Why are there books in the Catholic Bible that aren't in the other Bibles?

Question

If you go to a Christian book store, you can either buy a cool Bible geared to your needs, a standard NIV or KJV, or a Catholic Bible (I've never seen any of these in a unique format, not to say they don't exist, I just can't find them). Why are there so many extra books in the Catholic Bible? When were they removed from the other Bible? Has anyone read them, and can you give me a good summary?

I thought the Council of Niccea decided what went into the Catholic Bible?! Now I'm REALLY confused... I know King James wanted to divorce his wife, but was he the first to exclude the other books?

The Books I'm referring to are as follows:
Tobit
Judith
Maccabees (books 1 & 2)
Wisdom
Sirach
Baruch
Pull out a Catholic Bible and you will find these, no other Bible has them, WHY?

Answer 1

The New Testament canon of the Catholic Bible and the Protestant Bible are the same.

The difference in the Old Testaments actually goes back to the time before and during Christ’s life. At this time, there was no official Jewish canon of scripture.

The Jews in Egypt translated their choices of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek in the second century before Christ. This translation, called the Septuagint, had wide use in the Roman world because most Jews lived far from Palestine in Greek cities. Many of these Jews spoke only Greek.

The early Christian Church was born into this world. The Church, with its bilingual Jews and more and more Greek-speaking Gentiles, used the books of the Septuagint as its Bible. Remember the early Christians were just writing the documents what would become the New Testament.

After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, with increasing persecution from the Romans and competition from the fledgling Christian Church, the Jewish leaders came together and declared its official canon of Scripture, eliminating seven books from the Septuagint.

The Christian Church did not follow suit but kept all the books in the Septuagint.

1500 years later, Protestants decided to change its Old Testament from the Catholic canon to the Jewish canon.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

dukalink 6000 has a good answer. Mainly a matter of choice as to who Believe which books were important. Some of the Extras are referred to as the "Books of the Apocrypha" Some Christian Book Stores sell just this collection. You can probably find them for free on the Inet. I can not remember them all, have a small book of these writings. I enjoyed "Bel and the Dragon" "Maccabees" and a few others, never actually read them all. NOW, a little Trivia for you and DO NOT get all confused, but it is interesting! Acts 20:35; Jesus is quoted as saying "It is more blessed to give than to receive" this from the NIV version, yours may read a little different. Can Anyone find where Jesus said this in a Regular (I will say) Bible???? It from the Book of " 1 Clement 46:7 ". ;-)
Do not let Differences confuse you, read John 5:39-40 Jesus sums it all up here, it not matter if you read these books or not. Just Believe what Jesus says here in John. IF, you want to open your mind to the Understanding of the Bible and the Things of God; Read James Chapter 1 and do what it tells you and God will show you much more than what in ANY of these Books, just use the Bible as a source of not being Deceived by others.

Answer 3

"dukalink6000" is incorrect.

The books you speak of are 1st & 2nd Edras, Tobit, Judith, Additions to Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, Song of the Three Holy Children, susanna, Bel and the Dragon, the Prayer of Manasseh and 1 & 2 Maccabees, right?

They are called the Apocrypha, meaning hidden or secret. They were written in the period between the Old and New Testament. The Jews of the Dispersion period had high regard for them, but were rejected from the Hebrew canon by the Jews of Palestine. This was looooong before the Council of Nicea.

The Roman Catholic Church, at the Council of Trent in 1546 AD declared 11 of these books to be canonical, and included them back into the Scriptures. But Protestant religions rejected them over the years for a variety of reasons.

That's why there's a difference between the Catholic and Protestant Bibles.

Answer 4

You all crack me up. Is it any wonder why there is so much confusion over religon? Anyway, the short answer is that Apocraphal writings are books that the Catholic church could not verify as authentic so they placed them in a seperate section. So you can read them but take them with a grain of salt as to their actual authenticity.

Outside the Catholic library, there are religous works that float around known as the psedopygrapha. These are stories that are almost assuredly fiction but they teach good principles (most of the time) so people use them for reference.

So if you want to read it, great. If not, no one is going to lose thier soul over it. I liked the book of the Maccabees because I am a history buff but personally I would just work on building a personal relationship with the Lord through prayer, pondering and reading verifiable scripture.

Answer 5

area of the myth that Catholics are no longer Christians is that we positioned no magnitude on the Bible. Myths are contradictory or have extra suitable than one form, some say that we are forbidden to examine it. with the aid of fact the explanation in the back of many of the twentieth century innovations in (American) Christianity are Bible based and because Catholics of course, by ability of remark or rumor, reject them, it particularly is concluded we forget with regard to the Bible. the certainty is that we examine the Bible in an fairly conservative way and don't discover "new issues" in it that have been skipped over (or interpreted extra benignly) interior the previous. We carry that no person passage trumps the the remainder of scripture or divine revelation. a lot of human beings don't be responsive to that meat comes from animals and fruit from trees. don't be surprisedd the are unfamiliar with the history of Christianity and the Bible. The literal meaning of the textual content is the muse for all meaning interior the Bible. factors of the Bible are fiction, delusion, and delusion. it is not a technology textbook. it particularly is inerrant with appreciate to concerns of religion and morals. An irresponsible expertise scripture is without advantage or effect no remember how fervent the guy who holds it.

Answer 6

Top answer closest to correct.
The council had to determine what was biblical and what was devient. The themes in the bible interrelate/ link, in thought or intent. Or tend to agree with each other.
Those books that failed the test were gathered together and removed, but you can still by them at bookstores. Just remember they are not the inspired word of God. They are the conceptions of men.
As to the additional books in the Catholic bible, yes, I have one, they do not follow the themes, and the verse numbering is also differant.
According to Tv as of recent, the Catholic church's membership is falling away drastically, all over the world.
In Revelation, God said it was FALSE religon and he is destroying False religon.

Answer 7

I agree with you Truthinus1.

Sunpeakes lives in a blinkered world full of hate of other religions and zero tolerance unless you walk the JW walk.

The Catholic Bible is prepared from the study of scripture by scholars from the beginning of Christianity. It is the word as the saying goes. I am sure a good Christian bookshop wbe able to get what you need.

Answer 8

To Sunpekes,

You know I belong to a large Catholic family. But I understand that we don't discriminate people and tell them that they follow a false religion. But as I grew up, I was able to learn about the Watchtower because one of my aunts married a Jehovah's witness and you know what they claim to know God more than the Catholics but I swear they are the most ignorant people I have ever met. I am not exaggerating and everytime I would meet my uncle in law's family members who are JW's they look at people like they are the only righteous ones. You say that your answer is closest to correct, so where is the correct one. No wonder why it has come from your very mouth that has sealed my doubts that you are a discriminating bunch of Christians boils that cause the pain to a lot of people by confessing your own truth and denying it from those who don't agree with you.

More power to the Tower of Power.

Answer 9

The books you are talking about are called the Apocrypha. They were taken out of the bible because they were not seen as important and another book was made out of them , called the Apocrypha. These books were BELL AND THE DRAGON, THE SONGS OF THE CHILDREN, MARY (one page) and bits and pieces of the New Testament .The Apocoliptic book of Ezekiel is to be taken out of the bibble soon, as it is already been ignored by the Vatican and Catholic teachings no longer teach the Apocolypse, regarding that book the rantings of a lunatic.-lol-t

Answer 10

The Catholic Church didn't add any books to the Bible - it was King James that deleted some books (as did Martin Luthor and a couple of other Protestant Reformers).

If you want a "Catholic" Bible you can read one online at http://www.usccb.org and click on Bible. You can also purchase one at any Catholic book store or online at http://www.catholic.com