Did Catholics Add Books to the Bible?
"Did the Catholic Church add extra books to the Bible, or did Protestants remove books that were always there?"
The Short Answer
Catholics did not add books to the Bible. The seven Deuterocanonical books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 & 2 Maccabees) were part of the Septuagint used by Jesus and the apostles, accepted by early Church councils, and used by Christians for 1,500 years. Protestants removed them in the 16th century.
Quick Overview
Here's the simple question: Who had the Bible first - Catholics or Protestants? Catholics, obviously - Protestantism didn't exist until the 1500s. For over 1,100 years before Luther, Church councils had declared which books belonged in the Bible, and they always included Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 & 2 Maccabees. Luther and other Reformers took these books out. So the question isn't 'Did Catholics add books?' but 'Why did Protestants remove books that Christians had used for 1,500 years?'
Biblical Evidence
What the Scriptures say
"Women received their dead raised to life again. But others were racked, not accepting deliverance, that they might find a better resurrection."
Why This Matters
The 'better resurrection' through torture refers to 2 Maccabees 7, where a mother and her seven sons were tortured but refused deliverance, believing in resurrection. Hebrews alludes to a Deuterocanonical book.
"Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn... Let us condemn him to a most shameful death."
Why This Matters
This passage from Wisdom prophetically describes the persecution of the righteous one, remarkably paralleling Christ's passion. The New Testament echoes its themes.
What the Church Teaches
Official Catholic doctrine
The Church teaches that the canon of Scripture includes 73 books - 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament (CCC 120). The Deuterocanonical books were part of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament used by Jesus, the apostles, and the early Church. The Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397, 419) confirmed these books. The Council of Trent (1546) reaffirmed the same canon Christians had used for over 1,000 years. The Reformers removed these books in the 16th century, though Luther initially kept them in an appendix.
Common Objections
Questions answered
Early Church Fathers
What the first Christians believed
Council of Rome
382 AD
"Now the list of books of the Old Testament which the holy and Catholic Roman Church accepts: Genesis, Exodus... Tobit, Judith, one book of Esther, two books of Maccabees... Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus [Sirach]..."
— Decree of Pope Damasus
St. Augustine
c. 397 AD
"The whole canon of Scripture on which we say this judgment is to be exercised: Tobias, Judith, two books of Maccabees, two of Esdras, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus."
— On Christian Doctrine 2.8.13
Council of Carthage III
397 AD
"It was also determined that besides the Canonical Scriptures nothing be read in the church under the title of divine Scriptures. The Canonical Scriptures are these: [lists 46 OT books including Deuterocanon]."
— Canon 24
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