How many books are there in the Catholic Bible in total?

How many books are there in the Catholic Bible in total?

• A. 73
• B. 66
• C. 39
• D. 27

Answer: (A)

Understanding how different biblical canons are organized helps explain the numbers. The Catholic Bible includes 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, for a total of 73. The extra seven books in the Old Testament—Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees—along with the expanded sections in Esther and Daniel, are considered deuterocanonical in Catholic tradition. Protestant Bibles omit these books, which is why they total 66 books (39 Old Testament plus 27 New Testament). The New Testament count is the same across traditions, at 27. So the Catholic total is 73.

Understanding how different biblical canons are organized helps explain the numbers. The Catholic Bible includes 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, for a total of 73. The extra seven books in the Old Testament—Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees—along with the expanded sections in Esther and Daniel, are considered deuterocanonical in Catholic tradition. Protestant Bibles omit these books, which is why they total 66 books (39 Old Testament plus 27 New Testament). The New Testament count is the same across traditions, at 27. So the Catholic total is 73.