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Why Do Catholic Bibles Have a Different Lord’s Prayer?

Question:

Why is the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-14) different in the Catholic Bible compared to the King James Version?

Answer:

The difference comes down to one verse (13): “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” This verse is included in the King James Version (KJV) but not in most Catholic Bibles.

The reason for this comes down to what manuscripts are being used. The KJV is based on the Textus Receptus. This was produced by Erasmus, who compiled what Greek manuscripts he had access to into a single edition.

However, while the Textus Receptus was very good at unifying what was probably the most common editions of the Greek New Testament, it did not contain the oldest ones. Two manuscripts (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) that are older than those found in the Textus Receptus do not contain the verse in question.

In addition, the tradition on the matter is mixed. While the Didache and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom do contain the doxology, the commentaries on the Lord’s Prayer by Tertullian, Origen, and Cyprian do not include it.

St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate did not include it, and therefore any Catholic Bible based upon the Vulgate also would not include it. In modern times, while the Vulgate is not used by most Catholic Bibles as a foundational source, the fact that the doxology is not included in the oldest manuscripts results in its exclusion.

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