Question:
Greg,
I
was wondering why the Roman Catholic Bible has more books in it than the
Protestant Bible? Are these extra
books important enough that they should be read too?
Lisa
Answer: Dear Lisa,
The
extra books in the Catholic version to which you have reference are called the
Apocrypha. How these books are
viewed is one of the differences between Catholics and Protestants (with the
exception of Anglicans, who accept the Apocrypha).
The Protestant Reformation repudiated the books of the Apocrypha, not
accepting them as inspired or part of the biblical canon.
The Catholics, at the same time, in the Council of Trent, reiterated
their historic view that these books belong in the Bible.
In
Christ,