Church History · 1826

Why Most Protestant Bibles Dropped the Apocrypha

The King James Bible of 1611 printed the Apocrypha between the Old and New Testaments. In 1826 the British and Foreign Bible Society decided to stop funding Bibles that included those books, and after that most Protestant Bibles in English had just 66 books.

Read it in the Bible: Romans 3:2 Luke 24:44 2 Timothy 3:16-17 John 10:22

Most Protestant Bibles today have 66 books, but for about 300 years English Bibles usually printed more. The King James Bible of 1611 included a section called the Apocrypha, placed between the Old and New Testaments. In 1826 the British and Foreign Bible Society, the largest Bible printer in the world, decided it would no longer print or fund Bibles that contained the Apocrypha. Other Protestant publishers followed, and the 66 book Bible became the normal Protestant Bible. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles still include these books.

What Is the Apocrypha?

The Apocrypha is a group of Jewish writings from roughly the last few centuries before Jesus. They include Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and extra parts of Esther and Daniel. The King James Version printed 14 books or parts in this section, including 1 and 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh.

These books were in many copies of the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, that early Christians used. They were not in the Hebrew Bible of the Jewish people. Catholics call most of them deuterocanonical, meaning a second canon. Protestants usually call them the Apocrypha, from a Greek word for hidden.

Did the King James Bible Have the Apocrypha?

Yes. The 1611 King James Bible included the Apocrypha, and so did earlier English Bibles like the Matthew Bible of 1537 and the Geneva Bible of 1560. But they did not treat these books as equal to the rest. They printed them in a separate section between the Testaments.

That idea came from the Reformers. In his 1534 German Bible, Martin Luther gathered these books into their own section. He described them as books not held equal to Holy Scripture, yet useful and good to read. The Church of England said the same thing in its Thirty Nine Articles: the church reads them for examples of life and good behavior but does not use them to set doctrine. So for centuries, Protestants kept the Apocrypha in their Bibles, but in the back seat.

What Happened in 1826?

The British and Foreign Bible Society was founded in London in 1804 to spread the Bible around the world. Its English Bibles were printed without the Apocrypha, but its partner societies in Europe often printed Bibles that included it, because Lutheran and Catholic readers there expected those books.

In the 1820s, Scottish Christians led by Robert Haldane protested. They argued that money given for God's Word should not pay for books that were not God's Word. The fight became known as the Apocrypha Controversy. Attempts at compromise failed, and in 1826 the Society decided that it would no longer print the Apocrypha or support Bibles that contained it. Even so, the large Scottish branches in Edinburgh and Glasgow left the Society over the dispute.

There was also a simple money side to the decision. A Bible without the Apocrypha was smaller, lighter and cheaper to print and ship. When your goal is to put a Bible in every home on earth, every page counts.

Why Do Catholic and Protestant Bibles Have Different Books?

The difference is about which Old Testament is the standard. Protestants follow the Hebrew Bible used by the Jewish people, which has the same content as our 39 Old Testament books. They point out that Jesus spoke of the Scriptures as the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, and that Paul said the Jews were entrusted with the words of God.

Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. Romans 3:2

Catholics point out that the early church used the Greek Old Testament, that several church councils around AD 400 listed these books, and that the Council of Trent confirmed them in 1546. Orthodox churches include a few more, like 3 Maccabees and Psalm 151. Each side has real history behind its view. For a full side by side look, see the FAQ Why Do Some Bibles Have More Books on this site.

Did Other Bible Publishers Follow?

Yes. Over the 1800s, Protestant printers and Bible societies in Britain and America mostly dropped the Apocrypha. When the Revised Version came out in the 1880s, its Apocrypha was published separately later, in 1895. By the 1900s, most Protestants had never seen these books in a Bible at all. Many people today are surprised to learn their great great grandparents' King James Bible had extra pages in the middle.

Today some Protestant Bibles, like editions of the RSV and NRSV, offer an edition with the Apocrypha for study. Anglicans and Lutherans still read from some of these books in worship.

Why It Matters for You Today

Knowing this history helps you talk kindly with Catholic and Orthodox friends. Their Bibles are not "added to," and yours is not "missing" anything. Each tradition is following a long line of the church's judgment. The Apocrypha is still worth reading as history. First Maccabees, for example, tells the story behind Hanukkah, which Jesus attended in John 10:22.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16 to 17

Whatever is in the binding, the point of the Bible is the same: it leads us to Jesus, the one the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms were all pointing to.

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Questions People Ask

Did the original King James Bible include the Apocrypha?

Yes. The 1611 King James Bible printed the Apocrypha in a separate section between the Old and New Testaments. The translators did not treat these books as equal to Scripture, but they included them for reading and history.

Why was the Apocrypha removed from the Bible?

Protestants had long held that these books were not inspired Scripture. In 1826 the British and Foreign Bible Society decided to stop printing or funding Bibles that contained them, after protests led by Scottish Christians. Bibles without them were also cheaper to print.

How many books are in the Apocrypha?

The King James Version printed 14 books or parts in its Apocrypha section. Catholic Bibles include seven of these as full books plus extra parts of Esther and Daniel. Orthodox Bibles include a few more.

Is the Apocrypha in Catholic Bibles?

Yes. Catholic Bibles include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and additions to Esther and Daniel. Catholics call them deuterocanonical books, and the Council of Trent confirmed them in 1546.

Sources

← The Jefferson Bible Edward Irving and the Catholic Apostolic Church →

See the whole Church History