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Different Bibles -

Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant Bibles vary in the number of books they contain. Protestants have 66 books in their Bibles, Catholics 73, and Eastern Orthodox up to 81. Many have wondered whether this difference is evidence of manipulation.

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Biblical apocrypha -

The truth is that the difference is made up of the biblical apocrypha, which are basically a collection of books that were not included in the original Hebrew Bible.

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Origin -

This difference between denominations started with an Egyptian pharaoh known as Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Between 284 and 246 BCE, Ptolemy requested Jewish scholars translate the Hebrew Bible into Greek so that it could be kept in his library in Alexandria.

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Context -

The Apocrypha was largely written during the period between the Testaments when Jewish life was under Hellenistic and Roman influence. This era saw significant cultural and religious tension, and the texts reflect themes of struggle, faith, and divine providence.

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Septuagint -

Alongside the Hebrew Bible, scholars also translated several other books common to Jewish culture. These were all compiled into what is known as the Septuagint, written in Greek.

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Jewish use -

Over time, Jews started preferring to read the Septuagint, since they were more familiar with Greek than their ancestral Hebrew.

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Canon vs Apocrypha - The Septuagint contained books that Jews considered either as part of the Hebrew Bible canon, or believed to be non-canonical (apocryphal). These non-canonical works eventually became a point of contention in Christian traditions.

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Etymology -

While the word “apocrypha” has come to mean esoteric, heretical, or even false, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, the Latin word apocryphus simply means “secret,” and comes from the two Greek words apo (away) and kryptein (to conceal or hide).

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Early Christian views -

In the early Church, the Septuagint was widely used, but there was no consensus on whether the Apocrypha was actually authoritative, which led to differing views on whether the books should be included or not.

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Council of Carthage -

In 397 CE, the Council of Carthage recognized some apocryphal books as authoritative, giving rise to the term "Deuterocanonical" (or “second canon”) to describe these works.

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The Great Schism -

In 1054 CE a profound rupture occurred between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Churches, an event which has come to be known as the Great Schism. By then, both Churches had already developed different views on which parts of the Bible were canonical.

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Multiple canons -

The Eastern Orthodox Church considered all the text in the Septuagint as canon, while the Catholic Church accepted only some of the apocryphal text as “second canon.”

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Rejection -

On the other hand, the Protestant Church, which was recognized from 1517, has outright rejected the Apocrypha under the claims that the books do not carry the same authority as the other texts. As such, they are not used in teachings.

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Other writings -

Many gospels and epistles were written by early Christians, but much of what was written was either unreliable or simply false. As a result, Church Fathers needed to determine which books should actually form part of the New Testament canon.

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Apostolic influence -

To become part of the canon, a book had to meet three criteria. The first was that the book in question should have been written by an apostle or a close associate of an apostle.

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Alignment - The second factor was that the book had to align with the existing and accepted theology. The Scripture that was already considered canon was basically a framework to cross-examine other texts.

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Mass use -

The third and final criterion was that the book had to already be in use by the larger Christian community. If a book was widely used (whether in worship or liturgies), it had a better chance of being accepted as part of the New Testament.

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Athanasius of Alexandria’s list -

The first complete list of the 27 New Testament books, as they are recognized today, appeared in the Paschal Letter in 367 CE, written by Athanasius of Alexandria (pictured). It took more than 250 years to establish the New Testament canon.

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Codex Vaticanus -

Interestingly, a manuscript known as the Codex Vaticanus, which supports Athanasius’ list, was written in Rome around the same time. It’s clear that early scholars didn’t decide which books should be included on a whim. Instead, it was a carefully thought-out process over years.

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Many gospels -

Over time, scholars have discovered that there are actually more than 30 gospels in existence. However, only four of them appear in the accepted Scripture: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The others didn’t meet the criteria established by the Church Fathers.

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Luther Bible -

The Luther Bible of 1534, translated into German by a Protestant reformer, was the first to publish the Apocrypha as a separate section between the Old and New Testaments.

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Another print -

The apocryphal books were also included in the original 1611 King James Bible. They were always published as a separate section to the Old and New Testaments, because they weren’t considered equal to Scripture proper.

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King James Bible -

Pictured here is the contents page in a complete 80-book King James Bible that was printed in 1769. It lists the Old and New Testaments, as well as "The Books called Apocrypha." The apocrypha was part of the King James Bible for 274 years before being removed in 1885.

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A matter of money -

Many societies in North America and the United Kingdom petitioned to not be required to print the Apocrypha, which was done with one reason in mind: costs. By omitting the Apocrypha, Bibles would ultimately be less costly to produce.

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European Bibles -

In Europe, some editions of the Bible continued to include the 14 books of the Apocrypha, resulting in Bibles with 80 books divided into Old Testament, New Testament, and Apocrypha sections.

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Modern editions -

Most modern printings of the Bible (and even reprintings of the King James Bible) omit the Apocrypha. Newer translations never include them either. There are, of course, exceptions.

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No restrictions -

Some editions of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, as well as the New Revised Standard Version, include the Apocrypha in its entirety. In the US, the American Bible Society doesn’t have any restrictions on whether Bibles should or should not include these texts.

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Influence -

The Apocrypha has had a profound influence on Western literature and art. Many apocryphal texts have inspired Renaissance painters, playwrights, and poets, since they touch passionately on themes of virtue, heroism, and morality.

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Enduring legacy -

The Apocrypha's enduring legacy lies in its rich spiritual, moral, and historical content. Their existence has continued to influence Christian theology, art, and ethics to this day.

Sources: (Britannica) (Christianity.com) (King James Bible Online) (TheCollector) (Tyndale House)

See also: The meaning of 666 and other numbers in the Bible

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