Why did martin luther take 7 books out of the bible. Finding jesus in the book of james banner of truth usa. How is the hebrew bible different from the christian old. However, these books are ordered last in the germanlanguage luther bible to this day. For example, 2nd maccabees, a book that appears only in the catholic old testament, introduces purgatory and the practice of praying for the dead. Why protestants reject 7 books of the bible the short answer by steve ray on august 19, 2016 gary michuta is an expert on the canon of scripture, especially in regards to the deuterocanonical books, what the protestants call the apocrypha.
A catholic bible has 46 books in the old testament versus 39 in a protestant bible. Not only have whole books deuterocanonical been eliminated and words changed from protestant versions, some newer catholic versions have changed the wording. For example, the hebrew bible has one book of samuel, while the protestant bible has i. The protestant bible and catholic bible are not the same book. My question is more about the deuterocanonical books that are in our bibleim catholic, i didnt say that, but i amand theyre not in the protestant bible. I am a vineyard church pastor which some would consider protestant but sort of on the charismatic side of it. Originally, the king james bible as well as catholic bible had the books from old testaments, which are known as the apocrypha or the deutercanonicals. Then, i gave him a very nice edition to look at called the jerusalem bible published by koren publishers here in jerusalem. Why does the protestant bible have 66 books and the catholic. Luther also wanted to remove the letters of james and revelations, but that was boycotted by other protestant leaders. Such bibles comprise 39 books of the old testament according to the jewish hebrew bible canon, known especially to nonprotestants as the protocanonical books and 27 books of the new testament for a total of 66 books. I have the niv, the open, new king james and king james versions of the bible and all have the book of james in it.
The british and foreign bible society decided in 1827 to remove these books from further publications and labeled these books apocryphal. However, many protestant versions of the bible today will state, king james version with apocrypha. The protestant canon has 66 books 39 in the old testament and 27 in the new testament, while the catholic canon has not 72 but 73 books 46 in the old testament and 27 in the new testament. Why does the protestant bible have 66 books and the. Because the order of the books is humanmade, it is not necessary to read the bible in this sequence. Did martin luther really want james taken out of the bible.
What is less well known or talked about, is that luther also praised the book of james in the same preface. The protestant bible, of which the niv is one version, is seven books shorter than. Why do catholic bibles have seven more books than protestant bibles. Ive written a onesentence overview of every book of the bible. John lightfoot 1643 criticized this arrangement because he thought the wretched apocrypha may be seen as a bridge between the. Why does the protestant bible have 66 books while the. These books were given the name deuterocanon because a few hundred years ago we did not have copies of them in hebrew and they were not part of some hebrew bibles. Even if the technical disparities between catholic and protestant bibles seem minor, they have had major effects. The catholic bible contains 46 old testament books while protestant bibles include 39.
The catholic bible includes several books that are considered deuterocanonical. Some versions of the bible, such as the king james version not the new king james version are. May 05, 2017 so why does the catholic bible have 73 books, while the protestant bible has only 66 books. This is a lot to take in, so if you want to start with baby steps, check out this list of the shortest books of the bible. Sep 14, 2011 the protestant bible does not have these books. Some of the key parts from verses 14 to 26 which martin luther disagreed with are the following.
It is also in the catholic bible but not in the protestant or king james of englands version of the bible. Jan 31, 20 why do catholic bibles have seven more books than protestant bibles. If you only looked at direct mentions of christ by name, martin luther is right. Martin luther didnt like that, so he wanted to take those books out, and the. The catholic bible has seven books and parts of two others in the old. In fact, the church as a whole doesnt pronounce that the king james version of the bible isnt recognized. The full 73 book bible as opposed to the protestant 66 book version was laid down by the councils of rome and carthage in 382 and 397 ad. Why is the book of james not found on the protestant bible. These 7 books are called the deuterocanon second canon.
Why does the protestant bible have 66 books and the catholic bible have 73. Which 7 books are not in the protestant bible but in the. Jan 03, 2011 king james bible is the protestant bible. Why does the catholic version of the bible have more books than the protestant version. The protestant bible consists of 66 books which are considered to be divinely inspired. I just opened my bible and right after hebrews is james. These books are tobit, judith, wisdom, sirach, baruch, i and ii maccabees, and esther. There are seven 7 books in the catholic bible that are not in the protestants bible. Nov 11, 2014 why does the catholic bible have more books than the protestant bible. It is filled with allusions to and quotations of the teachings of jesus, and it includes more imperatives per word than any other new testament book. If youve ever perused through the books of the catholic bible vs. Why are there 66 books in the king james bible, 72 in the.
The books of the apocrypha are also known as the deuterocanonical books. And do any other denominations acknowledge the extra books. While all christians have the same twentyseven new testament books, they disagree regarding the number of books in the old testament canon. While from the reformation, protestants confessions have usually excluded the.
Why do catholic bibles have seven more books than protestant. Martin luthers hostility to the book of james is wellknown, and ive mentioned it in other contexts, but i wanted to consider today the implications for the lutheran view of justification, at the heart of the reformation and of modern catholicprotestant disputes. Protestant bibles included the apocrypha until the mid 1800s, and the king james version was originally published with the apocrypha. Luther made an attempt to remove the books of hebrews, james, jude and revelation from the canon notably, he perceived them to go against certain protestant doctrines such as sola gratia and sola fide citation needed but his followers did not generally accept luthers personal judgment in this matter. Why does the catholic bible have 7 more books than the. A protestant bible is a christian bible whose translation or revision was produced by protestants. While protestant and jewish bibles have thirtynine old testament books, the bible used by roman catholic and eastern orthodox christians include the thirtynine books and several additional writings. In general, among christian denominations, the new testament canon is an agreedupon list of 27 books, although book order can vary. I have the niv, the open, new king james and king james versions of. In the hebrew bible, which has the same content as the protestant old testament, there are twentyfour books.
I would say that the main difference is that the catholic bible includes more. Why are the books of the bible placed in a particular. Why does the catholic bible have 73 books, while protestant bibles only have 66. Luther, according to the holman bible dictionary, disciples study bible and other references, had the greatest difficulty with what james wrote about faith and works in the second chapter of his book. John is speaking only about the book of revelation, not the entire bible. Aug 19, 2016 why protestants reject 7 books of the bible the short answer by steve ray on august 19, 2016 gary michuta is an expert on the canon of scripture, especially in regards to the deuterocanonical books, what the protestants call the apocrypha. The apocryphal books were not considered to be inspired and thus were not recognized by the church as part of the bible. Why doesnt the catholic church recognize the king james. As time went on, the church compiled these books to form a canon an. Sep 07, 2019 the catholic bible has the apocrypha and the christian bible does not. Why does the catholic bible have more books than the protestant bible. All 66 books of the bible in easy, onesentence summaries. Nov 05, 2018 the protestant canon has 66 books 39 in the old testament and 27 in the new testament, while the catholic canon has not 72 but 73 books 46 in the old testament and 27 in the new testament.
Today, virtually all denominations of christianity consider this book to. It was translated to include all the books catholics use, and then some. This is a hebrew bible, but i do need to point out that while this bible has the same books that are found in the king james version and all other protestant bible versions, you will note that the design is different, i. However, later versions of the king james bible do not have. One of the main controversies is justification by works, and the argument that james presents irreconcilable contradictions with pauls writings on the subject of justification. The protestant canon contains 7 fewer books than the catholic canon. Frequently asked questions united states conference. But how did these books find their way into the catholic bible and why do protestants. The king james bible is significant because it was the first bible written in the english language, the catholic bible that followed was the doueyrheims version. The extra books in the roman catholic bible are from the apocrypha. The additional chapters found in the catholic version contain all the prayers made by esther and her appeals to gods intervention chapters 1016.
Some protestants believe that the catholic church added 7 books to the bible at the council of trent in response to luthers reformation, but that couldnt be further from the truth. The book order is the same in the greek orthodox, roman catholic, and protestant traditions. But while protestant churches embraced many of luthers ideas and. This is often contrasted with the 73 books of the catholic bible, which. However, these books are ordered last in the germanlanguage luther. You might notice that in bookstores, there are sections for catholic bibles and protestant bibles. The king james bible is the most popularly used book among christians and you wont find these religious scriptures in there. Apr 02, 2014 the great protestant reformer, martin luther, infamously referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw in his preface to the german new testament. One remarkable difference between catholic bible and king james bible is the content. Many of them have demonstrable errors that cannot be reconciled. Mar 14, 2018 why the protestant bible has fewer books than the catholic bible march 14.
Consequently, the king james bible 1611 printed the books between the. Some people believe that the catholic church added 7 books, but that couldnt be further from the truth. Why does the orthodox bible have moredifferent books than. Why does the catholic version of the bible have more books than.
What is the difference between protestant and catholic bibles. Although i love the shakespearean english of the kjv bible, every catholic and biblical scholar should have a douayrheims bible. Protestant bibles comprise 39 books of the old testament according to the jewish hebrew bible canon, known especially to nonprotestants as the protocanonical books and the 27 books of the new testament for a total of 66 books. The book of mormon has helped millions of people feel closer to god. A catholic bible has nihil obstat and imprimatur while a protestant bible does not. Why does the catholic version of the bible have more books. Why the catholic bible has 7 more books than the protestant bible.
A protestant bible is a christian bible whose translation or revision was produced by. Its often said that luther was so opposed to the book of james that he. The book of james in the new testament is a controversial book, and there are those who believe that it should not have been included in the canon of scripture. Difference between catholic bible and king james bible. The epistle of james was included among the twentyseven new testament books first listed by athanasius of alexandria in his thirtyninth festal epistle ad 367 and was confirmed as a canonical epistle of the new testament by a series of councils in the fourth century. James is an intensely practical book, filled with exhortations to christians about the way they should live their lives now that they have been given new life in jesus. Why does the catholic bible have more books than the king. Why at some point were they considered part of the bible then a manmade council decided they didnt belong. Apr 25, 2016 the protestant canon contains 7 fewer books than the catholic canon. Why would the bible, the greatest book ever written, be denied by so many people. Do protestants and catholics read from the same book. In the protestant bible, there are sixtysix booksthirtynine in the old testament and twentyseven in the new testament. The protestant bible, of which the niv is one version, is seven books shorter than the bible used by roman catholics.
Why the protestant bible has fewer books than the catholic. It only mentions him twice in passing, once in james 1. Martin luther and the book of james shameless popery. Unlocking the book of revelation and applying its lessons today emmaus road, 2006 as well as a prolific writer in the. Why the protestant bible has fewer books than the catholic bible march 14.
This is prof that a book from the torah was omitted, for what ever reason, from the king james version of the bible. The book of ester is part of the book of ketuvim, hebrew bible. This summary of the book of james provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of james. Is the new american bible the only translation of scriptures we can read from at mass. Some protestant bibles, such as the original king james version, include 14 additional books known as the apocrypha, though these are not considered canonical. There are seven books in the catholic bible baruch, judith, 1 and 2 maccabees. The catholic bible has the apocrypha and the christian bible does not. Im starting my journey into orthdoxy, and yesterday i was given an orthodox bible.
One of the main controversies is justification by works, and the argument that james presents irreconcilable contradictions with pauls. Tobias, judith, wisdom, ecclesiasticus, baruch, 1 and 2 machabees, verse 4 of chapter 10 to the end of esther, and daniel, verse 24 of chapter 3 to. The slavonic, armenian and ethiopian traditions have different new testament book orders. But catholics may find it helpful to use the version of the bible that is used at mass. Now, all of a sudden, youre told that jesus of nazareth is the son of god, the longawaited messiah, the seeking savior whose death on. If so, should we as catholics view the kjv as null or void. After jesus resurrection from the dead, there were many writings about him. However, the apocrypha was considered less important, and bible publishers eventually dropped it from most protestant editions.
They were generally not written in hebrew though we have found a hebrew copy of sirach at. Which 7 books are not in the protestant bible but in. So why does the catholic bible have 73 books, while the protestant bible has only 66 books. Why protestants reject 7 books of the bible the short. I had no idea that the books of the bible were different that the bible i grew up studying in the protestant church. Imagine you grew up learning the law of moses, doing good works and observing the commands that god had given to his people israel. Theyre listed in the order they show up in the protestant bible. Protestant bibles have only 39 books in the old testament, however, while catholic bibles have 46.
Since may 19, 2002, the revised lectionary, based on the new american bible is the only englishlanguage lectionary that may be used at mass in the dioceses of the united states. Jun 21, 2012 although i love the shakespearean english of the kjv bible, every catholic and biblical scholar should have a douayrheims bible. These readings have been selected to reflect the themes of these celebrations. Which books have the protestant bible left out that the. The catholic church regards as part of the bible the books of tobit, judith, wisdom, ecclesiasticus sirach, baruch, 1 and 2 maccabees, as well as some additional stories and verses in the books of daniel and esther. Apr 09, 2014 so why does the catholic bible have 73 books, while the protestant bible has only 66 books. Why does the orthodox bible have moredifferent books than the protestant bible. Why catholic bibles have more books than protestant bibles. Jun 27, 2014 james is an intensely practical book, filled with exhortations to christians about the way they should live their lives now that they have been given new life in jesus. If you want more, ive linked to quick, 3minute guides to every book of the bible, too. Why does the catholic bible include the maccabees and the book of wisdom.
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