Have you ever wondered where the Bible came from? 

Of all the books ever written or published, the Bible is the most widely read, studied, translated, printed, sold, gifted, distributed, and quoted. It is the best-selling book of all time. So, where did it come from? Well, it didn’t just drop down from heaven one fine day, nor did it appear suddenly on the earth, delivered by an angel of God. 

The Bible was written by real people, ordinary people, who were inspired by God in ways that none of us will fully understand. But that’s not the only piece to the puzzle. The Bible was also officially organized and protected by the Catholic Church. 

Pope Damasus I was one of the many people who was responsible for putting the Bible together. During his time as pope, he presided over the Council of Rome of 382—a group of leaders who were led by the Holy Spirit to select the official canon of Scripture. So the next time you flip through all the books of the Old and New Testament, thank Pope Damasus I! 

Putting the canon of the Bible together was no easy task. Why? Because the Bible isn’t just one book. There are actually seventy-three books in all: forty-six in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. Hence the name Biblia in Greek, which means “the books” or “library.” It is important to note that most Protestant and Evangelical Bibles contain only sixty-six books. It was during the Reformation that non-Catholic Christians removed the following books: Tobit, Judith, Maccabees 1 and 2, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch.

Christians of all denominations around the world owe an enormous debt to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church, inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit, is responsible for the formulation, preservation, and integrity of the Sacred Scriptures. For fifteen hundred years, when there were no Baptists, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Methodists, Anglicans, Evangelicals, or any other Christian Church of any type, the Catholic Church preserved the Bible from error, saved them from destruction and extinction, multiplied them in every language under the sun, and conveyed the truths they contained to people everywhere. Time and time again, people have tried to manipulate and corrupt these writings, but the Catholic Church, and saints like Pope Damasus I, have preserved a version that is complete and free from human tampering. 

The Bible is a gift from God. Do you treasure this gift? How has this gift impacted your life?



Feast Day: December 11

Feast Day Shared By: Saint María Maravillas de Jesús, Blessed Arthur Bell, and Blessed Pilar Villalonga Villalba

Patron Saint of: Archaeologists and Against Fever

Also Known As: Pope Damasus I