Returning Catholics FAQs: More About the Bible

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of  When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

Why do Catholics have more books in the Bible than Protestants do? And why aren’t the Gnostic gospels of Mary Magdalene and the rest in the Catholic Bible? What is the Church afraid of?

There are differences in translations in all Bibles, but the biggest difference in Catholic Bibles is the inclusion of seven books (Tobit, ?????Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and I and II Maccabees). They were present in the Greek Old Testament, but not in the Hebrew Old Testament. When Protestants broke from the Church, they rejected those books.

As for what are called the Gnostic gospels, the Church isn’t afraid of them. However, we believe these heretical writings are riddled with errors and inaccuracies about the sacraments and other teachings, and that’s why they aren’t in our Bible, the inspired word of God.

By Melanie

Melanie Rigney is the author of Radical Saints: 21 Women for the 21st Century and other Catholic books. She is a contributor to Living Faith and other Catholic blogs. She lives in Arlington, Virginia. Melanie also owns Editor for You, a publishing consultancy that since 2003 has helped hundreds of writers, publishers, and agents.

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