Why do Catholic Bibles contain seven more Old Testament books than Protestant Bibles?
Catholic Bibles contain 73 books (46 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament), whereas Protestant Bibles omit 7 Old Testament books (Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch, plus portions of Daniel and Esther). These are called the 'Deuterocanonical' books. The early Christians and Apostles used the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), which contained these books. While 16th-century Protestant reformers dropped them following a later rabbinic canon, the Catholic Church definitively confirmed the historic 73-book canon at the Council of Trent.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 120
- 2 Maccabees 12:43-46
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.