What is the difference between the Catholic and Protestant Bibles?

2 Timothy 3:16-17

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

¹⁷ so that the servant of Godmay be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

New International Version (NIV)

The answer

The principal difference is the Old Testament canon: Catholic Bibles contain 73 books, while Protestant Bibles contain 66. Both have the same 27 New Testament books, but they disagree about seven Old Testament writings and certain additions to Esther and Daniel. The underlying biblical question is which writings belong to the God-breathed Scripture described in 2 Timothy 3:16.

• Feature — Catholic Bible — Protestant Bible
• Old Testament — 46 books — 39 books
• New Testament — 27 books — 27 books
• Total — 73 books — 66 books
• Additional writings — Received as inspired Scripture — Usually called the Apocrypha and not received as canonical Scripture

The additional writings

The seven books in the Catholic Old Testament that are absent from the Protestant canon are:

• Tobit
• Judith
• Wisdom, also called the Wisdom of Solomon
• Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus
• Baruch
• 1 Maccabees
• 2 Maccabees

Catholic Bibles also contain a longer form of Esther and additional material in Daniel: the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Children, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon. These additions are incorporated into Esther and Daniel rather than counted as separate books.

Catholics call these writings deuterocanonical, meaning that they belong to the canon as defined by the Catholic Church. The term does not mean that Catholics consider them less inspired. Protestants generally call them Apocrypha. Some Protestant editions, especially Lutheran and Anglican ones, have printed them separately for historical or edifying reading without treating them as equal to canonical Scripture.

Why the canons differ

The Reformers affirmed an Old Testament whose contents correspond to the Hebrew Bible, while challenging the canonical status of the additional writings. The Catholic Church continued to receive the wider canon and formally defined it at the Council of Trent in 1546, during the Reformation. Trent did not compose these books or mark their first appearance in Christian usage; it settled the Catholic canon in response to the Reformation controversy.

This is therefore not primarily a translation difference. Catholic and Protestant translations can use similar English and sometimes share translators or textual resources. A Protestant edition may even include an Apocrypha section without changing its 66-book canon.

Why the difference matters

Second Timothy 3:16 says, “Every Scripture is God-breathed,” and 2 Timothy 3:17 explains that Scripture equips God’s people for every good work. Those verses do not themselves provide a list of canonical books, but they establish why the canon matters: something received as Scripture carries divine authority for teaching, correction and doctrine. Romans 15:4 likewise teaches that the earlier writings were given for instruction and hope.

Consequently, Catholics may appeal to the deuterocanonical books as Scripture when establishing doctrine, while Protestants do not use them as a doctrinal authority. The disagreement therefore concerns which writings God has given as canonical Scripture, not merely which books different publishers choose to print.

Answered from Scripture · reviewed November 11, 2026

The difference between Catholic and Protestant Bibles comes down to seven Old Testament books and several additions to Daniel and Esther, resulting in a Catholic canon of seventy-three books alongside the Protestant sixty-six. Because both traditions share the exact same twenty-seven New Testament books, the division rests on which pre-Christian writings bear the mark of divine inspiration. Tracing how the early church, the Hebrew canon, and the Reformers received God's Word reveals why Christians hold differing boundaries around the Old Testament scriptures.

The Shared Standard

All Scripture is breathed out by God alone

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

It defines the essential nature of canonical Scripture as God-breathed and completely sufficient for Christian life and doctrine.

The bedrock of Christian certainty begins with the reality that all Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). Paul writes to Timothy that every sacred page possesses divine origin, rendering it completely profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. Because these words originate from the breath of the Creator, the divine text accomplishes what no human document can: it ensures that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Christians of both traditions agree on this high standard; the question that divides them has never been the divine authority of inspiration, but rather which historical books actually belong to this breathed-out category.

Peter underscores how this prophetic revelation came into human hands. Believers are commanded to give heed to the prophetic word as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns (2 Peter 1:19). This light does not flicker with human opinion or fallible ingenuity; no prophecy of Scripture ever produced its origin from the prophet’s own interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). Instead, holy men of God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). For that reason, the Word remains living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), cutting down to the division of soul and spirit to discern the secret thoughts of the heart.

Because Scripture carries divine authorship, the boundaries around it remain fiercely guarded. God seals His redemptive revelation with the solemn warning that if anyone adds to these words, God will add to him the plagues described within them (Revelation 22:18). Likewise, whoever presumes to remove words from the book of this prophecy forfeits his share in the tree of life (Revelation 22:19). Recognizing which writings carry this sacred weight is therefore a matter of profound reverence.

The passages

Passage	What it says
2 Timothy 3:16	Affirms that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training.
2 Timothy 3:17	States that God's breathed word thoroughly equips the servant of God for every good work.
2 Peter 1:19	Commands believers to pay close attention to the prophetic word as a lamp shining in dark places.
2 Peter 1:20	Clarifies that no prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet's own individual interpretation.
2 Peter 1:21	Explains that human authors spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 4:12	Describes God's word as living, active, sharper than a two-edged sword, and discerning human thoughts.
Revelation 22:18	A solemn warning against adding anything to the prophetic words delivered by God.
Revelation 22:19	A warning against taking away words from the inspired prophetic book.

The Hebrew Heritage

Christ affirmed the ancient Hebrew canon

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Luke 24:44 (NIV)

Jesus summarizes the entire Hebrew Old Testament under its historic threefold division of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.

When the Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth, He pointed His disciples to a recognized and authoritative collection of sacred writings. Following His resurrection, Jesus defined the Old Testament canon by declaring that all things written about Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44). This threefold framework corresponded precisely to the Jewish Tanakh, the recognized Hebrew canon that did not incorporate the disputed Apocryphal or deuterocanonical books. Paul later reaffirmed that a unique historical privilege was granted to the Jewish people because they were entrusted with the oracles of God (Romans 3:1-2).

Christ’s historical boundaries are further illuminated when He pronounced judgment on the generation that rejected God's messengers. Jesus traced prophetic martyrdom from the blood of Abel, recorded at the beginning in Genesis, to the blood of Zechariah, whose death is recorded at the conclusion of the Hebrew scriptures in 2 Chronicles (Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51). In the traditional Jewish canonical ordering, 2 Chronicles formed the final book, revealing that Jesus operated within the exact boundaries of the thirty-nine books known today in Protestant Bibles.

Throughout His ministry, Christ continually rebuked error by directing His hearers to these Hebrew scriptures. He warned the Sadducees that their confusion sprang from knowing neither the Scriptures nor the power of God (Mark 12:24). Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to the Emmaus travelers all the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27). He told the religious authorities to search the Scriptures because they testify of Him (John 5:39), establishing that the Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). The Protestant commitment to the Hebrew canon rests firmly upon the identical library of books Jesus read, cited, and upheld.

The passages

Passage	What it says
Luke 24:44	Jesus identifies the authoritative Old Testament as the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
Romans 3:1	Asks what lasting advantage belongs to the Jewish people in God's redemptive plan.
Romans 3:2	Declares that the Jewish people were uniquely entrusted with the very oracles of God.
Matthew 23:35	Jesus traces biblical martyrs from Abel in Genesis to Zechariah in 2 Chronicles, spanning the Hebrew canon.
Luke 11:51	Reiterates the span of Old Testament prophetic martyrdom from the blood of Abel to Zechariah.
Mark 12:24	Jesus warns religious leaders that their fundamental error stems from not knowing the Scriptures or God's power.
Luke 24:27	Jesus interprets things concerning Himself beginning at Moses and all the prophets.
John 5:39	Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that the Scriptures testify of Him.
John 10:35	Jesus affirms as an absolute principle that the Scripture cannot be broken.

The Authority of Scripture

God's word provides enduring life and wisdom

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Psalms 19:7 (NIV)

It shows that the authentic law of the Lord restores the soul and gives true wisdom to the simple.

The soul-reviving character of divine revelation is captured in the praises of King David. The psalmist proclaims that the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul, and the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple (Psalms 19:7). God’s precepts are inherently right, rejoicing the human heart and giving light to weary eyes (Psalms 19:8). Because His judgments are clean and endure forever, they reflect unblemished righteousness (Psalms 19:9). To the believer who treasures divine truth, God's speech is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey dripping from the comb (Psalms 19:10), offering both vital warning and immense reward (Psalms 19:11).

This transformative purity equips every believer throughout the trials of life. When the psalmist asks how a young man can keep his way pure, the answer is unyielding: by guarding his steps according to God's word (Psalms 119:9). What was recorded in the sacred scriptures in earlier eras was written intentionally for our instruction, that through patient endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have steadfast hope (Romans 15:4).

Human empires, traditions, and opinions constantly shift, yet God's declared truth remains immutable. While the grass withers and the flower fades, the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). Jesus echoed this supreme permanence on the Mount, declaring that He had not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them in every detail (Matthew 5:17). Indeed, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or slightest stroke of a pen will pass from the Law until all has been accomplished (Matthew 5:18).

The passages

Passage	What it says
Psalms 19:7	Declares the Lord's law perfect in reviving the soul and His testimony trustworthy for wisdom.
Psalms 19:8	Affirms the rightness of God's precepts to bring joy and light to human eyes.
Psalms 19:9	Celebrates the pure fear of the Lord and the absolute righteousness of His ordinances.
Psalms 19:10	Values God's words above fine gold and sweet honey from the comb.
Psalms 19:11	Warns God's servants and promises great reward for keeping His revealed commandments.
Psalms 119:9	Asks how a youth can stay pure and answers: by living according to God's word.
Romans 15:4	Teaches that past scriptures were recorded to give believers hope through endurance and biblical encouragement.
Isaiah 40:8	The grass withers and flower fades, but God's word stands forever.
Matthew 5:17	Jesus declares He came not to abolish the Law or Prophets but to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:18	Not an iota or dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Boundary of Revelation

God forbids adding to or subtracting from His word

Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Proverbs 30:6 (NIV)

This verse directly addresses the peril of declaring books or human traditions to possess divine authority when God did not inspire them.

Because God's speech carries ultimate authority, Scripture places a strict perimeter around what may be proclaimed as divine revelation. Agur records the solemn warning: do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar (Proverbs 30:6). Every word of God is tested and proven pure; He stands as a protective shield to those who put their trust in Him (Proverbs 30:5). When human beings elevate ecclesiastical decisions or uninspired writings to the level of divine authority, they risk crossing this clear boundary.

This prohibition runs through the foundational covenant given through Moses. Israel was explicitly instructed that they must not add to the word commanded them, nor take anything away from it (Deuteronomy 4:2). God demanded total allegiance to what He explicitly delivered: whatever was commanded had to be observed with utmost care, adding nothing and diminishing nothing (Deuteronomy 12:32). During the Reformation, Protestants observed that the seven disputed books—Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees—were never included in the Hebrew canon, were never cited as Scripture by Jesus or the Apostles, and contain historical and theological inaccuracies that conflict with the undisputed text.

The Apostle Paul established this same boundary as a practical rule for pastoral order. Writing to the Corinthians, he urged believers to learn from him and Apollos not to go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6). Keeping to the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament honored by Christ ensures that the church remains anchored exclusively to the inerrant voice of God, without exalting traditions of men.

The passages

Passage	What it says
Deuteronomy 4:2	Israel is commanded neither to add to nor subtract from God's commands.
Deuteronomy 12:32	The command to carefully obey all God commands, adding nor diminishing nothing.
Proverbs 30:5	Every word of God proves true, shielding those who take refuge in Him.
Proverbs 30:6	A warning not to add to God's words lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.
1 Corinthians 4:6	Paul's pastoral rule not to go beyond what is written in Scripture.

Whether a Bible binds sixty-six or seventy-three books, the shared bedrock of both traditions remains the undisputed Word of God that reveals Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Believers are called to test every text against the standard of divine inspiration and immerse themselves daily in the scriptures that train us in righteousness.

32 passages, each cited once.

How the major Christian traditions read this

All Christians confess that holy Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, receiving identically the twenty-seven books of the New Testament as the inspired apostolic testimony to Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:16).

Catholic

We receive forty-six books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New, totaling seventy-three inspired books. The Church has preserved the wider Septuagint canon received from apostolic times, including the deuterocanonical books (such as Wisdom, Sirach, and Maccabees). As Paul commands in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, we hold fast to the traditions delivered by word or epistle. These sacred writings bear witness to holy truths—including prayers for the departed (2 Maccabees 12:46) and angelic intercession (Tobit 12:12)—which the Church received through the Holy Spirit.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 2 Maccabees 12:46, Tobit 12:12

Orthodox

We receive the full witness of the ancient Greek Septuagint as the Church has handed it down across the centuries, which includes the deuterocanonical writings (also called Anagignoskomena, 'books to be read') alongside the broader Old Testament collection. In the Confession of Dositheus, we confess these Scriptures to be God-taught and received through the living mind of the Church. Like the Catholic tradition, we recognize that the apostles frequently quoted from the Septuagint, and we revere these sacred writings as profitable for holy instruction and spiritual growth in Christ (2 Timothy 3:15-16).

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:15-16, Romans 15:4

Lutheran

We hold to the thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament as the inspired, inerrant Word of God, our only norm for faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16). As Luther noted in his translation, the additional books known as the Apocrypha are not equal to the sacred Scriptures, yet they are useful and good to read for historical example and godly wisdom. However, no article of faith or doctrine can ever be founded upon them; that authority belongs only to God's inspired, prophetic and apostolic Word.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16

Reformed & Presbyterian

We confess the sixty-six canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as the complete and authoritative revelation of God's Word. Following the historic Hebrew canon, which Jesus acknowledged when He spoke of the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:44), we distinguish between inspired Scripture and human writings. The Westminster Confession makes clear that the books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of Scripture, and are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings.

Scripture: Luke 24:44, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Anglican & Episcopal

We affirm the sixty-six canonical books as Holy Scripture, which contains all things necessary to salvation, so that whatever is not read therein nor proved thereby is not required of any man to be believed as an article of faith (Article 6 of the Thirty-Nine Articles; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). With the historic church, we also read the other books (the Apocrypha) for example of life and instruction of manners, but we do not apply them to establish any doctrine. The Old Testament is not contrary to the New, for both offer eternal life in Christ (Article 7).

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Romans 15:4

Baptist

We affirm the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as the complete, inspired, and sole inerrant standard for faith and practice. As our 1689 Confession states, the books commonly called the Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon and possess no divine authority (Proverbs 30:5-6). To the Jews were entrusted the oracles of God (Romans 3:2), and their thirty-nine Hebrew Scriptures—which Christ repeatedly endorsed—are the true Old Testament. We cannot add human writings to God's holy and sufficient Word.

Scripture: Romans 3:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Proverbs 30:5-6

Methodist & Wesleyan

We receive the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and twenty-seven books of the New Testament as the holy, inspired Scriptures that reveal God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. As Article 5 of the Methodist Articles of Religion states, Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation. Following John Wesley and the historic English Reformation, we recognize the distinctness of the sixty-six canonical books, viewing the Apocrypha as historical and instructive literature rather than the inspired foundation upon which Christian doctrine is established (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 15:4

Pentecostal & Charismatic

We stand firmly on the sixty-six books of the Bible as the fully inspired, infallible Word of God, given by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). We hold to the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament as preserved by the Jewish people to whom God's oracles were committed (Romans 3:2). The Apocrypha was never cited as Scripture by the Lord Jesus or the apostles. For us, divine authority rests wholly in the sixty-six books, through which the Holy Spirit continues to speak with power and guide believers into all truth.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:20-21, Romans 3:2, 2 Timothy 3:16

Non-denominational & Evangelical

We look to the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as the complete, inerrant, and fully sufficient Word of God. Jesus specifically endorsed the Hebrew canon when He referenced the Scriptures from Abel to Zechariah (Luke 11:51) and spoke of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:44). Because the Apocryphal writings were never part of the Hebrew scriptures entrusted to Israel (Romans 3:2), we do not treat them as inspired Scripture. God's Word alone provides all we need for salvation, doctrine, and holy living (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Scripture: Luke 24:44, Romans 3:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Luke 11:51

Where they differ

Inspiration of the deuterocanonical books

Catholic

Fully inspired Scripture, canonical, and authoritative for Church doctrine.

Orthodox

Sacred, God-taught books received within the Church's living biblical tradition.

Lutheran

Not inspired Scripture; edifying to read but cannot establish doctrine.

Reformed & Presbyterian

Mere human writings without divine inspiration or doctrinal authority.

Anglican & Episcopal

Read for example and manners, but never to establish doctrine.

Baptist

Uninspired human books entirely outside the authoritative biblical canon.

Methodist & Wesleyan

Useful for historical instruction but completely uninspired and non-canonical.

Pentecostal & Charismatic

Uninspired human literature lacking the authority of God-breathed Scripture.

Non-denominational & Evangelical

Non-canonical human historical writings that carry no divine inspiration.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 3:2

Basis for the Old Testament canon

Catholic

The apostolic tradition and historic Septuagint usage confirmed at Trent.

Orthodox

The ancient Greek Septuagint handed down through church usage.

Lutheran

The thirty-nine books of the historic Hebrew Old Testament.

Reformed & Presbyterian

The Hebrew canon recognized by Christ and the Jewish people.

Anglican & Episcopal

The thirty-nine books of the Hebrew canon of Scripture.

Baptist

The Hebrew scriptures entrusted by God to the Jewish people.

Methodist & Wesleyan

The Hebrew Bible canon confirmed by early church usage.

Pentecostal & Charismatic

The original Hebrew canon validated directly by Jesus Christ.

Non-denominational & Evangelical

The thirty-nine Hebrew books endorsed by Jesus in Scripture.

Scripture: Luke 24:44, Romans 3:2

Your pastor can tell you where your church stands.

Scripture cited

• Romans 15:4