Question 1

Why were these books removed from Protestant Bibles?

Accepted Answer

The deuterocanonical and 'expanded' books were present in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament used by Jesus, the apostles, and the historic Church for over 1,500 years. They were removed by Protestant reformers in the 16th century, who chose to follow the shorter Masoretic Hebrew canon finalized by Jewish scholars centuries after Christ. For most of Christian history, these books were Scripture.

Question 2

Did the early Church use the deuterocanonical books?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The early Church Fathers — including Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, and Augustine — quoted from the deuterocanonical books as Scripture. The Septuagint, which contains them, was the Bible of the Greek-speaking Church and the source text for early translations including the Old Latin and the Vulgate.

Question 3

Are the restored books inspired Scripture?

Accepted Answer

Sovereign Logos treats the Septuagint as the authoritative Old Testament because it was the Bible of Jesus, the apostles, and the historic Church. The books and passages preserved in the Septuagint that were later removed by Protestant reformers are presented here in full so readers can encounter what the early Church read as Scripture.

Question 4

What was removed from the book of Esther?

Accepted Answer

The Septuagint preserves 107 verses in Esther that the Masoretes removed, including prayers, dreams, and explicit references to God. The Masoretic version mentions God zero times. The removed material is the theological heart of the book — Mordecai's prayer, Esther's prayer, and the explanation that God orchestrated her rise to save His people.

Question 5

What was removed from the book of Daniel?

Accepted Answer

The Masoretic Daniel removes the Prayer of Azariah, the Song of the Three Young Men (sung in the fiery furnace), the story of Susanna, and the story of Bel and the Dragon. These are not minor edits — they are entire narratives the Masoretes deleted that the early Church read as Scripture and that Greek-speaking Christians have always considered canonical.

What Was Removed from Your Bible

Esther

Daniel

Jeremiah

Job

Proverbs

1 Samuel

Beyond the Canon →