One of the questions that often comes up in Christian discussions is why some Bibles contain more books than others. For example, the Catholic Bible has seventy-three books, the Protestant Bible has sixty-six, and the Eastern Orthodox Bible includes even more. This difference leads people to ask who removed books from the Bible and why. The answer lies in history, tradition, and the decisions made by early church leaders.
The Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament
The Old Testament of Protestant Bibles is based on the Hebrew Scriptures, which did not include certain writings that were found in the Greek translation called the Septuagint. The Septuagint contained additional books such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, along with additions to Esther and Daniel. These books became known as the deuterocanonical books in Catholic tradition and the Apocrypha in Protestant tradition.
The Role of the Protestant Reformation
The biggest shift in the biblical canon came during the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation. Reformers such as Martin Luther questioned the authority of the deuterocanonical books because they were not part of the Hebrew Bible. As a result, Protestant leaders decided to remove them from the Old Testament, although they were still included in early editions of the King James Bible as a separate section called the Apocrypha. Over time, most Protestant Bibles stopped printing these books altogether.
The Catholic and Orthodox Canons
In response to the Reformation, the Catholic Church reaffirmed the authority of the deuterocanonical books at the Council of Trent in 1546. This is why Catholic Bibles still include them today. The Eastern Orthodox Church also preserved these books and even includes others such as Third Maccabees, Psalm 151, and sometimes Fourth Maccabees. These differences show that no single group of Christians “removed” books in isolation but that different traditions recognized different collections of writings as authoritative.
Misunderstandings About Removal
It is important to understand that books were not secretly removed from the Bible in a hidden or deceptive way. Instead, church leaders across history made decisions about which books belonged to the biblical canon based on language, historical use, and theological consistency. The Protestant tradition reduced the Old Testament to match the Hebrew Bible, while Catholic and Orthodox traditions kept the wider collection used in the early Church.
Why This Matters Today
The debate over which books belong in the Bible continues to influence Christian thought and practice. Some believers read the Apocrypha for historical and spiritual insight, while others see it as valuable but not inspired. What is clear is that the process of shaping the Bible was gradual and shaped by history, culture, and faith traditions.
Final Thoughts
So who removed books from the Bible The answer is that during the Protestant Reformation, reformers chose to exclude the deuterocanonical books because they were not part of the Hebrew Bible. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches, however, kept them as part of their canon. Rather than thinking of it as removal, it is better understood as different Christian traditions recognizing different collections of Scripture. The core message of the Bible remains the same, centered on God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.