Saints LightWhy Do Catholic Bibles Have 73 Books?
Catholic Bibles have 73 books because the early Church read the Greek Old Testament that included seven extra books, and the Church, guided by apostolic Tradition, has always recognized them as inspired.
What this lesson teaches
- The seven deuterocanonical books are Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach and Baruch, plus parts of Esther and Daniel.
- The early Church read the Old Testament mainly in the Greek Septuagint, which included these books.
- Councils at Hippo, Carthage and Florence listed 73 books, and Trent defined the canon solemnly in 1546.
- The Church discerned the canon through apostolic Tradition, the same way it recognized the New Testament.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 120
- CCC 138
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: 2 Maccabees 12:46 (2 Machabees in Douay-Rheims); Wisdom 2:18.
A sample question from this lesson
What does 'deuterocanonical' mean?
- Books that are less inspired than the rest of Scripture
- Books written after the time of Christ
- Books whose place in the canon was recognized later, though equally inspired
- Books that the Church allows but does not consider Scripture
Show the answer
Books whose place in the canon was recognized later, though equally inspired. The lesson explains that 'second canon' refers to when their status was settled, not to a lower level of inspiration.
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Deuterocanonical
- The seven Old Testament books (and parts of Esther and Daniel) whose place in the canon was recognized later; fully inspired Scripture.
- Septuagint
- The ancient Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures, used widely by the early Church.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Why Do Catholic Bibles Have 73 Books?" is lesson 2 of The Bible, the Catholic Way. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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- How God Speaks: Scripture, Tradition and the Church (Start Here, free)