FIREBRAND DISPATCH #9
Hey subscribers! And a special hello to you new subscribers who joined my inner circle this past week!!
A lot has been going on and I wanted to send out this late update to put you in the know of some content that’ll keep you fired up for the weekend.
Let’s do it!
IN THIS EDITION
There’s a throwback podcast episode, released from the archive just for Catholic Firebrand subscribers, two new articles, and an exclusive “special delivery” that answers the question, “Did the Church add 7 books to the Bible?”
Table of Contents
PODCAST
MYSTERY OF THE FAITH SOLVED! - WHY ARE CHURCHES EMPTY?
Exclusively for Subscribers
Did the Spirit of Vatican II scare all the Catholics away? Was Vatican II to blame for declines in mass attendance, or did Catholic culture sabotage itself? Let's crack this case, gang!
This is an archived episode of an old podcast, “released” for my subscribers here. YOU MUST be logged into the site in order to access this episode. Log-in is painless, don’t worry.
WATCH/LISTEN NOW
Three BIG LIES About Vatican II
You know this already if you were subscribed when the last notice went out, but this is another great episode discussing Vatican II. Specifically, talking about three BIG LIES about the Council. Very informative—and very authoritative, I might add!
YouTube video is below. Or get it at The Forge | Apple, Spotify, or Other apps
ARTICLES AND COMMENTARY
PROTESTANTS BLEW A FUSE OVER FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE
Protestants were highly triggered by my video of AI telling them the Catholic Church DID NOT add books to the Bible. Oh, this was drama!. This is commentary (writeup) and the “famous” video.
WHEN ‘CHURCH’ BELLS STOP RINGING
Secular habits are thinning vocations across the West—but abandoning the Church’s schools, abbeys, and seminaries today may cost us the renewal we will need tomorrow.
This one is over at The Forge
Did Catholics Add 7 Books to the Bible?
This fantasy of Christian history by Protestants has been circulating since the Reformation. Here's the Truth
The Council of Trent
Simple answer: No, the Roman Catholic Church did not add books to the Bible — it's more accurate to say that the Protestant Reformation removed books from the Bible that had been part of Christian scripture for over a thousand years.
Here's what actually happened:
The early church's canon The Old Testament used by early Christians was largely based on the Septuagint — a Greek translation of Jewish scriptures made around 200 BCE. This version included books like Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Wisdom, and Baruch, which are known as the deuterocanonical books (Catholics) or the Apocrypha (Protestants).
The Council of Trent (1546) Catholics often point to this council as formally defining their canon, but this was largely a reaffirmation of what had already been in use — not an innovation. The Church was responding to Protestant challenges, not inventing a new Bible.
The Protestant Reformation (1500s) Martin Luther and other reformers chose to align the Old Testament canon with the Hebrew Bible (the Masoretic text), which did not include those extra books. Luther actually wanted to remove some New Testament books too (like James and Revelation), though that didn't stick. Protestant Bibles ended up with 66 books; Catholic Bibles retained 73.
The bottom line
The Catholic Bible has 73 books
The Protestant Bible has 66 books
The 7 "extra" Catholic books were part of mainstream Christian scripture for over 1,500 years before the Reformation
Even putting this question to AI yielded this smoker:
"Did the Roman Catholic Church add 7 books to the Bible?"
AI's answer: Depending on your perspective, you could say Protestants removed books, or Catholics retained books — but it's not historically accurate to say the Catholic Church added them.
God be with you guys!
TJ Haines | the Catholic Firebrand