The term “Old Testament” is used to describe the first part of the Christian Bible. It includes the books from Genesis to Malachi and is often called “The Hebrew Bible.” The word “Hebrew” comes from the word for “inclined to work,” which refers to those who worked with their hands. These people were called Hebrews, even though they were not actually from Palestine (now Israel). The canon or official list of books of the Catholic Bible is comprised of 72 books (73 if Lamentations is separate from Jeremiah). The Old Testament has 45 (or 46) books and the New Testament has 27. The Old Testament was written before the time of Christ and is basically the Jewish Bible.
The word “testament” means “covenant.” When Christians say that they believe in the Old Testament, they mean that they believe in God’s covenants with mankind—specifically his covenants with Abraham and Moses. Christians also hold that these two men foretold the birth of Jesus Christ. The books of the Bible were initially written and copied by hand on papyrus scrolls. No originals have survived. The Council of the Church known as Vatican 1 declared both the Old and New Testaments were: “written under the inspiration of the holy Spirit, they have God as their author.”
What are the 73 books in the Catholic Bible?
Books of the Old Testament (46)Pentateuch (5 books)
Historical Books (16 books)
Major Prophets (5 books)
Minor Prophets (12 books)
Books of the New Testament (27)
Gospels (4 books)
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
Acts of the Apostles (1 book)
Pauline Epistles (14 books)
General Epistles (7 books)
Revelation (1 book)
- Revelation
7 books in Catholic Bible not in Protestant
7 Books in Catholic Bible Not in Protestant Bible
1. Tobit
2. Judith
3. Wisdom
4. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
5. Baruch
6. 1 Maccabees
7. 2 Maccabees
The Catholic Bible contains seven additional books in the Old Testament that are not found in the Protestant Bible. These books, known as the deuterocanonical books, have been a source of controversy and debate between Catholics and Protestants throughout history.
The seven books are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees. These books provide additional insights and teachings that are valued by Catholics and are considered to be inspired scripture.
While Protestants do not include these books in their canon, they are still important to the Catholic faith and are often used in liturgical readings and for spiritual edification.
Here is a brief overview of each of the seven books:
| Book | Summary |
|---|---|
| Tobit | A story of faith and trust in God’s providence, featuring Tobit and his son Tobias. |
| Judith | The story of a courageous Israelite woman named Judith who saves her people from an invading Assyrian army. |
| Wisdom | A philosophical and poetic exploration of the nature of wisdom and the righteous person. |
| Sirach | A collection of ethical teachings and practical advice for daily living. |
| Baruch | A book attributed to the secretary of the prophet Jeremiah, containing prayers and reflections on the exile of the Jewish people. |
| 1 Maccabees | A historical account of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty. |
| 2 Maccabees | A continuation of the story of the Maccabean revolt and the events leading up to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. |
These seven books play a significant role in Catholic theology and understanding of scripture, offering unique perspectives and insights into the teachings of the Old Testament. While they may not be included in the Protestant Bible, they hold a special place in Catholic tradition and worship.
How many books are in the Bible?
66 books
The Bible is composed of two major sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is made up of 39 individual books; the New Testament is made up of 27 books, giving the Bible a total of 66 books. The Old Testament documents everything from the creation of life up until the birth of Jesus. The canon consists of 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, for a total of 73 books in the Catholic Bible.
The canon or official list of books of the Catholic Bible is comprised of 72 books (73 if Lamentations is separate from Jeremiah). The Old Testament has 45 (or 46) books and the New Testament has 27. The Old Testament was written before the time of Christ and is basically the Jewish Bible.
How Many Books Are In The Old Testament Of The Catholic Bible
Many people don’t know how many books are in the Old Testament. Some people think that all Bibles have the same number of books, but they don’t. Catholic and Protestant Bibles both have the same New Testament books, but they differ in how many Old Testament books they contain. There are 46 different books in the Catholic Old Testament and 39 different books in the Protestant Old Testament.
The Catholic Church and Protestant Churches have different books in their Old Testaments.
The Catholic Church and Protestant Church have different books in their Old Testaments. The Catholic Church includes the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books, while Protestants do not accept them as part of the canon. The Roman Catholic Church accepts these extra books: Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach). These are sometimes called the Apocryphal or Deuterocanonical Books. These are not considered canonical by Protestants because they were written after Malachi and include additional material; however, they did form part of Jewish scripture during Jesus’ time and beyond.
No other books were added later to the Catholic Old Testament.
You may be wondering how many books are in the Catholic Old Testament, and what exactly those books are. Well, the answer is: no other books were added later to the Catholic Old Testament. The Catholic Old Testament is the same as the Protestant Old Testament—that means that it contains all of the same books except for their order.
In addition to this being a helpful factoid if you’re playing Trivial Pursuit someday soon, knowing this information will help you understand why (and how) some things work differently between Catholics and Protestants. It also helps explain why Catholics have some traditions that seem strange or mysterious if you don’t know where they came from.
How Many Books Are There in The Catholic Bible Old and New Testament
Like you, I was astonished to find the more modern use of the number 73 after learning that the Bible has 72 books. Whether Jeremiah and Lamentations are regarded as one book or two determines the distinction.
Despite the fact that the author of Lamentations is not explicitly identified, Jeremiah has a long history of being credited as its source (including the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate). Both books discuss the unrest before and after Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 586 B.C., when Jerusalem fell.
Some academics find a clear similarity between the two texts, not just in terms of subject matter but also in terms of terminology and tone. Others, however, emphasize how dramatically different Lamentations’ lyrical form is from Jeremiah’s mix of history, biography, and prophecy.
Catholics most often use the New American Bible, which displays the two as independent books and counts a total of 73 books.
How Many Books In The Old And New Testament
Old Testament
How Many Books Are In The Catholic Old Testament?
The Catholic Old Testament consists of 46 books, 39 of which are shared with the Hebrew Bible. The remaining 7 books are considered apocryphal by Protestants.
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Tobit
- Judith
- Esther
- 1 Maccabees
- 2 Maccabees
- Job
- Psalms
- The Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- The Song of Songs
- Wisdom
- Ecclesiasticus / Sirach
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Baruch
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
New Testament
How Many Books In New Testament Catholic Bible?
The New Testament of the Catholic Bible contains 27 books. This includes the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Acts of Apostles
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Jude
- Revelation
Which books are part of the Old Testament?
The Old Testament is divided into three sections: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
- The Law includes the first five books of your Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books tell about God’s covenant with Moses and how Moses led his people out of Egypt to freedom in Canaan (modern-day Palestine).
- The Prophets include all other prophetic writings from Joshua through Malachi. These books give us more messages from God through His prophets, who were leaders or spokespeople for His people at various times throughout history.
- Finally, there are some historical writings (1 & 2 Samuel), poetic (Psalms) or wisdom literature (such as Proverbs), as well as prayers or hymns found in Psalms or Lamentations, which round out this third section called “Writings.”.
What is the Old Testament?
The Old Testament is the first section of the Bible, containing 39 books and written in Hebrew. There were numerous authors who wrote these throughout history.
The Old Testament tells the story of God’s people and their relationship with Him: how He rescued them from slavery in Egypt, led them through the wilderness for 40 years, gave them laws for living life as His people on earth, sent prophets to warn them about future troubles if they didn’t return to a close relationship with Him, sent Jesus Christ as Savior when they failed to listen to His warnings, and finally restored their relationship with Him through baptism with water (John 3:5-8).
What Are The 73 Books in The Catholic Bible
While there are many different versions of the Bible, there are only two major traditions: Catholic and Protestant. The Catholic version includes a total of 73 books in its Old Testament. The Protestant version includes 46 books in its Old Testament—26 less than the Catholic version.
The New Testament is identical between both traditions with 66 books (or 27 less than the Old Testament).
How Many Books In Protestant Bible
The Protestant Bible has 39 books, which are the same as those in the Jewish Tanakh.
These are:
- Genesis (Bereshit)
- Exodus (Shemot)
- Leviticus (Vayikra)
- Numbers (Bamidbar)
- Deuteronomy (Devarim) 6 . Joshua/Jesus Navi 7 . Judges 8 . Ruth 9 . 1 Samuel 10 . 2 Samuel 11 . 1 Kings 12 . 2 Kings 13 . Isaiah 14 . Jeremiah 15 . Ezekiel 16 .. Daniel 17 .. Ezra 18 .. Nehemiah 19 .. Esther 20 .. Job 21 .. Psalms 22.. Proverbs 23.. Ecclesiastes 24.. Song of Solomon 25.. Isaiah 26.. Jeremiah 27.. Lamentations 28.. Baruch 29.. Ezekiel 30… Daniel 31… Hosea 32… Joel 33… Amos 34… Obadiah 35…. Jonah 36…. Micah 37…. Nahum 38…. Habakkuk 39…. Zephaniah
Why Are There Different Books in the Old Testament?
In the Catholic Old Testament, there are 46 books. The Protestant Old Testament only has 39, and that’s because they don’t include seven books written in the ancient language of Hebrew:
- 1 Maccabees
- 2 Maccabees
- Tobit
- Judith
- Baruch (which is really part of Jeremiah)
- The Letter of Jeremiah (also called The Epistle of Jeremy or The Prayer of Azariah) * 3 Esdras (or 3 Ezra) and 4 Esdras (or 4 Ezra). These two books are very similar in content and structure but have different names. They are sometimes printed together as one book named “Esdras B” or “Esdras A” depending on which order you read them in.
Wasn’t It The Same Group of People Who Decided On The Protestant Canon As On The Catholic?
It might seem that Protestant and Catholic Bibles are the same. They’re both Bible books, right? But they’re actually different. In fact, they were decided on by different groups of people at different times.
Protestant Bibles were decided on by the Council of Trent in 1546 while Catholic Bibles were decided on by a group of Catholic bishops who met in Hippo Regius (modern-day Annaba) in 393 AD to establish what would be written as part of their canon.
Which Books Are Part Of The Catholic Old Testament And Protestant Old Testament?
If you’re Catholic, the Old Testament contains the same 39 books as in Protestant Bibles. The Jewish Tanakh contains 46 books, but only 39 of these are part of what Catholics consider “the Bible” (the other 7 are considered to be apocryphal).
In contrast with Protestants and Catholics, Orthodox Christians recognize an additional seven biblical books not included in either Christian denomination’s canon: Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees; Baruch is also sometimes listed as one book instead of two separate ones—Tobias and Judith by themselves make up eight total books instead of seven; the Wisdom of Solomon is sometimes called 3 Esdras; Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) might be included as Wisdom or Ecclesiasticus depending on whether it’s just one book or two separate ones that you’re talking about here—thus making up nine total books from Catholic sources rather than eight from both Orthodoxy’s perspective or six from Protestantism’s perspective
Learn about why there are different numbers of books in these two Bibles.
You may be wondering how many books are in the Catholic Bible and how many there are in the Protestant Bible. While it can be difficult to remember all of the names, here is a list of all 66 of them:
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra (Nehemiah)
Conclusion
The Catholic and Protestant canons are different because of different interpretations about what books should be included in the Bible. The Catholic canon was formed by early Church fathers through much debate and agreement, while Protestants followed Martin Luther’s ideas on what should and shouldn’t be included despite having no historical evidence for their choices. It is important to understand both views when reading these books so that you can see how each side interprets the same texts differently, which will give us insight into why they agree on some things but disagree on others.