Christian Bibles, as they exist today, didn't come together easily or neatly. There were heated debates over biblical content within the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant faith traditions for roughly 1,500 years. Consequently, these traditions have slightly different versions of the Bible.
The process of compiling the Bible began with the Catholic Church:
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In the 4th century, Catholic leaders compiled a list of 73 books that they considered worthy of inclusion. The Council of Trent formally canonized the Catholic Bible in 1546.
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Eastern Orthodox church councils were held from the 4th to the 17th centuries, and the 76-book Orthodox Bible evolved from these efforts.
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The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible, comprising 81 books, has also evolved. It was adopted in the 9th century, and its oldest complete manuscripts date to the 4th-7th centuries.
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During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther removed seven books from the Old Testament and placed them in a separate section of the Bible, which he called the Apocrypha. Other Protestant leaders later deleted all seven books from most Protestant Bibles, resulting in a 66-page Bible.
Decision-making
Christian leaders generally removed books for one or more reasons:
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They did not believe certain books were divinely inspired.
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They considered some books heretical.
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The authorship of certain books was not authenticated.
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Some books were written significantly later than the approved writings.
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Certain writings contradicted the approved text.
The books that Luther removed were:
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1 and 2 Maccabees
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Tobit
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Judith
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The Book of Sirach
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The Book of Wisdom
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Baruch
1 and 2 Maccabees: Stories of Rebellion
The two books of Maccabees are early Jewish texts that describe the history of the Jews in the first century B.C. They recount the story of the Maccabees, Jewish leaders who led a revolt against the Seleucid Dynasty from 175 to 134 B.C. The dynasty was culturally Greek and stretched from the Aegean Sea to northern India at its greatest point.
1 Maccabees describes the Jews' efforts to regain their religious freedom after a leader of the dynasty desecrated the Temple. 2 Maccabees summarizes a five-volume history of the revolt, according to Got Questions.
The first book is a historical recounting of the rebellion and does not mention God. The second book emphasizes God's intervention in the revolt and the martyrs who were involved in it. It also contains several doctrines that the Catholic and Orthodox churches continue to accept. Together, the two books tell the story of a pivotal moment in Jewish history, culminating in the Jews' recapture of the Temple. Modern Jews recall the victory during Hanukkah.
Tobit: A Religious Novel
Catholic Bibles include the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament due to its historical value. However, Protestants reject the book on the grounds that it depicts magic and contains inaccuracies.
The book of Tobit concerns a Jewish man who prayed for death after suddenly becoming blind. As he awaited his fate, he began to conclude his business affairs. But death didn't come. Instead, God sent an angel to help him.
Judith: God's Deliverance
The book of Judith is a story about God's deliverance of the Jews. It's categorized as historical fiction and was probably written to glorify God for saving his people from slavery in Egypt.
It concerns a Jewish widow who relied on charm and beauty to kill an Assyrian general who was attempting to conquer her city. In saving her city, she also saved the nearby city of Jerusalem. The book mainly serves as a reminder that people should have faith in God and obey his commandments.
The Book of Sirach: Wisdom Writings
The Book of Sirach, which is the oldest book in the Apocrypha, is categorized as a wisdom text. It offers practical advice on righteous living, but it isn't Scripture.
Written in the second century B.C., it's a guide on how to live a righteous life. It explains that true wisdom comes from the Lord and offers specific guidance on how to choose friends, navigate relationships, avoid laziness and unnecessary conflicts, and observe God's laws.
Although modern Protestant Bibles generally don't include it, this book appeared in the original King James version of the Bible.
The Book of Wisdom: Strengthening Jews' Faith
The Book of Wisdom was written to encourage Jews to follow God rather than succumb to the temptations of idol worship. It emphasizes that God is the source of true wisdom and reminds Jews that righteous people will be rewarded and evil people will suffer.
It serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, blending Hebrew Scripture with Greek philosophy. Catholics and Orthodox Christians value its insights about the soul, justice and ultimate judgment.
Baruch: Exile in Babylon
The context of this book is the Jews' exile in Babylon. It is written in the form of prayers and hymns about sin, repentance, and wisdom and consists of these four parts:
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Confession of sin and prayer for forgiveness
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Praise of wisdom
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Consolation for exiles
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Opposition to idolatry
Baruch looks at Israel's sins and encourages repentance; emphasizes God's mercy and justice; offers hope that Jerusalem and the Jews will be restored; and explains that God offers the gifts of wisdom and life.
The Catholic and Orthodox churches accept the book as canonical, but Protestants and Jews do not. Several verses are part of the Catholic Church's Holy Saturday liturgy, which precedes Easter, and the Eastern Orthodox Church incorporates them into its Old Testament readings on Great and Holy Saturday.
The seven books removed from the Protestant Bibles—rich in history, wisdom, and faith—offer valuable insights into the spiritual and cultural context of early Judaism and Christianity. While debates over their inclusion shaped the boundaries of Scripture, their themes of perseverance, divine guidance, and moral living remain timeless. Exploring these texts reminds us that faith traditions evolve through dialogue and discernment—and that wisdom can often be found beyond the pages we are most familiar with.
