It is no longer news that the popular Bibles we have in most protestant churches today are different from the ones used by the Catholic church.
The major difference is the number of books in these Bibles.
The protestant church’s Bible contains 66 books, while the Catholic church’s Bible has 73 books.
The Roman Catholic Bible has additional books known as the ApocryphaApocrypha or the deuterocanonical books.
There is also a group of books called the pseudepigrapha not included in the present protestant Bibles.
Apocrypha is a historical book that is considered good reading but not fit to be considered scriptural canon.
Examples of these books include the Book of Maccabees, the Book of Tobit, etc.
On the other hand, pseudepigrapha books are those written under pseudonyms to drive readership, adoption, or sales.
Writers of pseudepigrapha wrote books in the names of popular biblical characters. However, the content of these books does not reflect values fit for doctrines.
In fact, they included antibiblical doctrines aimed at directly attacking biblical truths.
Examples are the Book of Enoch, the Testament of Job, the Apocalypse of Ezra, the Prayer of Joseph, etc. However, the Apocrypha is in the Catholic Bible but not in Protestant Bibles. However, the pseudepigrapha books were not included in the canonical Bibles.
If you want to learn about some books removed from the Bible and the reasons given for their omission, keep reading this article.
What books were removed from the Bible?
It must be stated that the Protestant Bible is the one from which certain books were removed.
The Roman Catholic’s Bible still contains the Apocrypha. They are Tobias, Judith, Baruch, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, First and Second Maccabees, and Greek additions to Esther and Daniel.
These books were not just yanked off the Bible. Many factors played some roles in these books’ removal from the Bible. They are;
Not included in the Hebrew Bible.
One key reason for the removal of the Apocrypha or the deuterocanonical books from the Bible was that they were not a part of the Hebrew Bible.
The Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh, is the recognized Bible endorsed and used by the Jewish people.
The Bible is divided into three parts: the Torah, which includes the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy); Neviim, including books about the major prophets and key Hebrew people like Joshua, Judges, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc., and the Ketuvim, including poems, drama and other writings like Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, etc.
The combination of these books makes 24 books.
Another factor considered is that the Apocrypha books were not written in the Hebrew language but in the Greek language.
The Hebrew Bible was written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Any book written in other languages was considered not scripture. However, the New Testament books were written in the Greek language. But the Old Testament, which is the foundation of the New Testament, was written in Hebrew.
When the Pentecostal church reformists, spearheaded by Martin Luther, wanted a Bible that reflected their doctrines and showed a difference from the Catholic church, they adopted the Hebrew Bible, which they recognized as the original Bible.
The first published German Bible translation compiled by Martin Luther, however, contained the Apocrypha. But it was separated from the other books.
Martin Luther placed it in a separate section of the Bible, adding a note that it was only useful for reading, not for establishing doctrine.
As time went by, these books were totally removed from the Pentecostal Bibles but still maintained by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Protestant churches.
Historical elements
Some of the books not included in the Bible highlighted historical events that were not recorded in the Hebrew Bible.
For example, First and Second Maccabees told the story of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. However, this story was not covered in the Hebrew Bible.
The books extensively gave the account of how Judas Maccabeus and his brothers organized military campaigns and struggled to attain victory, reclaim the temple, rededicate it, and establish the Hasmonean dynasty.
Since this story was not recorded in the trusted Hebrew Bible, the Jewish people only considered them worthy of reading but not fit to build doctrines.
Also, the book of Tobit records the life of exiled Jewish people in Nineveh and their experiences.
In the Hebrew Bible, there is no record of the life and times of Jewish people in Nineveh.
The only record of Nineveh was their sins and repentance and how Jonah played a role in taking God’s message of impending judgment to them after trying to run away from the assignment.
The only record of the Jewish people in exile was when they were defeated, captured, and taken to Babylon (Jeremiah 20–22; 24–29; 32; 34–45; 52).
Since the Hebrew Bible only focused on the Jewish exile experience in Babylon and the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt, Tobit’s exile account in Nineveh can be disputed.
Therefore, the Apocrypha was not included in the Bible to avoid issues about inaccurate historical facts and events.
Doctrinal and theological concerns
A critical reason the Apocrypha was removed from the Bible was because of doctrinal and theological issues that are unbiblical and strange.
Here are some:
Miracles and beliefs
Tobit recorded one of the strangest spiritual insights in direct contrast to God’s Word.
According to Tobit 6:1-8, the angel Raphael instructed Tobias on how to use a fish’s organs to drive away a demon. T
his is strange because God’s Word in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) made no reference to exorcism. However, in 1 Samuel 16, 18, and 19, David drove out evil spirits tormenting King Saul by playing the harp.
In the New Testament, which gave the record of Jesus Christ’s ministry, Jesus used His authority as the Son of God to cast out devils.
He also gave His disciples and all who believe in Him the power and authority to do the same (Mark 3:14-15, Luke 10:19).
In Philippians 2:9-11, the Bible tells us that the name of Jesus is above every other name, and at the mention of that every knee should bow, and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
Also, when the devil came to tempt Jesus after His forty days and nights fasting in the wilderness, the Bible records that overcame the devil through the written Word of God, using the popular phrase “it is written” (Matthew 4:1-11)
There’s no record of any angel casting out the devil in the Bible nor any prophet or holy man using an organ of any animal to perform exorcism.
That practice is not biblical.
Intercession of deceased saints
Another theological issue that led to the exclusion of the Apocrypha from the Bible is the intercession of deceased saints for the living recorded in 2 Maccabees.
In 2 Maccabees 15:12-16, Judas Maccabeus had a vision where he saw the prophet Jeremiah and high priest Onias interceding for the Jewish people.
This concept is not in the Hebrew Bible. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus in the New Testament, the records show the rich man who found himself in hell pleaded with Abraham to allow him to return to earth to warn his brother so they would not end like him.
However, Abraham said there were more than enough living prophets to do that (Luke 16:19-31). In other words, the dead have no business doing the work of the willing.
Based on this story, all saints are resting, awaiting judgment day.
They cannot pray nor intercede for the living.
The only intercessor we have is Jesus Christ (Hebrew 7:27).
Prayer for the dead
Prayer for the dead also contributed to the doctrinal clash between the Apocrypha and the Hebrew Bible.
2 Maccabees 12:39-45 discusses praying for the dead, suggesting the dead have hope or can benefit from earthly offerings and sacrifices.
The Hebrew Bible does not support it. It frowns against any form of sacrifice aimed at connecting with the spirit of the dead through mediums (Leviticus 19:31, Isaiah 8:19)
Almsgiving for salvation
Tobit 12:9 says, “For almsgiving saves from death, and purges all sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life.”
In other words, almsgiving is a criterion for salvation, and those who can afford to help the needy would be sinless irrespective of their lifestyle as long as they can give alms.
Tobit 4:7-11 also emphasizes the same thought.
This view directly contradicts what the Hebrew Bible says about salvation.
According to the Old Testament, people are saved through faith in God and obedience to His commands.
Habakkuk 2:4 says, the righteous shall live by faith. Romans 4:3 says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Therefore, having faith in the one true God of Israel is what brings salvation, not being good. Anyone can be good or moral. However, without faith in God and confessing Jesus as one’s Lord and personal Savior, salvation is not guaranteed.
Therefore, the Apocrypha contradicts the Bible on the most significant aspect of Christianity.
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David Akeju is a Christian writer who believes in the transformational power of God’s Word. His articles and books have been published on global platforms, and thousands of lives have been touched. He works with pastors and ministers, churches and ministries, and brands.