	30.0 %	526	59.8 %	813	92.5 %
5	Acts	28	1007	35	3.5 %	165	16.4 %	492	48.9 %
6	Romans	16	433	69	15.9 %	117	27.0 %	228	52.7 %
7	1 Corinthians	16	437	75	17.2 %	162	37.1 %	244	55.8 %
8	2 Corinthians	13	256	40	15.6 %	48	18.8 %	123	48.0 %
9	Galatians	6	149	45	30.2 %	47	31.5 %	90	60.4 %
10	Ephesians	6	155	57	36.8 %	96	61.9 %	141	91.0 %
11	Philippians	4	104	25	24.0 %	47	45.2 %	73	70.2 %
12	Colossians	4	95	16	16.8 %	35	36.8 %	62	65.3 %
13	1 Thessalonians	5	89	16	18.0 %	39	43.8 %	69	77.5 %
14	2 Thessalonians	3	47	0	0.0 %	17	36.2 %	28	59.6 %
15	1 Timothy	6	113	0	0.0 %	20	17.7 %	51	45.1 %
16	2 Timothy	4	83	0	0.0 %	25	30.1 %	39	47.0 %
17	Titus	3	46	9	19.6 %	8	17.4 %	28	60.9 %
18	Philemon	1	25	0	0.0 %	8	32.0 %	19	76.0 %
19	Hebrews	13	303	17	5.6 %	84	27.7 %	188	62.0 %
20	James	5	108	11	10.2 %	31	28.7 %	99	91.7 %
21	1 Peter	5	105	33	31.4 %	36	34.3 %	57	54.3 %
22	2 Peter	3	61	0	0.0 %	7	11.5 %	15	24.6 %
23	1 John	5	105	13	12.4 %	33	31.4 %	95	100.0 %
24	2 John	1	13	0	0.0 %	0	0.0 %	6	46.2 %
25	3 John	1	15	0	0.0 %	0	0.0 %	4	26.7 %
26	Jude	1	25	0	0.0 %	0	0.0 %	6	24.0 %
27	Revelation	22	404	0	0.0 %	38	9.4 %	129	31.9 %

NT Summary:

NT Section	NAB		Pre-Vatican II Missal: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Major Feasts		Current Lectionary: Sundays & Weekdays
	# Chap.	# Vv. Total	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used	Vv. Used	% Used
Gospels (4)	89	3779	848	22.4 %	2184	57.8 %	3393	89.8 %
Acts	28	1007	35	3.5 %	165	16.4 %	492	48.9 %
Pauline Letters (7)	61	1493	270	18.1 %	468	31.3 %	846	56.7 %
Deutero-Paulines (6)	26	539	82	15.2 %	201	37.3 %	349	64.7 %
Hebrews	13	303	17	5.6 %	84	27.6 %	188	62.0 %
Catholic Epistles (7)	21	432	57	13.2 %	107	24.7 %	292	67.6 %
Book of Revelation	22	404	0	0 %	38	9.4 %	129	31.9 %
NT w/o Gospels	171	4178	461	11.0 %	1063	25.4 %	2296	54.9 %
NT Grand Total	260	7957	1309	16.5 %	3247	40.8 %	5689	71.5 %

Key to the Column Headings:

• NAB = New American Bible, used as the basis for chapter and verse numbers in the USA editions of the current Lectionary for Mass
  • # Chap. = total number of chapters in each biblical book (or section of the Bible), in the New American Bible translation
  • # Vv. Total = total number of verses in each biblical book (or section of the Bible), in the New American Bible translation
• Pre-Vatican II Missal = the Missale Romanum of Pope Pius V, nearly identical from 1570 to 1969, with a few changes introduced in 1951.
  • Vigils & Major Feasts = In the pre-Vatican II Missal, OT readings were only used at the Easter Vigil, Pentecost Vigil, Epiphany & its octave, and during Holy Week, but never on any Sundays.
• Current Lectionary = the Ordo Lectionum Missae (2nd Latin edition, 1981), equivalent to the Lectionary for Mass (2nd USA edition, 1998/2002)
  • Sundays & Major Feasts = readings contained in the first half of the Missale Romanum, or Vol. 1 of the current Lectionary for Mass, including all Sundays and Solemnities of the Lord, and a few other major Feasts (those which can replace an ordinary Sunday Mass).
  • Sundays & Weekdays = readings prescribed for all Sundays and weekdays during the various liturgical seasons (but not including the Propers or Commons of the Saints, Votive Masses, Ritual Masses, or Masses for Various Needs and Occasions).
• Vv. Used = number of verses from each biblical book or section used in the Roman Missal or the Lectionary for Mass, respectively.
• % Used = percentage of verses from each biblical book or section used in the Roman Missal or the Lectionary for Mass, respectively.

Main Lectionary Page	1998/2002 USA Edition	1992 Canadian Edition
Links to Other Websites	1970 USA Edition	Roman Missal (Pre-Vatican II)

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[dangus]

Yes, the term Deuterocanonicals is fairly modern. No, they weren’t called “apocrypha;” they were called “holy scripture.” The term “deuterocanonicals” was invented to describe the books slanderously, diabolically and deceitfully called, “apocrypha” by Martin Luther, without surrendering to his slander and deceit. Incidentally, the term also includes the Book of Revelations, which Luther declared that no loving God could ever have inspired, Hebrews which he called “an epistle of straw,” James, which he called a “diabolical invention,” 2 and 3 Peter, and 1 and 2 John.

Why on earth would you cite Whittaker as a source for Cardinal Catejan as a source for Jerome, when you can read Jerome’s own words?

Examine Catejan’s words again. Can you picture someone defending the orthodoxy of the Catholic faith counseling advising, “For the words as well of councils as of doctors are to be reduced to the correction of Jerome.”

As for your Sundberg article: It’s a fascination mix of admissions (the centrality of the Septuagint to early Christianity) and falsehoods (the absence of the deuterocanonicals from the Qumran.) His description of the contents of the Qumran read like what he’d wish the Qumran included. Five of the Seven dueterocanonicals are in the Qumran scripture. The book of Esther is entirely absent. (So much for the notion that the canon closed before the dueterocanonicals were recorded.) Also, the Book of Daniel, as it appears in the Qumran in fact does include the passages, “Bel and the Dragon” and “Susanna.” It does NOT however, include the last chapter, suggesting the compilation of Daniel’s stories was still a work in progress. (Some have read my assertion as denying the prophetic origin of Daniel, which is ridiculous, since the book is not told in the first-person voice.)

[GonzoII]

"It's an integral part of the Mass, which is the most important aspect of our faith.

Preach it from the mountain tops!!

[GonzoII]

"That old "Catholics don't read the Bible" just won't hunt. "

We still get a lot of Scripture at Mass. And how much we read at home isn't indicated. I still think the statement is holds true.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Thank you for your post, Alex. Not only was it informative, but it was pretty darn hilarious. No wonder so many RCs are so confused about God and faith and worship. They are the blind following the blind.

12.7% biblical literacy translates to 87.3% biblical illiteracy.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Bump to post 80 and a correct understanding of the article. RCs have nothing to be proud of here.

[D-fendr]

Can one bound by time control time?

[D-fendr]

I think the difference is that Mass scripture reading is part of the greater, a supplement to, and the Mass itself is scripture. Also, the homily on the scripture is not the Mass.

When I attended Protestant churches, the homily, sermon, is the crux of the service, and it is mostly Bible study, since they do not have Mass. They’re gathered to hear someone preach - about the Bible. It’s the sola scriptura thing again.

The majority of my scripture reading is outside Mass, often selected by what was included in the Mass. The value of scripture in Mass, to me, is providing the proper context and interpretation - a guide for my reading outside Mass.

[Forest Keeper]

By doing "nothing to practice his faith except attending Sunday weekly Mass (and the few Holy Days), in two years' time (after which the reading cycle ends), a Mass-attending Catholic will hear 3.7% of the Old Testament (932 verses), ...

Excellent analysis, Alex. So per year then, the faithful Catholic attender will hear less than 2% of the scriptures that Christ taught from. Amazing.

[Gamecock]

That is, without a doubt, one of the best posts I have ever read on FR.

(Can I put it on my homepage?)

[Gamecock]

...the Magisterium, without which the concept of heresy becomes meaningless.

You are correct. The magesterium is a great model of what heresy looks like.

[HarleyD]

I would also add that while Catholics are free to read the scriptures, they are not free to interpret the scriptures. It wouldn't make any difference if a Catholic read the Bible once a month, they are not allowed to draw any conclusion except the conclusion the Church tells them.

Kind of makes one wonder what "free will" is all about. ;O)

[Campion]

Or is there some mystical significance to the jumbled order and selective readings?

It's not "mystical" significance, but there is significance.

For example, the Sunday readings work through one of the synoptic gospels each year in the three-year cycle, with readings from John interspersed.

The gospel readings basically tell the story of Christ's life from before the beginning to after the end, but there are a couple of parallel "timelines". One starts with the first Sunday of Advent and ends after Easter; the other starts after the Christmas season and continues until Advent.

The first one points to the resurrection of Christ; the second points to the resurrection of all men at the last day.

Each week, the OT reading is the prophetic foreshadowing of the Gospel reading. This is true except during the Easter season, when the first reading tells the story of the infant church from Acts.

Trust me, the selections are "jumbled" and were carefully thought out over years by solid Scripture scholars.

[Campion]

Did the Jews accept 2 Maccabees as scripture?

The Jews rejected 2 Macc after the crucifixion. I don't think their rejection should have any authority for Christians. The Christian church accepted 2 Macc with no, or almost no, disagreement from AD 400 to Luther's day.

[Campion]

You're confused. All the readings for Sundays and Solemnities are on a three-year cycle.

And I guarantee that whatever Scripture Catholics hear is more than the congregants of most Baptist or similar churches hear at church. There are Baptist preachers (I've heard them) who preach from Romans, then Galatians, then Romans again. Wow, that's really something to be proud of.

And don't forget, "the Gospels don't apply to us in the church age". Ever heard that? I have.

Now, does listening at Mass replacing personal Bible study? No, and Rome says it doesn't, and has said so repeatedly.

[Gamecock]

***Kind of makes one wonder what “free will” is all about***

I just spewed Diet Mountain Dew all over my monitor.

[Campion]

It wouldn't make any difference if a Catholic read the Bible once a month, they are not allowed to draw any conclusion except the conclusion the Church tells them.

False, not to mention silly.

What they aren't allowed to do is draw conclusions that contradict the teachings of the church. Big difference between "you can't draw any conclusions" and "you can't draw conclusions that contradict the following teachings Catholics are required to believe".

(Mind you, if they draw conclusions which contradict dogma, they're simply not reading the Scriptures correctly, or not understanding the dogma, or both.)

[Campion]

Erratum:

Should have been: Trust me, the selections are not "jumbled"

[Judith Anne]

The fact that Catholics state which portions of the Bible will be read at mass, and read them on a schedule, enables protestants to state: “Catholics only read 12% of the Bible, excluding Psalms, and that’s pathetic.” The statistic, of course, does not include any private readings that individual Catholics may do on their own.

Protestants, with a couple of exceptions, do not have any set schedule of readings, so how does anyone know how much of the Bible they read? I am positive that there are extremely few pastors who assign one book of the Bible per week to be read by their congregation, and who then preach a sermon on that book. Even so, a full year would not get through the Bible. And they certainly don’t read a full book per week aloud to their congregations.

Protestants, on the other hand, concentrate on a very few books of the Bible, and preach them till their congregation THINKS it is getting the Bible, when in reality they are not. Instead, Protestants preach Bible stories, on the level of a 12 yo, for the main part.

Before I became Catholic, I attended Protestant churches each for half a year at least. I did not hear as much of the Bible in them, as I did in the Catholic church. Of course, I was interested in the Bible, and read it several times before making a decision. I still read it, in several versions.

Oh, and NO ONE told me what to believe, or if they tried, I ignored them. I guess you’d have to say I was led by the Holy Spirit, because that has always been my prayer before reading.

[Melian]

I am using the table. It says that Catholics who attend on Sundays and Holy Days hear 40.8% of the New Testament and 3.7% of the Old Testament.

I am not saying throw the other parts of the Bible out. I’m saying that the numbers would obviously change if we computed them without the chapters/books in the Old Testament about Jewish lineage, battles, and intricate Jewish ritual.

My point is that a nominal Catholic, who does nothing but attend Mass weekly, is hearing almost half of the New Testament. We read along in the missals. We study what was said in the homily at Mass. We are encouraged to read the Bible on our own. And, if we attend daily Mass and do nothing else, we hear two thirds. This is part of our mandatory participation in the Mass, which is critical to our faith.

I stand by my statement that the old saw “Catholics don’t read the Bible” is untrue and anyone who has told you that is pushing their own, questionable agenda.

[Alex Murphy]

And I guarantee that whatever Scripture Catholics hear is more than the congregants of most Baptist or similar churches hear at church.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not a Baptist then, isn't it?And you offer a guarantee? Where can my Baptist friends turn in their receipts?

Calvin's preaching was of one kind from beginning to end: he preached steadily through book after book of the Bible. He never wavered from this approach to preaching for almost twenty-five years of ministry in St. Peter's church of Geneva - with the exception of a few high festivals and special occasions. "On Sunday he took always the New Testament, except for a few Psalms on Sunday afternoons. During the week . . . it was always the Old Testament". The records show fewer than half a dozen exceptions for the sake of the Christian year. He almost entirely ignored Christmas and Easter in the selection of his text.

To give you some idea of the scope of the Calvin's pulpit, he began his series on the book of Acts on August 25, 1549, and ended it in March of 1554. After Acts he went on to the epistles to the Thessalonians (46 sermons), Corinthians (186 sermons), pastorals (86 sermons), Galatians (43 sermons), Ephesians (48 sermons) - till May 1558. Then there is a gap when he is ill. In the spring of 1559 he began the Harmony of the Gospels and was not finished when he died in May, 1564. During the week of that season he preached 159 sermons on Job, 200 on Deuteronomy, 353 on Isaiah, 123 on Genesis and so on.

One of the clearest illustrations that this was a self-conscious choice on Calvin's part was the fact that on Easter Day, 1538, after preaching, he left the pulpit of St. Peter's, banished by the City Council. He returned in September, 1541 - over three years later - and picked up the exposition in the next verse.

-- excerpted from John Piper's The Divine Majesty Of The Word

And don't forget, "the Gospels don't apply to us in the church age". Ever heard that? I have.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not a radical dispensationalist, either.

Now, does listening at Mass replacing personal Bible study? No, and Rome says it doesn't, and has said so repeatedly.

Yes, I'm well aware that "Rome" has advocated regular, private Bible study - since at least 2005, in fact. However, several of your fellow FRCatholics have posted to me recently that listening at Mass constitutes reading the entire Bible. IMO those conversations led to this very thread being posted.

BTW, several other FRCatholics are ignorant as to who this "Rome" you speak of is. You might need to take them aside and give them an education.