The Catholic Old Testament contains how many books?

The Catholic Old Testament contains how many books?

• A. 40
• B. 46
• C. 39
• D. 27

Answer: (B)

The number comes from the canon the Catholic tradition accepts. Along with the books found in the Hebrew and Protestant canons, the Catholic Old Testament includes the deuterocanonical books—Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and additions to Esther and Daniel. Adding these to the standard 39 books brings the total to 46. Protestant and Hebrew canons do not include these deuterocanonical writings, so they have fewer books (39 in the Protestant Old Testament). This difference in which writings are considered scripture explains why the Catholic Old Testament contains 46 books.

The number comes from the canon the Catholic tradition accepts. Along with the books found in the Hebrew and Protestant canons, the Catholic Old Testament includes the deuterocanonical books—Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and additions to Esther and Daniel. Adding these to the standard 39 books brings the total to 46. Protestant and Hebrew canons do not include these deuterocanonical writings, so they have fewer books (39 in the Protestant Old Testament). This difference in which writings are considered scripture explains why the Catholic Old Testament contains 46 books.