Inspired Bible :66 Book (protestant), 73 Books (catholic), or More (Orthodox traditions)?
1) Direct Answer
The inspired canon is the 66 books—Genesis to Revelation. Nothing to add and nothing to take away.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says all Scripture is God-breathed and sufficient to thoroughly furnish the believer (2 Timothy 3:16–17). That speaks of a complete body of writings that fully equips.
- Jesus identified the Old Testament as “the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms” (Luke 24:44). He also marked its bounds “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias” (Luke 11:51), which covers the full Hebrew canon.
- The oracles of God were committed to the Jews (Romans 3:2). Jesus affirmed their Scriptures; He never placed other writings on equal footing.
- God then spoke in the Son and through those He sent (Hebrews 1:1–2; John 14:26; John 16:13). The New Testament came through apostles and their close associates, confirmed by God (Hebrews 2:3–4).
- We are told the faith was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). And the Word warns not to add to or take from what God has given (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5–6; Revelation 22:18–19).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Jesus endorsed the recognized Scriptures of Israel; the apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, gave the New Testament. That forms a complete, Spirit-sealed witness.
- The extra books can be historical or moral in places, but they were not received by Jesus and the apostles as Scripture, nor do they carry the “It is written” authority in the New Testament.
- Since God warns against adding to His Word, we hold to the closed canon He vindicated: the 66 books.
Short reinforcement
You see, God keeps His Word pure. The Bible is complete—one Book, from Genesis to Revelation, perfectly in step, without the need of additions.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Hebrews, Chapter 2, part 3
57-0828 §9
...led them Crossbacks. That's when the Christians used to pack a cross on their back to show that they were crucified with Christ. They called them Crossbacks. Now I know the Catholic calls themselves that, but that wasn't the Catholic church. It was the Protestant church before it was called Protestant church. It protested nothing but sin. The reason it's called Protestant church today is because it protested the Catholic dogma. But still, it was non-sectarian at that time, when they were called Crossbacks.
God's provided way of healing
54-0719A §6
And a few days ago, I have an interview with a priest; the priest said... I was asking him some questions, as my people before me were Catholic. And I said, "I want to ask you some questions Scripturally." And he said, "Just a minute, Mr. Branham." He said, "See, we Catholics go to church and worship. You Protestants stay home and read the Bible, but we go to church and worship." I said, "But, what?" That's the next thing. But, what? Now, he said, "See, we don't notice what... What the Bible says is all right, but...
Church Ages, part 1: Revelation Chapter 1
60-1204M §4
...re really concerned about these things would come every time that we are going to explain it. And I would not undertake, or did I think myself [Gap in the audio] this great book of the revelation of the seven church ages, but I am depending solemnly upon God for ... to reveal it to me, just as I come to it. The natural history, which is taken from the most outstanding historians that I know of... I have laying in my study room right now about five or six commentaries: Hislop's "Two Babylons," Foxe's "Book of the Ma...
The infallible Word of God
56-0404 §43
So, when He made a promise that the Christ would come, they believed it. And when the Christ come, He ought to be the greatest answer to this ladder that I know of. He talked to one, one time, an Israelite in whom there's no guile. And when Philip came to Him and got saved, he went out and got Nathanael. And measuring that off, that's from where Jesus was preaching that day, you had to go around a mountain, way over several miles, where he found Nathanael under a tree praying. Here stood the Son of God. People didn...
Church Ages, part 1: Revelation Chapter 1
60-1204M §5
...the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me to warn the people and to place this. And I cannot do it in a church like this sufficiently. And then if I sit down and just wrote the book... I feel that if I got to the pulpit and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit amongst the Christians came upon me to help me, then I would be more sufficient to write the book then, after I took it off the tape, because there we'd get the inspiration of it. The books, of course, will be kind of straightened up a little because in here we put...