I prayerfully write this essay, as I do with my other essays, with the understanding that this is a sensitive
subject. As such, there should not be any contention amongst those who read it, but an extending of grace
and a heart to simply evaluating the evidence together. This essay is not a comparison between the Catholic
and Christian faiths as a whole, but only a concise comparison of the Catholic and Christian Bibles.
Before diving into the body of the essay, I believe it’s important to say that a person would be wrong to
assume that all Catholics are Christians; believing that all Catholics have a relationship with Jesus. I’ve known
Catholics that have no idea what it means to be in a relationship with Jesus, nor do they know what it means
to be saved or what the gospel is. I’ve also known Catholics that have come to faith in Jesus and have then
turned from the Catholic faith. Likewise, I’ve known Catholics that have come to faith in Jesus but have
remained in the Catholic church simply due to the comfort and familiarity of the Catholic traditions which
they’ve struggled to let go of.
Christians (or Protestants, as they are often known by Catholics) are different than Catholics. Protestants are
known by this name because centuries ago, believers broke away (“protested”) from the Catholic church
based on disagreeing with doctrinal error in Catholic teaching. In short, though the Catholic church had grown
in Europe for many centuries, Catholics had combined the Scripture with human tradition and morphed the
teachings of the Bible. Christians who recognized these differences protested the Catholic church and led
other believers to return to Scripture alone, (Sola Scriptura). One primary example is that Christians believe
that man is saved by faith alone and not by a combination of faith and good deeds, as the Catholic church
teaches. Christians and Catholics have some similar beliefs, but some significantly different doctrines, and
certainly many different practices. This last sentence could be said as well about Christians and Jehovah’s
Witnesses, Christians and Muslims, Christians and Jews, Christians and Mormons, etc.
Back to the purpose of this essay – comparing the Christian Bible to the Catholic Bible.
The Christian Bible is a compilation of 66 smaller books; 39 Old Testament (OT) books and 27 New Testament
(NT) books. These 66 books make up what’s called the “canon” of Scripture. Canon comes from the Greek
κανών kanōn, meaning “rule” or “measuring stick”, and in this case canon is defined as the books which are
officially accepted as the Holy Scripture, or God’s divinely inspired Word.
Christians believe that God directed the process by which the books of the Bible were canonized. The 39 OT
books have long since been identified as divinely inspired by rabbis and scholars in ancient Israel. In the Bible,
the book of Romans confirms that the Jews were keepers of the Scriptures, as Romans 3:1-2 says that the Jews
were entrusted with the Word of God. As such, treasured, secured, and re-scribed the ancient Scriptures.
The first five books of the Bible (known as the Torah or Pentateuch) were written by Moses (Genesis 31:24-26)
around 1400 B.C., and generally accepted as divinely inspired even before 960 B.C. when Solomon built the
temple and placed these writings inside. Eventually the temple becomes “shut” by wicked kings of Israel, and
this “book of the law that was kept in the house of the Lord” is rediscovered in 2 Kings 22 (about 640 B.C).
Much of the OT is comprised of what we call the major and minor prophets; accounts from prophets who lived
and prophesied from roughly 810-397 B.C. Their accounts were canonized as Scripture by the end of the
second century B.C. Writings of David, Solomon, and others in that time period (books like Psalms, Proverbs,and Ecclesiastes) were also recognized as divine. Jewish scholars followed strict guidelines when considering
writings to be a part of the OT Biblical canon: books must have conformed to the Torah, been written in
Palestine, written in Hebrew, and not written after the time of Ezra (about 400 BC).
The 39 OT books had been compiled before the life of Jesus, and it’s never debated as to whether the OT used
by Jesus and the Jews was considered divinely inspired. Even leading historians of that period, Josephus and
Philo, reference the OT, seeming to confirm that the canon of the OT was settled. Additionally, it’s important
to note that both Jesus and NT authors frequently quote from the 39 OT books. In fact, we even see that OT
books quote from other OT books, just like we see NT books quoting other NT books. These inner-Biblical
quotes add validity/authority to the Biblical canon.
The Catholic Bible is distinct from the Christian Bible in more ways than one. The Catholic Bible is translated
from the Latin Vulgate (a late fourth century Latin translation of the Bible), while the Christian Bible is
translated from ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Additionally, the Catholics have added seven books
beyond the Bible’s original 66. These non-canonical writings are known as the Apocrypha (“apocryphal”
means “of questionable authorship and authenticity”). The Apocrypha is a collection of pre-New Testament
writings. These books are titled Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second
Maccabees. These books were canonized by the Catholics at the Council of Trent (1545-1563 A.D.), over 1,000
years after the 66 books of the Christian Bible were canonized. For this reason, the Apocryphal books are
called deuterocanonical books (deuterocanonical: relating to a second canon). In short, the differences in the
Catholic Bible’s canon, content, and translations are significant and certainly have an impact.
It’s critical to point out the errors within the additional books of the Catholic Bible, which demonstrates that
the Apocrypha is not the Word of God. There are both theological and historical errors of note. The following
are examples of some of the heretical teachings within the Catholic Bible (heretical: a doctrine/teaching that
departs from God’s Word).
The Catholic Bible includes the heretical teaching of salvation by works. Tobit 4:11, “For almsgiving delivers
from death and keeps one from entering into Darkness.” Tobit 12:9, “For almsgiving saves from death, and
purges all sin.” Sirach 3:3, “Those who honor their father atone for sins.” Sirach 3:30, “As water quenches a
flaming fire, so almsgiving atones for sins.”
The Catholic Bible includes heretical teachings that the living can pay money to atone for the sins of the dead
and that the living can pray for the dead. 2 Maccabees 12:43-46, “He then took up a collection among all his
soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory
sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind;
for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the
dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness,
it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their
sin.” From this passage we should also note that the Catholic church holds to the heretical teaching of the
concept of purgatory; a teaching which claims that after a man dies, his soul can undergo a purging or
purification which can ultimately render him fit to later enter heaven. The Catholic’s use 2 Maccabees here to
defend this position by noting that Judas Maccabeus prays for his fallen comrades and that the comrades are
to be released/absolved from their sin. In fact, Catholic Catechism 1030 teaches, “All who die in God’s grace,but are still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death, they [must]
undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”
The Catholic Bible teaches the heretical practice of magic. Tobit 6:5-8, “The angel then told him: “Slit the fish
open and take out its gall, heart, and liver, and keep them with you; but throw away the other entrails. Its gall,
heart, and liver are useful for medicine.” After Tobiah had slit the fish open, he put aside the gall, heart, and
liver. Then he roasted and ate part of the fish; the rest he salted and kept for the journey. Afterward the two
of them traveled on together till they drew near to Media. Then the young man asked the angel this question:
“Brother Azariah, what medicine is in the fish’s heart, liver, and gall?” He answered: “As for the fish’s heart
and liver, if you burn them to make smoke in the presence of a man or a woman who is afflicted by a demon or
evil spirit, any affliction will flee and never return.”
The Catholic Bible includes other immoral teachings. In Wisdom of Solomon, the writer (allegedly the great
Solomon) claims to have a nature unlike the rest of mankind. Though all other humans are cursed with a sin
nature due to the fall of Adam, Solomon apparently bypassed this reality. It reads in 8:19-20, “Now, I was a
well-favored child, and I came by a noble nature; or rather, being noble, I attained an unblemished body.” Or,
take for example the ungodly way that the Catholic Bible teaches that we are to mistreat our enemies. Sirach
12:4-7, “Give to the godly man, and do not help a sinner. Do well unto him that is lowly, but do not give to the
ungodly; hold back bread, and do not give it to him… give to the good man, but do not help the sinner.”
The Catholic Bible includes historic error, such as Judith 1:5, which wrongly calls King Nebuchadnezzer the
“king of the Assyrians”, when he was the king of Babylon. Elsewhere, Baruch says the Jews would serve in
Babylon for seven generations (basically 140+ years, as a generation is considered to be 20-30 years). Baruch
6:2 says, “When you reach Babylon you will be there many years, a long time—seven generations.” The Jews
actually served in Babylon for 70 years, according Jeremiah 25:11.
In summary, the Catholic Bible’s Apocrypha is never recognized by Jews before or during Jesus’ day, nor is it
ever quoted by Jesus (who quoted most OT books), nor is it ever quoted by NT authors. Even secular
historians from the first century, Josephus and Philo, did not consider the Apocrypha as part of the Hebrew
Scriptures. Catholicism is not alone in their error in adding to, or in altering the Word of God. The Jehovah’s
Witnesses have radically altered the Holy Scriptures in order to make it adapt to their heretical doctrine. As
well, both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormonism) and Islam have greatly borrowed from
the Bible and altering its doctrine, in order to create their faith texts, the Book of Mormon and the Quran.
The Christian Bible warns us about false teachings which usually come by way of subtly inserting small doses
of false teaching where it may go unnoticed. Once a false teaching is inserted into a message, that message is
to be dismissed! Jesus uses the illustration of a small bit of leaven (yeast) being worked into a whole batch of
dough, the leaven representing untruth. In Matthew 16:6, Jesus says to His disciples, “Watch out and beware
of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” At first the disciples thought Jesus was talking about literal
bread, until verses 11-12, “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning
bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not
say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Any amount of leaven renders a message false. If I pick up and hold a Catholic Bible and I say, “Trust this book.
It’s the true Word of God,” I would be in error. That Catholic version of the Bible is not trustworthy. I wouldhave to say, “Well, some of it’s good, but not all of it. You’ll figure it out!” No, thanks. Christians who are
serious about honoring and obeying the Word of God, must disregard all false texts.
For more information on the canon of Scripture and how the Christian Bible came to be compiled, you can
read my essay titled, “How Did We Get the Bible?”
