The Bible is the sacred book of Christians. It is made up of the Old Testament, which tells the story of the people of Israel and prepares the way for the coming of the Messiah, and the New Testament, which focuses on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the birth of the Church. Although Catholics and Protestants both recognise the Bible as the Word of God, there are significant differences between their respective versions. These differences mainly concern the number of books, their organisation and sometimes the way they are interpreted.
The question of the biblical canon
The essential distinction is based on what is known as the canon, i.e. the list of books considered to be inspired and authoritative in the faith.
The Catholic Bible contains 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
The Protestant Bible, on the other hand, contains 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
Thus, the difference does not concern the New Testament, which is identical among all Christians, but rather the Old Testament.
The "deuterocanonicals" and the "apocrypha"
The divergence dates back to the 16th century, during the Protestant Reformation. Catholics include so-called deuterocanonical books in their Bible: the Book of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, the 1st and 2nd Books of Maccabees, as well as additional passages in Esther and Daniel.
These writings come from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Bible used by the Jews of the Diaspora at the time of Jesus. The Catholic Church received them as inspired and confirmed them at the Council of Trent (1546).
In contrast, Protestants, following the example of Martin Luther, have chosen to conform to the Hebrew canon set by Judaism, which does not include these books. They often call them "apocrypha" and consider them historically and spiritually interesting, but not normative for the faith.
Organisation and translation
Beyond the number of books, there are sometimes differences in the order of the books. For example, in Protestant Bibles, the Old Testament is often arranged according to the Hebrew canon (Law, Prophets, Writings), whereas the Catholic Bible retains the organisation of the Septuagint.
The translation can also vary. Some Protestant versions favour language closer to the original Hebrew and Greek text, while the Catholic tradition long used the Latin Vulgate translated by Saint Jerome, before opening the way to modern translations from the original texts.
Differences in interpretation
Finally, there is a difference in approach to interpretation.
With Catholics, Scripture is read in the light of Tradition and the teaching of the Church, considered to be the guarantor of the authentic interpretation of the Word of God.
With Protestants, the principle of Sola Scriptura is insisted upon: Scripture alone is the ultimate source of faith, and each believer is encouraged to read and interpret it personally, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual consequences
These differences in canon and approach influence the spiritual life. The Deuterocanonical books, for example, enrich Catholic spirituality with important passages: the Maccabees' prayer for the dead, the wisdom teachings of Sirach, or God's providential role in history as recounted by Tobit and Judith. Protestants, on the other hand, insist more on strict fidelity to the Scriptures recognised by the Jewish people and emphasise a direct and personal reading of the biblical text.
Conclusion
The Catholic Bible and the Protestant Bible have the same heart: the Good News of Jesus Christ, transmitted in the 27 books of the New Testament. But they differ in terms of the Old Testament: 73 books for the Catholic Bible compared with 66 for the Protestant, due to the place given or not given to the Deuterocanonical books. These differences reflect long-standing historical and theological choices, but they do not prevent the two traditions from coming together in what is essential: faith in Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, which unites all Christians.
