Did Martin Luther Remove Books from the Bible?
The Truth About the Apocrypha, the 1611 KJV, and the Biblical Canon
Did Martin Luther Remove Books from the Bible?
Truth About the Apocrypha, the KJV, and the Biblical Canon
The Apocrypha Debate: Luther, the King James Bible, and the History of the Biblical Canon
Did Luther Remove Books from the Bible?
Examining the History of the Apocrypha and the 1611 KJV
Did Luther Remove Books from the Bible?
Examining the History of the Apocrypha and the 1611 KJV
The Truth About the “Missing Books of the Bible”
Luther, the Apocrypha, and the 1611 King James Bible
Luther, the Apocrypha, and the 1611 King James Bible
Proving All Things:
The Truth About the Apocrypha and the Biblical Canon
The Truth About the Apocrypha and the Biblical Canon
Let us examine this carefully with:
- history
- Scripture
- truth
not tradition or internet simplifications.
I will break this into five clear parts so we can test everything (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (KJV)
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
1. Did Martin Luther remove 7 books from the Bible?
Short answer:
❌ He did not physically delete them from his 1534 German Bible.
✅ But he reclassified them as non-Scripture and moved them to an Apocrypha section.
The books in question:
- Tobit
- Judith
- Wisdom of Solomon
- Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
- Baruch
- 1 Maccabees
- 2 Maccabees
- (+ additions to Esther & Daniel)
Luther placed them under this heading:
“Apocrypha — books which are not held equal to the Holy Scriptures, and yet are useful and good to read.”
So technically:
Claim | Truth
Luther removed them entirely | ❌ False
Luther rejected them as Scripture | ✅ True
Luther printed them separately | ✅ True
Luther removed them entirely | ❌ False
Luther rejected them as Scripture | ✅ True
Luther printed them separately | ✅ True
2. Why Luther rejected them
Luther followed the Hebrew Old Testament canon used by the Jews.
Jesus said:
Luke 24:44 (KJV)
“...all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
This reflects the Hebrew three-part canon (Tanakh):
- Law
- Prophets
- Writings
These correspond to the 39 books in the Protestant Old Testament.
The Apocrypha were mostly preserved in the Greek Septuagint, not the Hebrew scriptures.
3. Were those books in the original King James Bible?
Yes — the 1611 King James Bible included them.
They were placed between the Testaments in a section called:
“Apocrypha.”
But they were not considered equal Scripture.
The translators themselves emphasized the authority of Scripture and the original languages.
From the KJV translators’ preface:
“The Hebrew text of the Old Testament, the Greek of the New.”
Meaning the translators grounded the canon in Hebrew and Greek sources, not later additions.
Typical 1611 structure:
Section| Books
Old Testament | 39
Apocrypha | 14
New Testament | 27
Old Testament | 39
Apocrypha | 14
New Testament | 27
4. Why modern Protestant Bibles removed the Apocrypha
This happened much later, mainly in the 1800s.
A key event:
1826 – British and Foreign Bible Society
They stopped funding Bibles that printed the Apocrypha to:
- reduce printing cost
- emphasize the Hebrew canon
From that point forward:
Most Protestant Bibles became 66 books.
5. Should Christians treat the Apocrypha as Scripture?
The early church had mixed views.
Some respected them historically, but many did not treat them as inspired.
Even Jerome, translator of the Latin Vulgate, said:
The church reads them for example of life, but not for establishing doctrine.
Now consider the biblical warning:
Revelation 22:18–19 (KJV)
“If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.”
The issue is not removing Scripture but adding uninspired writings as Scripture.
6. Some Apocrypha teachings contradict Scripture
Example:
2 Maccabees 12:45
teaches prayers for the dead.
teaches prayers for the dead.
But Scripture says:
Hebrews 9:27 (KJV)
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
No purgatory or post-death forgiveness is taught in the canonical Scriptures.
7. Important truth many people miss
The Protestant Old Testament (39 books) is actually identical to the Hebrew Bible — just arranged differently.
Jewish canon count:
Jewish | Protestant
24 books | 39 books
Same content | Same content
24 books | 39 books
Same content | Same content
They group books differently (e.g., the Minor Prophets counted as one).
So Protestants did not remove books from the Hebrew canon.
Final Truth Summary
Question | Answer
Did Luther remove books? | ❌ No
Did he reject them as Scripture? | ✅ Yes
Were they in the 1611 KJV? | ✅ Yes (Apocrypha section)
Are they in most modern KJVs? | ❌ No
Are they part of the Hebrew canon? | ❌ No
Did Luther remove books? | ❌ No
Did he reject them as Scripture? | ✅ Yes
Were they in the 1611 KJV? | ✅ Yes (Apocrypha section)
Are they in most modern KJVs? | ❌ No
Are they part of the Hebrew canon? | ❌ No
The real issue spiritually
The enemy often uses this debate to create confusion about Scripture itself.
But God preserved His Word.
Psalm 12:6–7 (KJV)
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”
Here at the Underground News Network, we can also show you something VERY few Christians know:
• The shocking history of how Rome added the Apocrypha officially in 1546
• Why the Council of Trent declared them canon
• Which church fathers rejected them
• Why the Council of Trent declared them canon
• Which church fathers rejected them
That part exposes a massive historical deception most churches never explain.