Roman Catholics, Protestants, and other Christian denominations use different Bibles. Dozens of Bible versions have been in use for several decades, but the two most popular releases are the Catholic Bible and King James Version Bible.
Several differences exist between both versions of Bibles and users commonly disagree on the content of texts in other releases.
Many denominations stick to the Catholic Bible due to its generic acceptance but others prefer the much older King James Bible.
In this article, we’ll see several differences between both Bibles along with some notable similarities.
Also see: Bible Verses On How To Pray To God
Acceptance
Many Christian denominations refer to the Catholic Bible as The Holy Bible. Other denominations consider The King James Bible as a version of the Holy Bible.
Protestant congregations largely accept the King James Bible over Catholic translations. However, Roman Catholic congregations and many other denominations accept the translations of the Catholic Bible.
Manuscripts
The King James Version Bible relies on Masoretic text translations throughout while Catholic Bibles follow Septuagint traditions.
Early Christians adopted the Greek Septuagint format entirely; however, Protestants chose most translations based on Masoretic traditions.
Mentions of God and Additions
Catholic Bibles mention God in its text, as the Book of Esther has multiple additions to its content. However, the King James Bible does not mention God once since it is based on early Protestant translations.
Apart from The Book of Esther, Catholic Bibles originally had over six more books than King James translations.
Date
King James I ordered the translation of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts of Bibles in 1611. The first Roman Catholic Bible became available in print from 1790, even if earlier versions were available in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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10 Commandments
The Ten Commandments in earlier versions of Roman Catholic and King James Bibles are different, even if many people don’t take notice.
Roman Catholic Version
- I am the Lord thy God…Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor thy father and thy mother.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house.
King James Version
- I am the Lord thy God…Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Honor thy father and thy mother.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
- Thou shalt not covet.
But it’s worth noting that revisions to both Bibles have largely harmonized these verses. However, the original translations of both texts had different interpretations of God’s Ten Commandments.
Books
The Catholic Bible regards apocryphal books as part of the Old Testament. Several versions of early Catholic Bibles contain all forty-six (46) Old Testament books along with twenty-seven (27) books of the New Testament.
However, canonical recommendations excluded these extra books from the King James Version Bible. Original versions of King James Version Bibles only contain thirty-nine (39) Old Testament books along with
The Apocrypha (as the extra books are called) is a collection of books about several events in Biblical times. These texts
- 1 Esdras
- 1 Maccabees
- 2 Esdras
- 2 Maccabees
- Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremy
- Ecclesiasticus (aka Sirach)
- Judith (or “Judeth” in some versions)
- Prayer of Manasseh (Daniel)
- Rest of Esther
- Song of the Three Children
- Story of Susanna
- The Idol Bel and the Dragon
- Tobit
- Wisdom
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The Council of Trent
16th Century meetings of the Catholic Church gave birth to several conclusions and additions to Biblical texts. One of such conclusions in 1546 made books from Jerome’s Vulgate as scripture.
Early Bible publishers did not consider these books. However, these texts received much attention from Roman Catholic authorities.
The council’s resolutions did not affect King James versions of the Bible, hence the notable differences between both books.
Catholic Bible vs. King James Bible vs. Other Versions
There are 20+ versions of the Bible apart from Catholic and King James Bibles. These versions have several differences from both Bibles and typically offer different translations of recovered texts.
For example, the Clementine Vulgate Bible (by Pope Clement VIII) moved three Apocryphal books from the Old Testament into appendixes. The revised Vulgate Bible also has several differences in style, context, and delivery from Catholic and King James Bibles.
Martin Luther’s translation (Lutheran or Luther Bible) was the first to have a separate section for Old Testament, New Testament, and Apocryphal texts in one book. The Luther Bible also pioneered placing apocryphal texts between the Old and New Testament.
Several versions of Luther’s Bible also moved epistles like Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelations to the end of the New Testament.
Other Bibles like the Reina Valera Bible (1602), Zürich Bible (1529/30), Douay-Rheims Bible (1582–1609), etc. have several differences from the Catholic and King James Bibles.
Final Word
The Catholic Bible vs. King James Bible might have several differences, but they both share one common thing – the good news of God’s Word. Both translations and many other interpretations continue to transform lives around the world.
You can pick any of these bibles or get both for a double dose of God’s Word to build you up and keep you ahead.
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