As a Catholic, our Bible includes several books and chapters that are not found in other Christian Bibles. These books are commonly referred to as the Deuterocanonical books or the Apocrypha. The reason for these extra books is rooted in the history of the Church and the process of canonization.
The Deuterocanonical books were originally written in Greek and were included in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures that was widely used in the ancient world. When the early Church was deciding which books should be included in the Bible, the Septuagint was considered a reliable and authoritative source, and the Deuterocanonical books were included in the Old Testament.
However, during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, some reformers rejected the Deuterocanonical books, arguing that they were not part of the original Hebrew Scriptures and therefore should not be considered part of the canon. This led to their removal from some Protestant Bibles.
For Catholics, the inclusion of the Deuterocanonical books has been a long-standing tradition, and they are considered to be part of the inspired Word of God. These books contain important teachings and insights into the history and theology of the Jewish people, as well as the early Christian Church.
In summary, the Catholic Bible includes extra chapters and books because they were considered authoritative and inspired by the early Church, and have been a part of Catholic tradition for centuries.
