The canon of the Bible: Do we have the right books?

1.3k

Last Updated on 21. July 2026 by Andi

Which Books Belong in the Bible?

Do we really have the right 66 books in the Bible? Or were important texts deliberately left out? All sorts of theories circulate around the so-called canon of the Bible – some well-founded, others purely speculative. You’ll find plenty of information online, but not all of it is reliable.

The canon – the authoritative collection of sacred writings – contains exactly 66 books in the Protestant Bible. But who decided that, and why were other texts excluded? (More on the canon here: Gotquestions about the Canon).

In this article you’ll get a clear overview:
When was the biblical canon established? Who decided it? And why were certain books – like the Gospel of Thomas – not included?

These questions aren’t just historically interesting – they’re theologically important too. It’s often claimed that the so-called apocryphal writings are just as valid as the biblical books. Some conspiracy theories – such as Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code – pick up on this and spread doubt about whether the biblical canon really contains the right books.

Here you’ll find a compact, well-founded summary, so you don’t have to wade through page after page of academic articles. And if you want to dig deeper, you’ll find further sources at the end.

Do you have more fundamental doubts about the Bible’s reliability? Then I’d recommend these two articles of mine:

The Bible – Is it Correctly Delivered?
Is the Bible Credible?

Let’s start with the Old Testament, since that’s where the historical roots of the canon question lie:

Who Decided Which Books Belong in the Old Testament?

The Jewish Canon (Tanakh)

The Jewish Bible, the Tanakh, contains the same writings as the Christian Old Testament, though it counts them differently and arrives at 24 books. This collection was assembled by Jewish scribes. Exactly when it was finalized can’t be pinned down precisely, but scholars generally agree that today’s order was fixed by the 2nd century A.D. at the latest. Well before that, though, it was largely clear which writings belonged in the canon.

“Much suggests that the first steps toward this fixed textual form were taken by Ezra the scribe.”

from: Jewish Life Erfurt (German source)

This means it was already clear around 450 B.C. (the time of Ezra) which books belonged to the Tanakh. This understanding was adopted by Jesus and the apostles. Paul confirms the authority of the Jewish scholars in his letter to the Romans:

“The Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

Romans 3:2 (NIV)

The Apocrypha – texts outside the Tanakh – were never accepted as equal in Judaism. These include: 1 and 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, the Prayer of Manasseh, and the additions to Esther and Daniel.

Why Are the Old Testament Apocrypha Missing from Most Bibles?

The Apocrypha were left out of the Hebrew canon for good reasons:

• They contain historical errors.
• They include legendary, embellished narratives.
• They contradict recognized biblical teachings in places.
• They contain elements of superstition (e.g., Tobit).
• They’re never quoted in the New Testament.
• They weren’t declared canonical until the Council of Trent in 1546.

More on this here: What Are the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books?

Differences Between the Protestant and Catholic Canon of the Bible

The Protestant Old Testament contains 39 books, matching the Jewish canon. The Catholic Bible additionally contains seven so-called deuterocanonical writings.

These extra books were added at the Council of Trent in 1546, during the Counter-Reformation. This likely happened in response to the Reformation: the Reformers had begun questioning church traditions such as prayer for the dead. These teachings don’t appear in the recognized biblical writings – but they do appear in the Apocrypha.

Similar questions arise regarding the New Testament: which writings were included, which weren’t, and why?

How Did the New Testament Come Together?

When Was the NT Canon of the Bible Established?

Many people believe the canon was established by the Catholic Church – but that’s not true. The 27 writings of the New Testament were already widely recognized long before any council formally confirmed them. Athanasius listed all of them in his Easter Letter in 367; the Council of Carthage simply ratified that existing list.

Here are further details:

• As early as around A.D. 95, Clement of Rome quoted from the Gospel of Matthew.
• Polycarp became a Christian around A.D. 70 and personally knew the apostle John, which makes him a particularly reliable witness. In a letter to the Philippians, he quotes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and calls it “Holy Scripture.” In that same letter he also references 16 New Testament writings – proof that they were already recognized at that early date.
• A.D. 115: Ignatius of Antioch names the four Gospels and mentions the 13 Pauline letters (including Hebrews, whose authorship was still clearly attributed to Paul at the time).
• A.D. 140: Marcion’s heresies force the church to clarify its position on the canon.
• The church historian Eusebius lived from A.D. 265 to 340. He writes that the canon “was recognized by the majority of the churches.”

So most books of the New Testament were already widely recognized in the 1st century.

A handful of letters (2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, James, and Jude) were still debated for a time, but were ultimately accepted as well.

What Were the Criteria for Including a Book as Scripture?

The early Christians faced the task of deciding which writings should be recognized as inspired by God. The criteria were:

• The prophetic character of the writing.
• Divine authority – the authors wrote in God’s name.
• The spiritual power evident in reading it.
• Historical and doctrinal accuracy.

Want to know more? Here’s an article with more detail (in German): Der Kanon der Bibel – Kriterien zur Aufnahme eines Bibelbuches

Why Aren’t the New Testament Apocrypha Part of the Bible?

These writings mostly appeared much later and contain content that contradicts Jesus’s teachings. Take the so-called Infancy Gospel of Thomas: it was written in the 2nd century and therefore can’t have come from the biblical Thomas. Among other things, it claims that Jesus, as a child, cursed a playmate. Such claims stand in complete contradiction to the biblical picture of Jesus.

One story from this “Infancy Gospel” even made its way into the Quran (e.g., Surah 3:49), which led to claims that the Gospels themselves were falsified. Yet this book was never recognized by the early church.

Did the Church Set the Canon of the Bible Arbitrarily?

The selection of the biblical books wasn’t a matter of church politics. Quite the opposite: much of the Bible’s content actually contradicts church practices. It was only the Council of Trent, in 1546, that added the Apocrypha – in order to support certain church teachings. The canon itself, the recognized books of the Bible, was never in dispute.

Why Does All This Matter?

If a teaching is based on books that were never widely recognized as biblical, you should be skeptical. Because the canonical writings are sufficient, clear, and verifiable, you don’t need to rely on questionable sources that are often speculative and contradictory.

Conclusion: the biblical canon contains the right books.

The Apocrypha aren’t hidden or secret – you can find them online. My tip: spend your time reading the recognized biblical writings instead. The apocryphal texts are often speculative, contradictory, and theologically questionable. The 66 books of the Bible offer plenty of truth, depth, and guidance for your faith.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Canon of the Bible

Why does the Catholic Bible have 73 books while the Protestant Bible has 66?

Beyond the 66 widely recognized books, the Catholic Bible contains seven additional writings, the so-called deuterocanonical books (also called the Apocrypha). These were never recognized as inspired in Judaism or by the Reformers. The Catholic Church only officially added them to the binding canon at the Council of Trent in 1546 – partly to support church teachings such as prayer for the dead.

What criteria were used to include books in the canon?

The early churches didn’t set arbitrary rules. Instead, they were guided by three questions: Is this book used by all or most of the churches? Does it come from an apostle or a disciple of an apostle? Does it agree with recognized doctrine?

Were any books removed from the Bible?

No, no books were ever removed from the Bible. This is a common misconception popularized by novels like Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code.” The Apocrypha and other writings were never included in the first place, because they didn’t meet the recognized criteria.

What’s the difference between the canon and the Apocrypha?

The canon is the authoritative collection of biblical books recognized by the early church as divinely inspired. The Apocrypha, on the other hand, are writings that have a religious character but were never widely accepted as part of Holy Scripture – neither in Judaism nor in early Christianity.

Sources:

• Wikipedia: Biblical canon
• Wikipedia: Apocrypha
• GotQuestions: What Are the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books?

Further Reading and Listening:

• Is the Bible Credible?
• The Bible – Is it Correctly Delivered?
• Brian H. Edwards: “Nothing But the Truth” (Evangelical Press)
• Lecture on YouTube with examples (German): Die unbekannten Evangelien – Warum stehen sie nicht in der Bibel? – Dr. Guido Baltes