A question recently posed to The Fatima Center asked whether Catholics may swear an oath on a Protestant Bible. For instance, in a court of law, would a Catholic have to refuse the Protestant Bible and insist on swearing the oath only on the Vulgate or the Douay-Rheims or another approved Catholic Bible? What does the Church state?
By way of background, first read “The Catholic Teaching on Oaths.”
The Ask Father episode “On Which Bible Should You Swear” with Fr. Albert Kallio also touches upon this subject, released on June 19, 2023. [Video] [Audio Only]
Protestant vs. Catholic Bible Differences
Protestant bibles are different in substantial ways from Catholic Bibles, including the following:
Number of Books: Catholic Bibles contain 73 books. These books are divided into the Old Testament (46 books) and the New Testament (27 books). Protestant bibles, on the other hand, typically only contain 66 books. They have the same number of books in the New Testament as Catholics but have removed seven books from the Old Testament. These books are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, Machabees 1 and 2, and additional sections in the books of Esther and Daniel. These books are commonly called the Deuterocanonical books, which means “second canon.” Some people call them “Apocryphal” but that is a very imprecise term, as there are many ancient books not accepted in the Scriptures which go by the term apocryphal.[1]
The acceptance of the Deuterocanonical books as part of the Catholic Bible has a long history dating back to the early Christian Church. These books were considered canonical by the Early Church. The Councils of Hippo (393 A.D.) and Carthage (397 A.D.) confirmed the canonicity of these books for the Western Church. Additionally, the Deuterocanonical books were part of the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures known as the Septuagint. This Greek translation was widely used in the Hellenistic Jewish community and was the version of the Old Testament most commonly used by early Christians. Many of the quotes and allusions to the Old Testament found in the New Testament are based on the Septuagint, including passages from the Deuterocanonical books. (No Christians seriously challenged the inclusion of these books until Martin Luther.)
Arrangement: The books in the Old Testament are arranged differently in Catholic and Protestant Bibles. For example, the Book of Daniel in Catholic Bibles contains two additional chapters (one on the history of Susanna, the other on the history of Bel and the Dragon) not found in most Protestant versions. In the New Testament, the arrangement of the books is generally the same in both Catholic and Protestant Bibles.
Textual Differences: While the core texts of the Old and New Testaments are largely the same in both Catholic and Protestant Bibles, there may be variations in wording and translation due to differences in the underlying Greek and Hebrew texts used. Some changes, however, were intentional. For example, Luther had the audacity to add the word ‘alone’ to Romans 3:28, making it read “For we account a man to be justified by faith alone without the works of the law.” Other Protestants have made other changes to the Sacred text, and these become even more prolific and sacrilegious in modern vernacular translations. For example, some modern versions (even ones approved as Catholic) have systematically eradicated the word ‘penance’ from the New Testament.[2]
A Catholic May Not Read a Protestant Bible
It should be known by those who are familiar with the traditional Catechisms of the Church that it is not permissible for Catholics to read and study from Protestant Bibles. Consequently, the Catechism of St. Pius X teaches accordingly:
32 Q: What should a Christian do who has been given a Bible by a Protestant or by an agent of the Protestants?
A: A Christian to whom a Bible has been offered by a Protestant or an agent of the Protestants should reject it with disgust, because it is forbidden by the Church. If it was accepted by inadvertence, it must be burnt as soon as possible or handed in to the Parish Priest.
33 Q: Why does the Church forbid Protestant Bibles?
A: The Church forbids Protestant Bibles because, either they have been altered and contain errors, or not having her approbation and footnotes explaining the obscure meanings, they may be harmful to the Faith. It is for that same reason that the Church even forbids translations of the Holy Scriptures already approved by her which have been reprinted without the footnotes approved by her.
Hence, there are two ways to dispose of these erroneous Bibles. First, burn them reverently and inconspicuously so as not to cause scandal by those who may think the burning is a rejection of Christianity. If you don’t want to do that, then bury them. Selling them or giving them away will only allow others to come in contact with the errors within. See “Should One Ban or Burn Books?” for more information.
But a Catholic May Swear an Oath on a Protestant Bible
A next logical question involves the use of such Protestant Bibles in a court of law. What should a Catholic do? And on this question, the American Ecclesiastical Review published in 1895 advises the following:
Q: When Catholics go into court they receive as a rule the Protestant version of the Bible upon which to take the usual oath. Is this lawful?
A: The acceptance of the Protestant version of the Bible from the judge cannot in the present case be considered a profession of Protestantism or a denial of the Catholic faith. It is merely a pledge or sign given to the civil authority to indicate the honest purpose on the part of the person who takes the oath that he will speak the truth. If, nevertheless, a Catholic have conscientious scruples against swearing upon the book offered, he may state the fact and simply “affirm” as the Quakers do, which form of solemn declaration is, we believe, generally accepted under our laws. We give below the answer of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office to a similar doubt proposed by the Bishop of Quebec, Feb. 23, 1820.
Hence, the swearing of an oath on a Protestant Bible is not an acceptance of their incomplete book of the Scriptures. It is rather an affirmation of what is expressed truthfully in court. However, for those who have scruples about such a practice, they may instead ask for – or bring with them – a Catholic version of the Bible (e.g., the Douay-Rheims);[3] or like the Quakers, we may refuse and simply state that our ‘yes’ is ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ is ’no’ (cf. Matthew 5:37).
ENDNOTES
[1] There are pious Christian apocryphal books, some even quoted by Church Fathers, such as the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, the Apostolic Constitutions, and the Epistle of Barnabas. There are also gnostic (heretical) apocryphal books categorically rejected by the Church, such as The Gospel of Thomas and The Gospel of Mary [Magdalene]. And there are Jewish apocryphal books, which were known in the 1st century, such as The Book of Henoch and the Assumption of Moses.
The term ‘apocryphal’ comes from the Greek word for ‘hidden’. It could have been used to imply that the author was hidden or, more likely, that the content was purported to be divinely revealed, and hence ‘hidden’ from general knowledge. However, St. Jerome used the term to denote books which were not part of Sacred Scripture but that some people seemed to think ought to. For this reason, Protestants began to refer to the seven inspired and canonical books they rejected from the Old Testament as “apocryphal.” Given these historical origins, it seems improper for Catholics to refer to those seven books of the Old Testament as ‘apocryphal.”
[2] Modern Bibles are also notorious for disfiguring Marian passages. Given the hatred the devil has for Our Lady, this comes as no surprise. Three common examples are Genesis 3:15, Isaias 7:15, and Luke 1:28. These are good citations to memorize. That way, whenever you find a Bible, you can quickly thumb to those passages and if they read poorly, then you know it’s not a Bible you should trust.
Genesis 3:15 should read: “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” Modern versions will change the pronoun to obfuscate Mary’s triumph over Satan. They may read something like “And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Isaias 7:14 should read: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.” This, of course, is a great supernatural miracle because a virgin cannot be a mother. But some horrendous modern translations will read along the lines of: “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman [or maiden] shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.”
Luke 1:28 should read: “And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Modern translations will change this to “Hail, favored one…” or even to the banal “Greetings, favored one…”
[3] Christopher Ferrara informed The Fatima Center that courtrooms today (in the U.S.A.) no longer require any witness to place his hand upon the Bible and swear an oath to tell the truth. The judge simply asks them to assert they will speak truthfully.