How Many Books in the King James Version, Original?

 

The King James version of the English Bible, published in 1611, included 80 books—39 in the Old Testament, 14 in the Apocrypha, and 27 in the New Testament.

 

The 1611 edition included the Apocryphal books, which are generally omitted from most Protestant versions today, bringing the total to 66 books in most current versions of the KJV.

 

The 14 books of the Apocrypha included in the 1611 King James Version (KJV) of the Bible are:

 

1 Esdras

 

2 Esdras

 

Tobit

 

Judith

 

The Rest of Esther (additions to the Book of Esther)

 

The Wisdom of Solomon

 

Ecclesiasticus (also known as Sirach)

 

Baruch

 

The Letter of Jeremiah (often included as the last chapter of Baruch)

 

The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children (included as part of Daniel)

 

Susanna (included as part of Daniel)

 

Bel and the Dragon (included as part of Daniel)

 

The Prayer of Manasses

 

1 Maccabees

 

2 Maccabees

 

These books were included between the Old and New Testaments in the 1611 KJV.

 

The Apocryphal books were excluded from later editions of the King James Version (KJV) due to theological and doctrinal reasons.

 

Here's an overview of why and when they were removed:

 

Reasons for Exclusion are the following.

 

1) Protestant Reformation Influence: During the Protestant Reformation, there was a strong emphasis on returning to the "sola scriptura" principle, which holds that the Bible alone is the authoritative source of religious doctrine. Reformers like Martin Luther questioned the canonical status of the Apocrypha, considering them valuable for instruction but not inspired Scripture.

 

2) Jewish Canon:

 

The Jewish tradition, which Protestant churches followed, did not include the Apocryphal books in their canon. These books were part of the Septuagint (a Greek translation of Hebrew Scriptures) but not in the Hebrew Bible.

 

3) Council of Trent (1546):

 

The Catholic Church affirmed the canonicity of the Apocryphal books at the Council of Trent. However, Protestant leaders rejected this, which influenced subsequent Bible translations in Protestant communities, including later editions of the KJV.

 

The Version of KJV Excluding the Apocrypha was published in 1826 Edition.

 

The British and Foreign Bible Society decided in 1826 to stop funding the printing of Bibles that included the Apocrypha. This action led to the widespread exclusion of these books from subsequent editions of the KJV.

 

So, the Apocryphal books were included in the original 1611 KJV but were systematically excluded from most editions after the early 19th century, starting with the 1826 edition.

 

Modern KJV Bibles typically have 66 books (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament) without the Apocrypha.

 

Rev. Doug Choi, Ph.D. President of Peniel Theological Seminary, Busan Korean