A Kiss from Rose | The Missing Books of the Bible

1. What Are the “Missing Books”?

When people say “missing books,” they mean writings that:

• Were once considered for inclusion in the Bible,

• Are still included in Catholic or Ethiopian Orthodox Bibles,

• Or were used by early Jews/Christians but not canonized.

👉 The Protestant Bible has 66 books.

👉 The Catholic Bible has 73 books.

👉 The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible has 81 books.

So depending on which tradition you follow, the number of “missing” books varies.

2. How Many Missing Books Are There?

📌 Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical (7 main books + additions):

1. Tobit

2. Judith

3. Wisdom of Solomon

4. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

5. Baruch

6. 1 Maccabees

7. 2 Maccabees

• Additions to Esther & Daniel

➡️ Total: 7–9 “extra” books (accepted by Catholics, rejected by most Protestants).

📌 Ethiopian Orthodox Canon (adds even more):

• Includes the above PLUS:

  
  

  • 1 Enoch

  • Jubilees

  • 1–3 Meqabyan (different from Maccabees)

  • Shepherd of Hermas

  • Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

    
    

    ➡️ Total: ~14–16 additional books beyond Protestant canon.

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📌 Other Ancient Writings (Jewish/Christian Pseudepigrapha):

• Dozens exist (Book of Jasher, Ascension of Isaiah, Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary, etc.).

  
  

  ➡️ Over 30+ writings not in any major canon but referenced in history.

3. Grand Total (Depending on Tradition)

• Protestant (66 books) → leaves out about 7 (Catholic) to 15+ (Ethiopian) recognized extras.

• All Jewish/Christian writings combined → Over 40+ known “missing” or excluded books.

4. Why Weren’t They All Included?

• Church councils used criteria: authorship, widespread use, and consistency with existing Scripture.

• Some books were considered historical/wisdom but not divinely inspired.

• Others contained teachings too different from accepted doctrine.

✅ Summary:

• Catholic Bibles include 7 more books than Protestant Bibles.

• Ethiopian Bibles include 15+ more books.

• In total, if you count all the writings not in Protestant canon, there are 40+ “missing books” of the Bible.

• These writings offer history, wisdom, prophecy, and context — but salvation truth remains preserved in the 66-book canon.

📚 Reference Section

• Genesis 6:1–4 (Nephilim, linked to Enoch)

• Jude 1:14–15 (directly quotes Enoch)

• John 10:22 (Hanukkah from Maccabees)

• Daniel 12:4 (sealed books until end times)

• Council of Nicaea (AD 325) & later councils for canon formation

• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Bible (81 books)

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