Bible Differences by Religion: Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish

Does the Bible “Change” by Religion?

People often say, “Catholics added books,” or “Protestants removed books,” or “Jews have a different Bible.” Those statements are usually trying to describe a real difference, but they can be misleading. A more accurate way to say it is this: different religious communities have different canons—official lists of which writings are recognized as Scripture.

Judaism and Christianity share a common heritage in the Scriptures of Israel, but they do not structure and receive that collection in exactly the same way. Christianity also includes the New Testament, which Judaism does not accept as Scripture.

First, What Is a Canon?

The word canon refers to a standard or rule, and in this context it means the set of books a community treats as sacred and authoritative. Canons formed through long historical processes: texts were read in worship, taught in communities, copied and preserved, and increasingly recognized as normative. Over time, explicit lists became clearer, but not all traditions finalized those lists in the same way.

Judaism: The Tanakh

The Jewish Bible is commonly called the Tanakh, an acronym formed from its three sections: Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). It is traditionally counted as 24 books. In many cases, this corresponds to the same content as the Christian Old Testament, but counted and ordered differently due to how certain writings are grouped.

Judaism does not include the New Testament because it does not recognize those writings as Scripture and does not accept Jesus as Messiah in the way Christianity does.

Catholic Christianity: 73 Books and the Deuterocanon

A typical Catholic Bible contains 73 books. The New Testament is 27 books, as in most Christian traditions, but the Old Testament includes additional writings that many Protestant editions do not include as Scripture. These are commonly called the deuterocanonical books: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, and 1–2 Maccabees, plus additions to Esther and Daniel in many Catholic editions.

In Catholic life these texts are not “extra reading.” They are used in worship and teaching, and they shape Catholic spirituality and historical memory (for example, the Maccabean period).

Protestant / Evangelical Christianity: 66 Books

Many Protestant Bibles (and therefore many evangelical Bibles) contain 66 books: 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament. In this tradition, the deuterocanonical books are usually not included in the Old Testament canon. Historically, some Protestant editions printed them in a separate section called Apocrypha as useful historical or devotional reading, but not as a doctrinal standard. Many modern editions omit that section entirely.

The result is practical: a Protestant reader may be unfamiliar with books like Tobit or 2 Maccabees, while a Catholic reader may treat them as normal Scripture.

More Than a Book Count

Differences between traditions are not only about how many books are listed. They also involve:

• Order of books: the Tanakh is organized in a different structure than most Christian Old Testaments.
• Naming and grouping: the same content can be counted differently (for example, the Twelve Minor Prophets as one book in Jewish counting).
• Translation traditions: communities often prefer certain historical translations and styles.
• Interpretive frameworks: how texts are read in worship and theology shapes what passages are emphasized.

So Was the Bible “Changed”?

It is better to say that the Bible was received and defined differently by different communities over time. In the ancient world, there were multiple textual traditions and collections in use. As Judaism and Christianity developed, and as Christianity developed internal diversity, different canonical boundaries became standard in different places.

Understanding this history helps reduce confusion and unnecessary conflict. If someone references a passage you cannot find, the most helpful question is not “Who edited it out?” but “Which canon is that coming from?”

Why This Matters for Readers

Knowing these differences helps you read with context. It explains why a Bible table of contents can vary by tradition, and why debates about “missing books” show up online. It also encourages careful dialogue: people may be quoting from different canonical traditions while assuming they are discussing the same book list.

In short: Judaism, Catholic Christianity, and Protestant Christianity share many texts and a deep historical connection, but they differ in canon, order, and sometimes liturgical usage.