Why are there books of the Old Testament missing from the Protestant Bible?

Answer 1

A:The split between Christianity and Judaism occurred before the Jews had decided on which scriptures would form the canon of the Hebrew Bible. Being unable to seek advice from the Jews, the early Christian Church, which eventually split into Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches, adopted the Hebrew scriptures that were believed most likely to be inspired works. Independently, the Jewish scribes discarded some of these books on the grounds that they were not considered inspired.

Most Protestant Churches eventually discarded from their Old Testament the books that were not included in the Hebrew Bible. They also discarded material such as the Additions to Esther, on the same grounds.