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What Bible Do Catholics Use? The 73-Book Catholic Canon, Explained

Catholics use a 73-book Bible: 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books, including 7 deuterocanonical books. See the approved translations and why.

By 1765 Sanctum Co. · Updated July 7, 2026

Catholics use a Bible of 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. This canon includes seven deuterocanonical books—Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch—plus additional passages in Esther and Daniel, all of which were part of the Greek Septuagint used by the early Church. The Church listed this canon at the Council of Rome (382) and defined it dogmatically at the Council of Trent (1546); the Catechism sets it out in paragraph 120. For English, Catholics commonly use the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE / RSV-2CE), or the traditional Douay-Rheims. In the United States, the readings proclaimed at Mass come from the Lectionary, which is based on the revised New American Bible.

How Many Books Are in the Catholic Bible?

The Catholic Bible contains 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. This is the canon the Catechism of the Catholic Church lists in paragraph 120, which notes the total can also be given as 45 Old Testament books if Jeremiah and Lamentations are counted as a single work. The New Testament—the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the letters, and Revelation—is identical to the New Testament used across Christianity. The difference lies in the Old Testament. Catholic Bibles include seven books, plus some passages in Esther and Daniel, that most Protestant Bibles do not, which is why a typical Protestant Bible contains 66 books rather than 73. Catholics did not add these books; they preserved the fuller Old Testament that the early Church received through the Greek Septuagint. Understanding this one difference answers most questions about why a Catholic Bible can look a little thicker on the shelf.

The 7 Deuterocanonical Books

The seven books found in Catholic Bibles but not in most Protestant editions are called the deuterocanonical books. The word means second canon—a reference to their place being formally affirmed at a later stage of history, not a claim that they are second-rate or less inspired. The Church receives all seven as fully inspired Sacred Scripture:

Tobit
Judith
Wisdom (the Wisdom of Solomon)
Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus
Baruch, which includes the Letter of Jeremiah
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees

Catholic Bibles also carry longer forms of Esther and Daniel—the latter including the accounts of Susanna and of Bel and the Dragon. Some Protestant Bibles gather these same texts into a separate section labeled the Apocrypha. Catholics receive them within the one inspired Old Testament, exactly as the early Church did, without treating them as a lesser appendix.

Why the Catholic Bible Includes These Books

The deuterocanonical books were not a medieval invention. They belonged to the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures widely used in the time of Jesus and the apostles. When the New Testament authors quote the Old Testament, the majority of their citations follow this Greek version—the same collection that carried the deuterocanonical books. The New Testament even echoes them: Hebrews 11:35 recalls the mother and her seven sons martyred in 2 Maccabees 7, who endured torture in hope of the resurrection. The early Church read these books as Scripture, and the Council of Rome (382), followed by regional councils at Hippo and Carthage, listed the same 73-book canon Catholics use today. When the question was reopened during the Reformation, the Council of Trent (1546) solemnly reaffirmed this canon. For a deeper, source-by-source defense of the canon and other hard questions, see Sed Contra, our answer engine for tough questions about the faith.

Approved Catholic Bible Translations in English

An approved Catholic Bible carries an imprimatur—an official declaration that it is free of doctrinal error—and includes all 73 books. The most widely used English translations are:

New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) — approved by the U.S. bishops in 2010, and the most common Catholic Bible in the United States for study and personal reading.
Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) and its update, the RSV Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) — a literal, dignified translation favored by many for study and prayer.
Douay-Rheims — the classic English Catholic Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate and revised by Bishop Richard Challoner in the 1700s, prized for its traditional, reverent language.

At Mass in the United States, the readings are proclaimed from the Lectionary, which is based on the revised New American Bible. Any of these translations is fully Catholic; the choice comes down to how you intend to read and pray.

Which Catholic Bible Should You Choose?

There is no single 'best' Catholic Bible—only the one you will actually open. A few simple guides: choose the NABRE if you want the translation you will hear echoed at Mass along with helpful study notes; choose the RSV-2CE if you prefer a more formal, literal rendering that reads beautifully aloud; choose the Douay-Rheims if you are drawn to traditional devotion and the cadence of the Vulgate. Whichever you pick, confirm it has an imprimatur and contains all 73 books. Then build a habit: even ten minutes a day in the Gospels will form a man more deeply than a shelf of unread study Bibles. Pairing daily Scripture with a simple rule of life keeps the practice from drifting, and if you are just getting started, our Catholic resources point you toward solid places to begin. The goal is not to own the right Bible, but to let the Word of God shape how you live.

Scripture, the Church, and Sacred Tradition

Where did the list of 73 books come from? The Catechism teaches that "it was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books" (CCC 120). The Bible did not arrive bound and indexed; the Holy Spirit guided the Church to recognize which writings were inspired. This is why Catholics read Scripture within the living Tradition of the Church, not apart from it. The Catechism also insists that the Old Testament is "an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture," divinely inspired and never revoked (CCC 121-123)—which is why the Church has always rejected any attempt to discard it. For anyone exploring the Catholic faith, or returning to it, learning to read the Bible with the Church is a natural first step; the OCIA process is where many begin that journey.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Catholic Bible?

The Catholic Bible has 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Catechism lists this canon in paragraph 120 (noting the Old Testament can also be counted as 45 books if Jeremiah and Lamentations are treated as one). Most Protestant Bibles contain 66 books, following a shorter Old Testament canon.

What are the 7 books in a Catholic Bible that Protestants don't have?

The seven deuterocanonical books are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom (the Wisdom of Solomon), Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus), Baruch (which includes the Letter of Jeremiah), 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees. Catholic Bibles also include longer forms of Esther and Daniel. All were part of the Greek Septuagint used by the early Church.

What is the difference between a Catholic Bible and a Protestant Bible?

The New Testament is the same 27 books in both. The difference is in the Old Testament: a Catholic Bible has 46 books, following the Greek Septuagint canon received by the early Church, while most Protestant Bibles have 39, following the shorter Hebrew canon. This is why a Catholic Bible has 73 books and a typical Protestant Bible has 66.

Which Bible translation is best for Catholics?

There is no single best translation—several are fully approved. The NABRE is the most common in the United States and is the basis for the Mass Lectionary; the RSV-CE and RSV-2CE are literal and well suited to study and prayer; the Douay-Rheims offers traditional, reverent language from the Latin Vulgate. Choose one with an imprimatur and all 73 books.

What Bible is used at Catholic Mass in the United States?

The Scripture readings at Mass come from the Lectionary, which in U.S. dioceses is based on the revised New American Bible. Since 2002 it has been the only English-language Lectionary approved for Mass in the United States (apart from the separate Lectionary for Masses with Children).

Are the deuterocanonical books the same as the Apocrypha?

They refer to the same books, but the terms carry different meanings. Catholics call them deuterocanonical and receive them as fully inspired Scripture. Some Protestant traditions call them the Apocrypha and place them in a separate section or omit them. The Council of Trent (1546) dogmatically affirmed them as canonical Scripture.

More answered across the site — the Sanctum FAQ hub.

Primary Sources

Every doctrinal claim on this page traces to a named primary source — verified against the Catechism (vatican.va), Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 120 (vatican.va) — The canon of Scripture is 46 Old Testament books (or 45 if Jeremiah and Lamentations are counted as one) plus 27 New Testament books, totaling 73; the full list names Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch among the Old Testament books.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 120 (vatican.va) — "It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 121-123 (vatican.va) — The Old Testament is 'an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture,' divinely inspired and of permanent value because the Old Covenant has never been revoked; the Church has always opposed rejecting the Old Testament (Marcionism).
Council of Trent, Fourth Session, Decree Concerning the Canonical Scriptures, 8 April 1546 (Wikisource; EWTN) — The Council listed the sacred books, including the deuterocanonical books (Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees), as canonical Scripture and attached an anathema to those who reject them.
Deuterocanonical books (Wikipedia); Defending the Deuterocanonicals (EWTN) — The seven deuterocanonical books are Tobit, Judith, Baruch (with the Letter of Jeremiah), Sirach/Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, 1 and 2 Maccabees, along with the Greek additions to Esther and Daniel.
Defending the Deuterocanonicals (EWTN); How to Defend the Deuterocanonicals (Catholic Answers) — By the time of Christ the Septuagint contained the deuterocanonical books, and the early Church and apostles used the Septuagint; the majority of Old Testament quotations in the New Testament follow the Septuagint.
USCCB — Liturgy / Questions about the Lectionary (usccb.org) — The Lectionary used at Mass in U.S. dioceses is based on the revised New American Bible, and since 2002 it is the only English-language Lectionary approved for Mass in the United States (apart from the Lectionary for Masses with Children).
New American Bible Revised Edition (Wikipedia); USCCB — The NABRE was approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2010 and is the most widely used Catholic Bible in the United States.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (Wikipedia) — The RSV Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) was released by Ignatius Press in 2006, revised according to the norms of Liturgiam Authenticam.
Catholic Bibles: A Guide to Current Catholic Translations (MaybeToday.org); Douay-Rheims history — The Douay-Rheims Bible was translated from the Latin Vulgate and revised by Bishop Richard Challoner (1749-1752), known for its literal fidelity and traditional language.

Verified by 1765 Sanctum Co., July 7, 2026. Found an error? [email protected] — errata corrected the day they're found.

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