Walk into a Catholic parish on any Sunday, and you will hear Scripture read aloud from a Bible that contains seven more books than the one sitting on most Protestant nightstands. That single fact surprises a lot of people, and it is exactly why so many readers type “what bible does the catholic church use” into a search bar. The answer is not as simple as naming one book, because the Church approves several translations for different purposes: one for Mass, others for study, and still others for private prayer and devotion.
If you have ever stood in a bookstore aisle staring at spines labeled NABRE, RSV-CE, Douay-Rheims, and Jerusalem Bible, you know how confusing the choice can feel. Pick the wrong one and you might end up with a translation that clashes with what your parish reads, or one written in English so old it slows your reading to a crawl. In this guide, you will learn which books make up the Catholic canon, why those extra books are there, which translations carry official Church approval, how the Lectionary differs from a study Bible, what an imprimatur actually means, and how to choose the edition that fits your life. By the end, you will be able to walk into any store or website and pick a Catholic Bible with confidence.
The Catholic Bible Explained: 73 Books, Not 66
Let’s start with the foundation. The Catholic Church uses a Bible containing 73 books — 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament — and in English-speaking countries the most widely used approved translations are the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE and its Second Edition), the New Jerusalem Bible, the Jerusalem Bible, and the historic Douay-Rheims. Protestant Bibles, by contrast, contain 66 books because they exclude seven Old Testament works along with sections of Esther and Daniel.
Those seven additional books are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees. Catholics call them the deuterocanonical books, a term that means “second canon.” The word does not mean second-rate or less inspired. It simply reflects that the early Church settled discussion about these books slightly later than it did for books like Genesis or Isaiah. Many Protestants call the same collection the Apocrypha, which carries a very different tone.
The New Testament looks identical in Catholic and Protestant Bibles. All 27 books — the four Gospels, Acts, the letters of Paul, the general epistles, and Revelation — appear in both. So the entire difference between a Catholic Bible and a Protestant one sits in the Old Testament, plus some additional passages in Esther (often labeled chapters 10:4 through 16:24) and Daniel (the Prayer of Azariah, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon).
Here is a quick side-by-side view of what separates the two canons:
| Feature | Catholic Bible | Protestant Bible |
|---|---|---|
| Total books | 73 | 66 |
| Old Testament books | 46 | 39 |
| New Testament books | 27 | 27 |
| Deuterocanonical books | Included in the Old Testament | Omitted or placed in a separate “Apocrypha” section |
| Extra passages in Esther and Daniel | Included | Usually omitted |
| Approval marking | Imprimatur and nihil obstat | No equivalent requirement |
One practical note before we go deeper: a Bible that says “Catholic Edition” on the cover almost always includes all 73 books arranged in the traditional Catholic order, with the deuterocanonical books woven into the Old Testament rather than tucked in the back. That arrangement matters because it reflects how the Church reads Scripture as one continuous story.
Where the Seven Extra Books Came From
The story of the Catholic canon starts long before Christianity. Around the third century before Christ, Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. That translation, known as the Septuagint, became the Bible of Greek-speaking Jews across the Mediterranean world. It included the books Catholics now call deuterocanonical.
The earliest Christians spoke and wrote in Greek, so the Septuagint became their Old Testament by default. When New Testament writers quote the Old Testament, they overwhelmingly quote the Greek Septuagint rather than the Hebrew text. Scholars estimate that roughly 300 of the 350 or so Old Testament quotations in the New Testament follow Septuagint wording. That gives you a sense of how deeply embedded this version was in the early Church.
How the Canon Took Shape
Church councils in the late fourth century put the list in writing. The Council of Rome in 382, the Council of Hippo in 393, and the Councils of Carthage in 397 and 419 all affirmed the same 73-book canon. St. Jerome then translated the Scriptures into Latin, producing the Vulgate, which served as the Church’s standard Bible for more than a thousand years.
Why Protestants Removed Them
During the Reformation in the 1500s, Martin Luther and other reformers argued that the Old Testament should match the shorter Hebrew canon used by rabbinic Judaism. Luther moved the deuterocanonical books to a separate appendix in his German Bible, calling them useful but not equal to Scripture. Later Protestant printers dropped them altogether. The Catholic Church responded at the Council of Trent in 1546 by formally and definitively reaffirming the 73-book canon.
Here is the timeline in order:
- Roughly 250 to 100 BC — Jewish scholars translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, creating the Septuagint.
- First century AD — New Testament writers quote the Septuagint extensively.
- 382 to 419 AD — Councils of Rome, Hippo, and Carthage list the 73-book canon.
- 405 AD — St. Jerome completes the Latin Vulgate.
- 1546 — The Council of Trent solemnly defines the canon in response to the Reformation.
- 1943 — Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu encourages translation from original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.
- 1965 — The Second Vatican Council’s Dei Verbum urges wide access to Scripture for all the faithful.
Interestingly, the King James Version of 1611 originally included the deuterocanonical books in a middle section. Publishers began printing King James Bibles without them in the 1800s, largely for cost reasons and shifting theological preferences. So the 66-book Bible many people assume has always existed is actually a relatively recent arrangement.
Approved Catholic Bible Translations You Can Trust
The Church does not name one single official English Bible. Instead, bishops’ conferences approve translations for specific uses. That means several Bibles carry legitimate Church approval, and each has its own personality. Let’s walk through the main ones.
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)
The NABRE is the translation behind the readings you hear at Mass in the United States, though the Lectionary uses a slightly older revision of the text. American bishops sponsored the project, and it draws on the earliest available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts. Its footnotes are extensive and scholarly, which some readers love and others find distracting. The English is clear and modern.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE and RSV-2CE)
The RSV-CE is a favorite among students, apologists, and clergy because it stays close to the original languages while keeping a dignified, literary rhythm. The Second Catholic Edition, published by Ignatius Press, updates archaic pronouns like “thee” and “thou” and adjusts a few key phrases. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible uses this text.
Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible
The Jerusalem Bible reads beautifully and became well known partly because J.R.R. Tolkien contributed to its translation work. Many English-speaking countries outside the United States, including England, Wales, Australia, and Ireland, have used it in their liturgy for decades. The New Jerusalem Bible and the newer Revised New Jerusalem Bible update the language further.
Douay-Rheims
This is the classic English Catholic Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate between 1582 and 1610, then revised by Bishop Richard Challoner in the 1700s. Its language echoes the King James style. Traditional Catholics prize it, and it remains excellent for devotional reading, though its older vocabulary can slow down beginners.
Other Approved Options
- New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE) — widely used in academic settings and by the Canadian Lectionary; uses gender-inclusive language for humanity.
- Good News Translation Catholic Edition — very simple English, great for children and new readers.
- Christian Community Bible — popular in the Philippines and Latin America, with pastoral commentary.
- Knox Bible — Monsignor Ronald Knox’s elegant solo translation from the Vulgate, recently reprinted.
- ESV Catholic Edition — approved by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and adopted for the Lectionary in England, Wales, and Scotland.
Picture a college student joining a parish Bible study. She buys an RSV-2CE study Bible because her group leader teaches from it, then downloads a free NABRE app so she can follow along with the daily Mass readings on her phone. Both choices are fully Catholic, and using two translations side by side actually deepens her understanding. That kind of mix-and-match approach works well for most people.
The Lectionary and the Vulgate: Bibles Beyond the Bookshelf
Here is something many Catholics never learn: the book a priest or lector reads from at Mass is not a standard Bible. It is called the Lectionary, and it arranges Scripture passages into a schedule for every day of the liturgical year. The Book of the Gospels, used for the Gospel reading in many parishes, is a separate volume again.
The Lectionary in the United States uses an adapted version of the New American Bible text, revised for public proclamation. Translators tweaked wording so it sounds natural when spoken aloud rather than read silently. That is why the words you hear at Mass sometimes differ slightly from the words printed in your NABRE at home. Nothing is wrong with either version — they simply serve different purposes.
The reading cycle itself is worth understanding:
- Sunday readings follow a three-year cycle labeled A, B, and C, focusing on Matthew, Mark, and Luke respectively, with John woven throughout.
- Weekday readings follow a two-year cycle labeled Year I (odd-numbered years) and Year II (even-numbered years).
- Each Sunday normally includes an Old Testament reading, a Responsorial Psalm, a New Testament reading, and a Gospel.
A Catholic who attends Mass every Sunday for three years hears a remarkably wide sweep of Scripture. Add daily Mass, and the coverage grows further — the two-year weekday cycle walks through most of the New Testament and large portions of the Old.
What About the Latin Vulgate?
The Vulgate still holds an honored place. In 1979, the Church published the Nova Vulgata, or New Vulgate, an updated Latin edition that serves as the official reference text for the Roman Rite. When translators prepare a new vernacular Bible for liturgical use, they check their work against the Nova Vulgata for consistency in key terms. So while almost nobody reads Latin at Mass today, the Vulgate quietly shapes the Bibles that people do read.
How to Tell If a Bible Is Genuinely Catholic
Publishers slap all sorts of words on covers, so you need a reliable way to check. Fortunately, the Church built in a simple verification system. Open the first few pages of any Catholic Bible and look for two Latin phrases.
The first is nihil obstat, meaning “nothing hinders.” A censor appointed by the diocese reviews the text and confirms it contains nothing contrary to Catholic faith or morals. The second is imprimatur, meaning “let it be printed.” A bishop grants this permission. Together, these declarations tell you the translation carries official approval. They do not mean the bishop endorses every footnote as infallible — only that nothing in the book contradicts Church teaching.
Use this quick checklist when you shop:
- Count the Old Testament books in the table of contents. You should find 46, including Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees.
- Look for “Catholic Edition” or “Catholic Bible” on the cover or title page.
- Flip to the copyright page and find the nihil obstat and imprimatur.
- Check that the deuterocanonical books sit inside the Old Testament, not in a separate appendix.
- Confirm Esther and Daniel include the longer versions with the additional passages.
Imagine you inherit a family Bible and want to know whether it is Catholic. Flip to the contents page. If you see Tobit right after Nehemiah and 1 Maccabees before Isaiah, you are holding a Catholic Bible. If the Old Testament jumps from Malachi straight to Matthew with only 39 books before it, you have a Protestant edition. That thirty-second check settles the question every time.
Clearing Up Common Misunderstandings
Plenty of myths circulate about Catholic Bibles, and some of them cause real confusion or hurt feelings. Let’s clear the biggest ones out of the way.
“Catholics Added Books to the Bible”
This gets the history backward. The 73-book canon existed first, affirmed by councils in the fourth century and used throughout Christendom for over a thousand years. Reformers removed books in the 1500s. Whatever you think about that decision, the Catholic canon is the older one.
“Catholics Aren’t Allowed to Read the Bible”
This claim traces back to old restrictions on unauthorized vernacular translations during periods of heresy, but it badly misrepresents Church teaching. The Second Vatican Council explicitly urged “easy access to Sacred Scripture” for all the faithful. The Church even grants indulgences for devotional Scripture reading. Popes have repeatedly encouraged daily Bible reading.
“The Catholic Bible Is a Different Book Entirely”
Not remotely. The New Testament is identical. The shared Old Testament books are identical. The difference amounts to seven books plus a handful of passages — meaningful, but far from a different religion’s scripture.
“Only One Translation Is Approved”
As we covered, multiple translations carry approval. Owning an RSV-CE when your parish reads from the NABRE creates no problem at all.
“The Deuterocanonical Books Are Boring or Unimportant”
Try reading Tobit, which tells a warm family story involving an angel in disguise, a dog, and a wedding. Or 2 Maccabees, which describes prayer for the dead and the resurrection hope. Wisdom contains a passage many readers find eerily prophetic about a righteous man being condemned. These books have shaped Catholic teaching on purgatory, the intercession of saints, and the afterlife.
One more practical misconception deserves mention: some people think Catholic Bibles use different chapter and verse numbers throughout. They mostly do not. Numbering matches standard Bibles except in the Psalms, where Catholic Bibles sometimes follow the Greek numbering that runs one number behind the Hebrew for much of the book. Most modern Catholic editions print both numbers to avoid confusion.
Choosing the Right Catholic Bible for Your Needs
The best Catholic Bible is the one you will actually open. Still, matching a translation to your goal saves frustration. Here is a comparison to guide your choice.
| Translation | Reading Style | Best For | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| NABRE | Modern, balanced | Following daily Mass readings, general study | Easy to moderate |
| RSV-2CE | Formal, literary | Serious study, apologetics, memorization | Moderate |
| New Jerusalem Bible | Flowing, literary | Devotional reading, prayer | Moderate |
| Douay-Rheims | Classic, archaic | Traditional devotion, historical study | Challenging |
| Good News Catholic Edition | Very simple | Children, teens, new readers | Very easy |
| NRSV-CE | Academic, precise | College courses, scholarly research | Moderate |
Study Bibles Worth Owning
A study Bible adds notes, maps, cross-references, and essays. Popular Catholic options include the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (RSV-2CE text with commentary by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch), the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible (NABRE with accessible notes), the Didache Bible (with commentary keyed to the Catechism), and the Catholic Bible Dictionary as a companion reference.
Free Digital Resources
- The USCCB website posts the daily Mass readings and the full NABRE text at no cost.
- Apps like Laudate, iBreviary, and Hallow include Scripture alongside prayers.
- Vatican.va hosts the Nova Vulgata and multiple language editions.
- Audio Bible apps let you listen during a commute or workout.
Format Matters More Than You Think
Consider a real scenario. A busy parent tries to read a thin-paper compact Bible with tiny print during ten quiet minutes before bed and gives up after a week. Switching to a large-print edition with wider margins changes everything. Think about where and when you will read, then choose paper quality, font size, and binding accordingly. A leather-bound Bible with sewn binding lasts decades and lies flat on a table. A paperback works fine for a study group you carry around.
Reading Your Catholic Bible Well: Practical Habits
Owning the right Bible is step one. Reading it fruitfully takes a bit of method. Catholic tradition offers time-tested approaches that make Scripture come alive rather than feel like homework.
Start With Lectio Divina
This ancient practice breaks reading into four movements. First, read a short passage slowly. Second, meditate on a word or phrase that stands out. Third, pray in response to what you noticed. Fourth, rest quietly in God’s presence. Ten to fifteen minutes works fine. Monks have used this method for over 1,500 years, and it turns reading into conversation.
Follow the Daily Readings
Rather than starting at Genesis and burning out in Leviticus, follow the Mass readings each day. You get an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, and a Gospel, all connected by theme. Over two to three years, you cover an enormous amount of Scripture without ever having to decide what to read next.
Use the Four Senses of Scripture
The Catechism describes four traditional layers of meaning:
- Literal — what the words actually say and what the author meant.
- Allegorical — how the passage points to Christ and the mysteries of faith.
- Moral — how it shapes the way you should live.
- Anagogical — how it points toward heaven and eternal life.
Reading with these layers in mind keeps you from flattening rich texts into simple moral lessons.
Read With the Church, Not Alone
Catholics interpret Scripture within a living tradition. Footnotes, the Catechism, and the writings of the Church Fathers help you avoid inventing meanings the text cannot support. Joining a parish Bible study adds accountability and perspective. If your parish does not offer one, many dioceses run online programs, and small groups often form around published study guides.
A helpful tip: keep a simple notebook. Write the date, the passage, and one sentence about what struck you. After six months, flipping back through those notes shows you patterns in your own spiritual life that you would otherwise miss entirely.
Questions People Ask Most About Catholic Bibles
Some questions come up again and again, whether in RCIA classes, comment sections, or conversations between friends of different denominations. Here are straight answers.
Can a Catholic read a Protestant Bible? Yes. Nothing forbids it. You simply miss the deuterocanonical books, and some translations reflect interpretive choices that differ from Catholic understanding. Many Catholics own an NIV or ESV for cross-reference while keeping a Catholic edition as their primary text.
Is the King James Version acceptable for Catholics? The KJV holds real literary value, and Catholics read it without any problem. It is not approved for liturgical use, and modern editions omit the deuterocanonical books. Treat it as a supplement rather than your main Bible.
Why do Catholic and Protestant Psalm numbers sometimes differ? The Greek Septuagint combines and divides certain Psalms differently than the Hebrew text. For most of the book, the Greek numbering runs one behind. Modern Catholic Bibles typically show both.
Do Orthodox Christians use the same Bible as Catholics? Almost. Eastern Orthodox canons include everything Catholics have plus a few more books, such as 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151, and in some traditions 1 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh. The Ethiopian Orthodox canon is broader still.
What Bible do Catholics use outside the United States? It varies by bishops’ conference. England, Wales, and Scotland adopted the ESV Catholic Edition for the Lectionary. Canada uses the NRSV. Australia and New Zealand have used the Jerusalem Bible and are transitioning to newer texts. Spanish-speaking countries commonly use the Biblia de Jerusalen or the Biblia Latinoamericana.
Which Bible should a convert buy first? Most parish RCIA leaders recommend either the NABRE, so your reading matches Mass, or the RSV-2CE, which reads well and works beautifully for study. Either choice serves you for years.
What Is Changing in the World of Catholic Bibles
Bible translation never really stops. Scholars discover manuscripts, language evolves, and bishops periodically commission updates. Several developments are worth watching.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been working for years on a full revision of the New American Bible, with the goal of producing a single unified text used for both the Lectionary and personal reading. The revised New Testament and Psalms have moved through committee stages, and once approved and implemented, the words you hear at Mass will finally match the words in your printed Bible. That change will affect roughly 60 million American Catholics.
Meanwhile, England, Wales, and Scotland adopted the ESV Catholic Edition for their new Lectionary, with the Abbey Psalms and Canticles for the responsorial psalms. That marked a significant shift away from the Jerusalem Bible after decades of use. The Revised New Jerusalem Bible, released in 2019, also gives readers a modernized option built on a beloved foundation.
Digital access keeps expanding too. Consider these shifts:
- Free apps now deliver the daily readings, saint biographies, and audio recordings to any phone.
- Study Bibles increasingly launch with companion apps, video series, and searchable commentary.
- Parishes stream Scripture studies online, letting homebound members participate.
- Searchable databases make comparing translations verse by verse effortless.
Here is a practical example of how this plays out. A Catholic in a rural parish with no Bible study can now join a diocesan online group, follow along in a digital NABRE, listen to an audio version during the drive to work, and check the Ignatius Study Bible notes on the same tablet. Twenty years ago, that person had a printed Bible and little else. Access has genuinely transformed.
None of these changes touch the canon itself. The 73 books stay exactly as the Council of Trent defined them. What changes is the English wording, the packaging, and the tools that help people engage. That stability is part of the point — the Church updates delivery while guarding the content.
So, to pull it all together: the Catholic Church uses a 73-book Bible built on the ancient Septuagint tradition and formally defined at councils stretching from the fourth century to Trent. In English, several approved translations serve different needs — the NABRE for Mass readings and everyday study in the United States, the RSV-2CE for serious study and apologetics, the Jerusalem and New Jerusalem Bibles for beautiful devotional reading, and the Douay-Rheims for those drawn to classic language. Check any Bible for a nihil obstat and imprimatur, count the Old Testament books, and you will know instantly whether it belongs in a Catholic home.
Understanding this matters far beyond winning a trivia question. Knowing which Bible to buy removes a barrier that keeps people from reading Scripture at all. Knowing why the deuterocanonical books belong there helps you explain your faith kindly to friends who ask. And knowing that the Church actively encourages daily Bible reading frees you from an old myth that has kept too many Catholics away from the page. Pick a translation that fits your reading style, start with today’s Mass readings or a short Gospel passage, and give it ten honest minutes. The Bible the Church has guarded for two thousand years was always meant to end up in your hands.
