Do Jews, Catholics, Christians and Muslims bibles all start off the same in the Old Testament?
Listen: 93 Question 3
The Hebrew Bible is also known as the Tanakh. The Hebrew Bible includes the Torah, normally referred to as the Pentateuch, which is the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Tanakh has three main divisions, namely the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Kevutim. The Hebrew Bible is essentially the same as the Old Testament found in the King James and other versions of the non-Catholic Bible.
The Catholic Bible has a total of 73 books…27 books in the New Testament and 46 books in the Old Testament. Non-Catholic Bibles also have the same 27 books in the New Testament, but have only 39 books in the Old Testament.
The additional books in the Catholic Bible are known as the Apocrypha. These are Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom (or Ecclesiasticus), Sirach, and Baruch. The Catholic Bible also includes additions to the books of Esther and Daniel. It is in the Apocrypha that things are taught that are not found in the non-Catholic Bibles. Things such as praying for the dead, Purgatory, the intercession of saints in Heaven, and intercession of angels are taught in the Apocrypha. These teachings are largely rejected by the non-Catholic, or Protestant groups.
The Muslim Bible, or the Quran, was completed about 632 AD by their prophet Muhammad. While there are mentions of Moses in the Quran, his writings of the first five books of the Bible are not in the Quran. The Old Testament was written by many men as they were led of the Lord as we read in 2 Peter 1:21, which says, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” In contrast, the Quran was written by one man; Muhammad. In the Quran, there are references to many people and events also found in the Bible. While the stories told in each book are sometimes comparable in some respects, there are important differences. Anything in the Bible that agrees with the Quran is accepted by Muslims, and anything in the Bible that disagrees with the Quran is not accepted by Muslims.
So, we see that the Hebrew Bible and the Protestant Old Testament are essentially the same. The Catholic Bible has seven additional books and the Quran does not include any of the books of the Old Testament. The Lord gave a grave warning to any who would change His Word. Revelation 22:19 says, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (93.3)