Grace Thompson
The Catholic Bible has 73 books, while the Protestant Bible has 66. The difference in the number of books is due to the Protestant reformer Martin Luther, who removed seven books from the Bible in the 16th century. Luther argued that the Catholic Church had no right to decide matters of canonicity, and that the internal worth of a book was the chief factor in deciding if it should be kept or not. He also believed that the books he removed celebrated Judaism and wanted to challenge the authority of the Catholic Church. The seven books removed by Luther are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and I & II Maccabees. These books are considered deuterocanonical, meaning they are canonical according to the Catholic Church but not the Hebrew canon.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of books removed | 7 whole books and parts of 3 others |
| Reason for removal | They didn't fit Martin Luther's idea of "what God really wanted" |
| Who removed them | Martin Luther |
| When were they removed | 16th century |
| Books removed | Hebrews, James, Jude, and the Book of Revelation |
| Other books considered non-canonical by Luther | Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch |
| Books considered canonical by the Catholic Church | 46 books for the Old Testament, 27 for the New Testament |
| Council that decided the books to be included in the Bible | Council of Rome, reaffirmed by regional councils of Hippo, Carthage, and the Council of Florence |
| Final decision on the books to be included | Council of Trent, 1546 |
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What You'll Learn
Martin Luther's removal of books
Martin Luther, the first Protestant reformer, removed or attempted to remove several books from the Bible, arguing that the Catholic Church had no right to decide matters of canonicity. Luther's German translation of the Bible was missing 25 books, including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Esther, Job, Ecclesiastes, Jonah, Judith, and Matthew. He also relegated four New Testament books to an appendix, denying their divine inspiration.
Luther's alterations to the Old Testament were adopted by the Protestant movement, resulting in the removal of seven deuterocanonical books from the Old Testament canon. Luther's decision was influenced by the belief that the Jews, as stewards of the oracles of God, did not include certain books in their Bibles. However, this argument has been criticized as not all Jews followed the same intellectual traditions within Judaism.
Some have argued that Luther's removal of books was an attempt to justify his own beliefs and challenge the authority of the Catholic Church. Luther's actions sparked the Reformation and pointed out flaws in the Catholic Church, but it's important to recognize that he was a flawed human and his ideas should not be treated as infallible.
The debate over the inclusion of certain books in the Bible is not new and has been the subject of intense debate within the Church since the time of Jesus. The early Christians and the Jewish people of Jesus' time did not consider some books as Scripture, and there were individuals within the Church who questioned the inclusion of the deuterocanonicals.
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The Council of Nicaea
While the Council of Nicaea did not produce a list of specific books that were deemed canonical, it set in motion a process of codification. Early Christians used certain traits or standards to evaluate which books were considered inspired by God and thus worthy of inclusion in the Bible. This process was ongoing, with various councils and scholars contributing to the final canonization of the Bible.
One important figure in this process was Martin Luther, who, in the 16th century, proposed removing several books from the New Testament, including Hebrews, James, Jude, and the Book of Revelation. Luther argued that these books lacked the authority of the Gospels and that the Catholic Church had no right to decide matters of canonicity. He held that the internal worth of a book should be the primary factor in determining its inclusion. Luther's actions were motivated by a desire to "'de-Judaize' the Bible and remove references that contradicted his vision of Christianity.
The Catholic Church, on the other hand, argued that it was their role to discern and determine which books were inspired enough to be included in the Bible. They reaffirmed the canonization process through various councils, such as the Council of Rome in 382 AD, the Council of Hippo in 393 AD, the Council of Carthage in 397 AD, the Council of Florence in 1442 AD, and the Council of Trent in 1546 AD.
The debate over the inclusion or exclusion of certain books in the Bible continues to be a point of contention between Catholic and Protestant traditions, with Protestants following Luther's shortened canon and Catholics upholding the longer canon.
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The New Testament canon
Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, is known for his attempt to remove or alter certain books from the Bible. He is reported to have removed seven books from the Old Testament canon and relegated four New Testament books to an appendix, denying their divine inspiration. Luther's alterations to the New Testament were not adopted by the Protestant movements. However, his changes to the Old Testament were accepted, and by the end of the Reformation, Protestantism had removed seven deuterocanonical books from the Old Testament.
The deuterocanonical books are those considered canonical by the Catholic Church but with "secondary" recognition. The term was coined by Sixtus of Siena, a theologian who converted to Catholicism from Judaism. These books are considered part of the Old Testament canon by the Catholic Church but are not included in the Hebrew canon.
The Catholic Church considers the Council of Rome in 382 AD under Pope Damasus I to have defined the complete canon of the Bible, including 46 books for the Old Testament and 27 books for the New Testament. The Council of Trent in 1546 elevated this canon to dogma.
It is important to note that the Protestant Bible consists of 66 books, with 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. This differs from the Catholic Bible, which originally settled on 73 books in the 4th century. The additional books in the Catholic Bible, such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, and Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), are considered part of the Apocrypha by Protestants.
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The Hebrew Bible
Different branches of Judaism and Samaritanism have maintained different versions of the canon. For instance, the Hellenized Greek-speaking Jews of Alexandria produced a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible called "the Septuagint", which included books later identified as the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha consists of 14 books that were ultimately excluded from the biblical canon. The Greek word "apocrypha" means "hidden", and it came to mean "books outside the biblical canon" during the Protestant Reformation. The Septuagint was considered the authoritative scriptural canon by early Christians and was used extensively in the Near East by rabbis.
The Deuterocanonical books (or "Deuterocanon"), are certain books and passages considered canonical by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Church of the East. These books are included in the Septuagint and were considered part of the Old Testament by early Christians. They are not included in certain versions of the Hebrew Bible, though they were included in early Protestant Bibles. Martin Luther, who only accepted books written in Hebrew, removed them when he translated the Bible into German, following the newer Palestinian canon.
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The Septuagint
The name Septuagint comes from the Latin phrase "Vetus Testamentum ex versione Septuaginta Interpretum" ("The Old Testament from the version of the Seventy Translators"). This phrase is derived from the Koine Greek term Ἡ μετάφρασις τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα ("The Translation of the Seventy"), which refers to the seventy-two Hebrew translators who translated the Hebrew Bible into Koine Greek. Six scholars from each of the twelve tribes of Israel were chosen to perform the translation, which was completed in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, likely in the early or middle part of the 3rd century BC.
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Frequently asked questions
Martin Luther removed seven books from the Bible: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Sirach, Wisdom, and Baruch. He also removed parts of three other books: Hebrews, James, and Jude.
Martin Luther removed these books because he believed they lacked the authority of the Gospels and did not align with his vision of Christianity. He also believed that the Catholic Church had no right to decide matters of canonicity.
No, the Catholic Church did not add books to the Bible. The 73-book scriptural canon was promulgated by the Council of Rome in 382 and reaffirmed by several regional councils before being defined by the Council of Trent in 1546.
