Differences Between Catholic & Christian Bibles
- The Catholic and Christian Bibles have 66 books in common.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
The Catholic and Christian Bibles have all 35 books of the Tanakh, also known as the Old Testament, in common, as well as the 27 books of the Christian Scriptures, or New Testament. They also have four apocryphal books in common: 1 Esdras, 3 and 4 Maccabees and Psalm 151. - The Catholic and Christian Bibles have certain differences.Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
Where they differ is regarding 13 out of the 17 apocryphal books. The Christian Bible omits Tobit, Judith, the additions to the Book of Esther, Wisdom of Solomon (not to be confused with Song of Solomon), Ecclesiasticus (not to be confused with Ecclesiastes), Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah (not to be confused with Jeremiah), Song of the Three Children, Story of Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. - Malachi is the last of the Tanakh's 35 books.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
The Catholic and Christian Bibles accept all the books in the Tanakh and the majority of those in the Christian Scriptures as being of Divine origin, except for 1 Esdras, 3 and 4 Maccabees and Psalm 151. - "Apocrypha" means "of questionable authenticity" or "hidden text."Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
Protestants reject the majority of the apocryphal books because, according to Gotquestions.org, they are the source of "unbiblical, extra-biblical and/or anti-biblical doctrines" that the Roman Catholic Church has imposed upon Christians. Protestants rely on a doctrine known as "Sola Scriptura," approximately defined as "sole writings," stating that "Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian," according to Gotquestions.org.
