I understand these questions occurred to you while you toured a Catholic cathedral in Europe. I commend you for your powers of observation and thank you for asking a question that often surfaces when we talk with Roman Catholics.

Apocrypha—intertestamental books

The additional books included in Roman Catholic Bibles are the so-called Apocrypha, several books written between the time of the Old and New Testaments. Generally considered to be part of the Apocrypha are 1 and 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, Prayer of Manasseh, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and additions to Daniel and Esther. In 1546, at the Council of Trent and as part of the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church officially declared the Apocrypha to be part of the biblical canon. Their omission of 1 and 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh from the list seems to have been a mistake since they are included in later, official editions of Catholic Bibles.

Apocryphal books have been included in various editions of the Bible prior to and beyond Roman Catholic Bibles. They were included in the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, although manuscripts of the Septuagint are not consistent about which books are included. St. Jerome included them in his Latin translation, the Vulgate (about 400 a.d.). Luther included them in his German translation of the Bible. Editions of the King James Bible also included them.

Apocrypha—inspired books?

The critical question is whether they are part of the biblical canon and should be regarded as divinely inspired. The Jewish believers prior to Christ did not consider them canonical. The Old Testament at the time of Jesus had three major divisions: the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms—but no apocryphal books. Jesus and the apostles did not consider them inspired or authoritative. Luther said they were beneficial books to read, but they could not be recognized as part of the inspired books of the Bible. Not all Catholics accepted them as part of the Bible until the church hierarchy declared them to be so and attached a curse on everyone who did not accept their ruling.

Protestants do not count the apocryphal books among inspired ones for two reasons:  (1) Jesus did not accept them as canonical, and (2) they contain errors and anti-scriptural teachings (like praying for the dead). In fairness it should be said that false doctrines in Catholicism result more from tradition and misuse of canonical Scripture.

If people are worried that by excluding the Apocrypha from the canon they will miss out on something God wants them to know, they should read these books. I believe that their fears will be quickly laid to rest.

Translation differences