A Catholic Bible has 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Most Protestant Bibles have 66 because they don’t include seven Old Testament books, which Catholics call deuterocanonical, or some extra passages in Esther and Daniel. If you’re buying a Bible for yourself or as a gift, open the table of contents and look for Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees.
How many books are in the Catholic Bible?
The Catholic Bible has 73 books. The Old Testament has 46 and the New Testament has 27.
Sometimes you’ll see 45 Old Testament books instead of 46. That’s because some Catholic sources count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one book. Nothing is missing: it’s the same Bible, just counted a different way. Catholic Bibles usually say 46 for the Old Testament and 73 in total.
The 27 New Testament books are the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, 21 letters, and Revelation. Catholic Bibles and most Protestant Bibles have these same 27 books. The difference is only in the Old Testament.
Which books are deuterocanonical?
These seven books are the difference between the Catholic count of 73 and the usual Protestant count of 66:
- Tobit. A family story about faithfulness, prayer, marriage, giving to the poor, and God’s care.
- Judith. The story of a brave widow who protects her people.
- Wisdom. A reflection on living rightly, God’s wisdom, suffering, and immortality.
- Sirach. Wise advice about worship, family, friendship, the way we speak, work, and how to live well.
- Baruch. Prayers, confession of sins, words of comfort, and reflections connected to the prophet Jeremiah.
- First Maccabees. The history of the Jewish people’s resistance and the rededication of the Temple.
- Second Maccabees. Another account of the same time, focused on martyrs, the resurrection, and prayer for the dead.
Catholic Bibles also have some extra passages in Esther and Daniel. In Daniel, they are the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon. These passages are part of books you already know, so they don’t add any books to the count.
The word deuterocanonical sounds complicated, but it just means “second canon”: some Christians had questions about these books at different times in history, so their place on the Bible’s list of books was settled later. It doesn’t mean they count less. For Catholics, they are Scripture, just like every other book in the Bible.
Why do many Protestant Bibles have 66 books?
Most Protestant Bibles follow the Old Testament of the Jewish Bible, the Tanakh. It has the same books. Protestant Bibles count them as 39, though Jewish Bibles divide and order them differently. Catholic Bibles have the larger Old Testament of 46 books. Both have the same 27 books in the New Testament.
You may hear two different names for these books. Catholics call them deuterocanonical and receive them as Scripture. Many Protestants call them the Apocrypha: books they value for their history or their spiritual message, but don’t accept as Scripture. Orthodox churches can have even more books in their Old Testament, so there isn’t one “Apocrypha” list that every Christian uses.
When you compare Bibles, start with the title page: it names the publisher and the faith tradition. A label like “Catholic edition” or an imprimatur is a good first sign. A quick look at the table of contents confirms that all 73 books are there. Once you’ve confirmed that, our guide on how to choose a Catholic Bible helps you compare translations and formats.
Did Martin Luther remove seven books?
Not exactly. Luther’s complete German Bible still had these books. He put them in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments and called them the Apocrypha. The first King James Bible also had that section.
What Luther changed was where these books were placed and whether they were treated as Scripture. Later, many Protestant Bibles stopped printing that section, and that’s how the 66 book Bible became so familiar. So it isn’t accurate to picture one person tearing seven books out of every Protestant Bible.
If this comes up with a Protestant friend, there’s no need to argue. Name the seven books and explain how each tradition sees them. You can also mention that early Protestant Bibles, like Luther’s and the first King James, printed them in a separate section, while many later editions left them out.
Are the extra books the same as the Apocrypha?
Not exactly. In everyday talk, people often say “Apocrypha” for the seven deuterocanonical books and the extra parts of Esther and Daniel. But some Apocrypha collections also include writings that are not in the Catholic Bible. What’s inside depends on the publisher and the tradition behind the edition.
So if you need a Catholic Bible, don’t go by the word “Apocrypha” alone. Look in the table of contents for Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, First Maccabees, and Second Maccabees. Then check that Esther and Daniel include their extra passages.
How are the 73 books organized?
Catholic Bibles group the books by type of writing. The order can change a little from one edition to another, but the main groups are easy to recognize:
- The Pentateuch (the first five books). Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
- Historical books. Books such as Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Tobit, Judith, and Maccabees.
- Wisdom books. Books such as Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Wisdom, and Sirach.
- Prophetic books. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the 12 minor prophets.
- The Gospels and Acts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts of the Apostles.
- The New Testament letters. Saint Paul’s letters and the letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude.
- Revelation. The last book of the New Testament.
These groups help you find your way around the Bible. They don’t make one book more important than another. If you follow a reading plan, you can go through one group at a time and still keep the whole story of salvation in view.
How do you confirm that a Bible is Catholic?
Before you buy a Bible or give one as a gift, check these five things:
- Read the edition label. Look for “Catholic edition” and the name of the translation.
- Check the table of contents. Make sure all seven deuterocanonical books are there. In a Spanish Bible, look for Tobías, Judit, Sabiduría, Eclesiástico (this is Sirach, not Eclesiastés), Baruc, and 1 and 2 Macabeos.
- Look at Esther and Daniel. Make sure they include their extra passages.
- Look for Church approval. It’s usually in the first pages, near the copyright notice. If you see the word “Imprimatur” with a bishop’s name, or a note that the bishops approved the translation, the edition is approved for Catholic use.
- Pick the right format for the person. Think about print size, language, notes, binding, and whether the Bible is for study, for prayer, or a gift for a First Communion, a Confirmation, or a wedding.
If the Bible is for a quinceañera, making sure it has all 73 books is only the first step. The cover, the language, the print size, and your family’s tradition matter too. Our quinceañera Bible tradition and gift guide walks you through it.
Who decided which books are in the Bible canon?
The list of books in the Bible is called the canon of Scripture. It wasn’t picked by a modern publisher: the Church recognized it through the faith handed down from the apostles.
The books were written over many centuries, and early Christians read the Old Testament in Hebrew and in Greek. Not every local church settled every question about every book at the same time. Over time, Church councils stated the list clearly. The Council of Trent wrote it down formally in 1546, answering the debates of the Reformation. Trent did not write these books or add new ones: the same list already appeared in earlier Church decisions.
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The short answer
The Catholic Bible has 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Most Protestant Bibles have 66 because they don’t include seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament. Early Protestant Bibles often printed these books in a separate Apocrypha section. They weren’t simply removed: their place and status in the Bible changed.
When you choose a Bible, check the table of contents, not just the cover. A Catholic edition includes Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, First Maccabees, Second Maccabees, and the extra passages in Esther and Daniel.
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