Why Do Catholics Have Extra Books in the Bible?

Why do Catholic Bibles contain books that some other Christian Bibles do not? These additional books are sometimes called the "deuterocanonical" books (meaning "second canon") or, by some Protestant traditions, the "apocryphal" books (meaning "of doubtful authority"). Understanding their history helps us appreciate how Catholics relate to the library of books that we call the Christian Bible.

The Origins of the Old Testament Canon

The Old Testament tells the story of God's covenant with the people of Israel before the coming of Jesus. Most of these books were originally written in Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic. Over time, different collections, or "canons," of these books developed.
By the time of Jesus, many Jewish people lived outside of Israel and spoke Greek as their primary language. To serve this Greek-speaking population, Jewish scholars translated their scriptures into Greek around 250 BC. This translation, known as the Septuagint, included all the books of the Hebrew scriptures plus several additional books written in Greek: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch, along with additional sections in Daniel and Esther. The Septuagint was widely used by Jews in the Greek-speaking world and became the primary Old Testament for early Christians, including the apostles. In fact, many Old Testament quotations in the New Testament come from the Septuagint version rather than the Hebrew text.

Why Do Some Christian Bibles Exclude These Books?

In the decades following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD, Jewish scholars debated the status of various sacred texts. While some scholars have suggested that a definitive Jewish canon was established at what is sometimes called the Council of Jamnia (around 90 AD), this theory is now widely questioned. Rather than a formal council that closed the canon, the process of defining Jewish scripture was gradual, with different Jewish communities continuing to use different collections of sacred books for centuries. 

Meanwhile, early Christians continued to use the broader Greek Septuagint as their Old Testament. For over a thousand years, Christians universally accepted the Septuagint-based Old Testament. The Catholic Church, after careful study and discernment, formally recognized these deuterocanonical books as part of the inspired Old Testament canon at the Councils of Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD). This canon was reaffirmed at the Council of Trent (1545-1563) in response to the Protestant Reformation, which questioned the inclusion of these books.
During the Reformation, some Protestant reformers, such as Martin Luther, chose to align their Old Testament with the shorter Hebrew canon, arguing that books not originally written in Hebrew should not be considered scripture. While some Protestant Bibles still include these books in an appendix for historical reference, many removed them entirely from their official Old Testament canon.

The Significance of the Deuterocanonical Books

The Catholic Church continues to include these books because they have been part of the Christian biblical tradition since the time of the apostles. They offer valuable teachings on prayer, resurrection, intercession, and perseverance in faith. For example:

Tobit is a wild ride—there’s a demon, a dog, an angel in disguise, and a guy who goes blind because of bird poop. But at its heart, it’s a story about faithfulness and God’s providence. Wisdom and Sirach are like the ancient world’s philosophy podcasts, full of deep reflections on morality, virtue, and the pursuit of wisdom. And Maccabees? It’s part action movie, part history lesson, giving us the backstory on Hanukkah (which Jesus himself celebrated in John 10:22) and an early shoutout to the practice of praying for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:46).

• Tobit is a wild ride—there’s a demon, a dog, an angel in disguise, and a guy who goes blind because of bird poop. 
• Wisdom and Sirach are philosophical reflections on morality, virtue, and the pursuit of wisdom. They show the influence of Hellenism on Jewish thinking.
• Maccabees is part action movie, part history lesson, giving us the backstory on Hanukkah (which Jesus himself celebrated in John 10:22) and gives early testimony to the practice of praying for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:46).

It's worth noting that while Catholics consider these books divinely inspired scripture, we don't view them as "extra" books added later, but rather as part of the original Christian biblical tradition that was later removed by others. Eastern Orthodox churches also include these books in their Bibles, showing this was indeed the common Christian practice before the Reformation.

If you're interested in exploring these books, I'd recommend starting with Tobit or Wisdom – they're both very accessible.