Is Catholic New Testament and Protestant New Testament the same?

Answer 1

The Catholic and Protestant New Testament have the same 27 books and are universally recognized within Christianity. There are some differences due to the translations and interpretations of original scripture sources.

The Catholic and Protestant Bibles differ in the Catholic Bibles having additional books in the Old Testament called the Apocrypha including Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Tobit, Sirach, and others.

Besides the inclusion of the Apocrypha in the Catholic Bible, there are also subtle differences in the texts mostly by choices made by the translators and their best interpretation.

Some examples:

Matthew 9:13 (KJV) - "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Matthew 9:13 (NRSV) - "Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."

Acts 2:38 (KJV) - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:38 (Douay-Rheims) - But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Note the subtle difference of in Matthew 9:13 of calling sinners to repentance in the KJV vs just calling sinners. Likewise, in Acts 2:38 the word choice of repent vs doing penance.

When comparing biblical texts you need to understand the goal of the particular version. Some Bible translations are literal translations and others are dynamic translations or even paraphrasing to capture the meaning but not the original word choices. In addition, there are implied cultural nuances from which translation requires more than just matching words verbatim hence the different wordings in these translations.