Books of the Vulgate


These are the books of the Vulgate along with the names and numbers given them in the Douay–Rheims and King James versions of the Bible. They are all translations, and the Vulgate exists in many forms. There are 76 books in the Clementine edition of the Latin Vulgate, 46 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament, and 3 in the Apocrypha.

Other editions

The list is for the Clementine Vulgate. Other editions of the Vulgate vary in the Apocrypha, in the order of the books, and in the names of the books.

Early manuscripts

The early Vulgate manuscripts essentially had a table of contents identical to those found in modern Vulgate editions.

Sequence of Books in Vulgate Old Testaments according to different sources

Adapted from Richard Marsden's The Text of the Old Testament in Anglo-Saxon England, page 450.
JeromeAugustineAmiatinusTheodulfAlcuinÆlfricClementine
OctOctOctOctOctOctOct
KgsKgsKgsKgsKgsKgsKgs
IsChronChronIsIsChronChron
JerJobPssJer + BarJerPssEzr + N
EzekTobProvEzekEzekProvTob
Min PrEstWisdMin PrDanEcclJdth
JobJdthSirJobMin PrSongEst
PssMaccEcclPssJobWisdJob
ProvEzr + NSongProvPssSirPss
EcclPssIsEcclProvIsProv
SongProvJerSongEcclJerEccl
DanSongEzekDanSongEzekSong
ChronEcclDanChronWisdDanWisd
Ezr + NWisdMin PrEzr + NSirMin PrSir
EstSirJobEstChronEzrIs
WisdMin PrTobWisdEzr + NTobJer + Bar
SirIsEstSirEstJobEzek
JdthJerJdthTobTobEstDan
TobDanEzr + NJdthJdthJdthMin Pr
MaccEzekMaccMaccMaccMaccMacc

In the Old Testament sequence set out by Jerome in the Prologus Galeatus, he identifies the books into four categories: The Law, the Prophets, the Writings, and finally the five apocryphal books of Wisdom, Sirach, Judith, Tobit and Maccabees. Jerome's first three categories correspond to the rabbinic ordering of the Hebrew Bible, except that Jerome includes Ruth with Judges, and Lamentations with Jeremiah. Although the prologus, and hence Jerome's listing, was included in almost all Vulgate pandect manuscripts, his order was only rarely adopted; the exceptions being the bibles produced by Theodulf and his successors at Fleury, and also the 9th century Codex Toletanus in Spain.
An alternative listing of the Old Testament books, which circulated universally in the Latin west, was that set out by Augustine. Augustine allocates the Old Testament into five categories: the Law, the History, the Narratives, the books of David and Solomon, and the Prophets. Although Augustine's detailed order of books has not been recorded in any manuscript, most subsequent pandects recognised his categories. Augustine's categories are also found in the decrees of the Council of Carthage (418), at which Augustine was present, in the order: Law, History, David and Solomon, Prophets, Narratives; and this order is also found the 8th century Codex Cavensis and other Spanish pandect bibles.
The Codex Amiatinus sets out the Old Testament in the order: Law, History, David and Solomon, Prophets, Narratives. Alcuin gives the order: Law, History, Prophets, David and Solomon, Narratives; Alcuin removes Job from the Narrative section to a position immediately preceding the Book of Psalms, and also includes Chronicles with the Narratives. The Paris bibles followed the sequence: Law, History, Narratives, David and Solomon, Prophets, and Maccabees is the final book. The Paris order, minus 3 Esdras, was eventually to be adopted by the Clementine Vulgate.