The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

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The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 641 ratings · 86 reviews

Thomas Jefferson believed that the pure-principled teachings of Jesus should have been separated from the dogma and abuse of organized religion of the day. This led him to recast, by cutting and pasting from the gospels, a new narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus, where, according to Jefferson, "there will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of...more

Hardcover, 104 pages

Published August 11th 2006 by Applewood Books (first published 1819)

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May 15, 2012 Cheryl in CC NV rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read all the sacred text. I did not read the full introduction or afterward. Jefferson's idea is pretty cool. If you're a Christian, or are curious about the bible, and don't want to read the big one, this would be a terrific place to start.

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Nov 12, 2008 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who wants a concise view of Jesus's ethical teachings.

This book is Thomas Jefferson's attempt to distill from the gospels the ethical teachings of Jesus. It presents Jesus
purely as a teacher; no chorus of angels marks his birth, he performs no miracles, and the book ends with his burial. The result is a short, 92 page volume that's easy to read in spite of being written in the same archaic style of English as the King James Bible.

The obvious audience for this book is atheists and agnostics who want a view of Jesus's teachings that's free of, as Je...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Erik Larson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book. I went into the book with an open mind. I am an Atheist who has read the bible and wondered what Thomas Jefferson had to say about it. If you have heard of the famous Jefferson - Adams letters where they lightly debate religion then you may know that Thomas wasn't really a fan of the church. That does not mean he is not religious. On the contrary, this book is a basic asemblance of how Thomas Jefferson interpreted the bible. It gives good incite into his views on religion and...more

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May 25, 2012 Bart Breen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Says a Lot about Jefferson!

Jefferson's Bible is an important work both for what it shows of a pivotal Founding Father and lynch-pin president, and what it doesn't show. Jefferson was neither the passionate Christian that some try to paint him as, nor was he the foaming at the mouth Deist that others attempt to paint him as. Jefferson was earlier in his life leaning more toward Deism and toward the end of his life best described as a Unitarian in the sense that the word was used in that day. In a...more Says a Lot about Jefferson!

Jefferson's Bible is an important work both for what it shows of a pivotal Founding Father and lynch-pin president, and what it doesn't show. Jefferson was neither the passionate Christian that some try to paint him as, nor was he the foaming at the mouth Deist that others attempt to paint him as. Jefferson was earlier in his life leaning more toward Deism and toward the end of his life best described as a Unitarian in the sense that the word was used in that day. In an effort to paint their positions, camps from both sides fail to account for the fact that Jefferson was human and his journey through life developed his thinking in these areas and he showed progression and modification of his positions as learning and experience tempered them.

Jefferson clearly rejected Trinitarian theology and believed the gospel narratives to be tarnished with later redaction by the early Church. His "Bible" as such was an attempt to cull out those redactions and isolate those words and teachings of Christ that reflect the moral code of Jesus Christ that Jefferson held to be the highest such teaching known to man. He was in effect trying to identify that theoretical "Q document" that Biblical Scholars from Jefferson's day until now believe existed which had only the words of Christ as he spoke them recorded.

Jefferson's Bible demonstrates both Jefferson's judgement as to what true Christianity (by his definition) entailed, and also what was baggage and needed to be removed. Jefferson revered Christ's moral code and teachings, even as he rejected his deity. This is eminently clear in Jefferson's writings, especially in his lengthy, latter year correspondence with John Adams.

Those who try and demonstrate Jefferson as to one side or the other demonstrate their own bias and need for Jefferson to be cast into their own camp.

Don't make the same mistake. Read the text at face value and determine what it says to you about Jefferson. Then, if you want, wade into the swamp of what others want to tell you it says about Jefferson and his view of our nation. You'll be equipped to reject either extreme and let Jefferson speak for himself.

Those who feel the need to cast stones at it for some felt need to protect the Bible miss the point. This is not about the Bible. The Bible has stood for centuries before Jefferson and will stand long after Jefferson is forgotten. It's about what Jefferson thought, and what he believed and should be read first and foremost from that position.(less)

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Feb 19, 2012 David Crumm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Finally, Smithsonian Offers Jefferson Bible for General Readers

If you’re choosing an edition of the so-called Jefferson Bible, my strong recommendation is: Snap up a copy of this gorgeous Smithsonian facsimile of Jefferson’s original work, which he created by hand with his razor and pot of glue.

Nationwide studies show that most American households own a Bible, most Americans claim they read the Bible regularly, and regular Bible readers own multiple editions. Many Americans preach, teach and sh...more Finally, Smithsonian Offers Jefferson Bible for General Readers

If you’re choosing an edition of the so-called Jefferson Bible, my strong recommendation is: Snap up a copy of this gorgeous Smithsonian facsimile of Jefferson’s original work, which he created by hand with his razor and pot of glue.

Nationwide studies show that most American households own a Bible, most Americans claim they read the Bible regularly, and regular Bible readers own multiple editions. Many Americans preach, teach and share in small groups that include Bible study. This is the first time in two centuries that a reasonably priced facsimile of Jefferson’s Bible is available for general readers. This gorgeous Smithsonian edition is likely to go out of print and, perhaps, become a collector’s item. From a practical standpoint, imagine the spirited discussions you can spark in your class or small group by passing around a copy. Buy it now, while this edition is still available.

What is in Jefferson’s Bible? First of all, Jefferson never called it “The Jefferson Bible,” although that is now such a widely used title that even the Smithsonian edition uses that phrase as the main title for the new color facsimile. Jefferson’s own original title appears as the sub-title of the Smithsonian edition. However, his original intention is captured in that first title: Jefferson only included the life and teachings of Jesus using verses from the Gospels.

How did Jefferson produce his Bible? Equipped with a razor and glue, the Smithsonian says: “At seventy-seven years of age, Thomas Jefferson constructed his book by cutting excerpts from six printed volumes published in English, French, Latin, and Greek of the Gospels of the New Testament. He arranged them to tell a chronological and edited story of Jesus’s life, parables, and moral teaching. Left behind in the source material were those elements that he could not support through reason or that he believed were later embellishments, such as the miracles and the Resurrection.

“The act of cutting and rearranging passages from the New Testament to create something fresh was an ambitious, even audacious initiative, but not an act of disrespect. Through this distillation Jefferson sought to clarify Jesus’s teachings, which he believed provided ‘the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.’”

A second recommendation, if you’re a Bible collector or Bible-study teacher: You also should snap up Tarcher’s new release of the now-classic 1940 edition of The Jefferson Bible.
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Oct 19, 2011 Kenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

Though often claimed by anti-religionists as a Deist, Jefferson states flatly, referring to this cut-and-paste version of the New Testament: "It is a document in proof that I am a REAL CHRISTIAN, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus" (his emphasis).

But note the distinction: Jefferson calls himself a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus, not a disciple of Jesus himself. This is a serious difference, as his discomfort with and his disbelief in the supernatural aspects of the story of...more

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May 19, 2011 Lee Harmon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"We must reduce our volume to the simple evangelists, select, even from them, the very words only of Jesus. There will be remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man."

With this goal, Jefferson set about with razor in hand to extract the true words and actions of Jesus from the enveloping hype and miracle stories of the Gospels. Rejecting the virgin birth, the annunciation, and even the resurrection, Jefferson wanted to dig down to Jesus’ message of...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To thoroughly grasp the hubris, imagine it in modern day: a US president whose religious beliefs are widely regarded as insufficient and blasphemous towards Christian doctrine, deciding that he doesn't really care for the Bible as it's written--too many miracles, and that Paul character, he's gotta go--so he'll just take some scissors, snip out the good parts, and rearrange them into a better order. Clearly, Thomas Jefferson predated cable news networks. Apparently, the Jefferson Bible is now di...more To thoroughly grasp the hubris, imagine it in modern day: a US president whose religious beliefs are widely regarded as insufficient and blasphemous towards Christian doctrine, deciding that he doesn't really care for the Bible as it's written--too many miracles, and that Paul character, he's gotta go--so he'll just take some scissors, snip out the good parts, and rearrange them into a better order. Clearly, Thomas Jefferson predated cable news networks. Apparently, the Jefferson Bible is now distributed to members of the US Congress; I can't help but wonder how many of them have actually read it before lauding the Protestant religiosity of founding fathers. (The introductory matter in this edition claims that Jefferson's beliefs tended towards Unitarian, although it is published by the Unitarian church, and I'm having difficulty confirming anything more concrete than a "close alignment" with Unitarianism.)

Jefferson doesn't set out as many religious scholars do in an attempt to quarantine a historical Jesus from the embellishments of later generations' evangelizing competitiveness. If this were his goal I would expect a heavier reliance on the earlier gospels, especially Mark, but this isn't the case; basically, Jefferson snips out the miraculous and supernatural, leaving barebones biographical detail and the words attributed to Jesus himself, and rearranges things into an approximation of Chronological order (though several of the stories that appear in more than one gospel are separated by several pages). The translation is King James with almost no deviations, despite Jefferson using a side-by-side English/French/Greek/Latin edition. (Again, here a modern dedicated biblical historian would, I imagine, try to go back to the most original texts possible, though one can imagine the limitations of this in 19th century Virginia.)

One of the things that is both problematic and intensely lucky about Christianity, as opposed to more recent religions such as Islam, is that the details of Jesus's life and sayings were not recorded as they happened. We have, for example, a huge body of information via Hadiths and the Qu'ran about Muhammed that borders on TMI (a recent reading of Fatima Mernissi's The Veil and the Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Women's Rights in Islam underscored this to me). Without too much information on the trivial details of Jesus's life, Christians are free to deviate from them rather than have every small dietary or sartorial choice be regarded as a religious pronouncement. This, at least, is consistent with the message of Jesus in the gospels. The downside, of course, is the resultant disagreement over resolving conflicts among spiritual texts written long after the fact.

The Jesus that is left after Jefferson's clippings is not unfamiliar, and perhaps more interesting for attracting followers through his Temple-reforming rabble rousing and philosophical questioning rather than miracle-performance. It worked well enough for Martin Luther, after all, I suppose. In the end, though, it probably gives more insight into Jefferson and his religious beliefs than it does into Christianity. (less)

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Mar 03, 2010 Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, political, philosophy

This is the way the Bible is supposed to be. Thomas Jefferson, founding father and President of the USA has cut away all the supernatural BS behind Jesus Christ and his life time. Dug hard into various Bibles of the times and manages to find the wisdom of a progressive Jewish rebel. This Jesus was killed for believing in treating people equally and finding the best of human nature.

The supernatural birth and other mystical events of Jesus' life have been removed and instead readers will discover...more This is the way the Bible is supposed to be. Thomas Jefferson, founding father and President of the USA has cut away all the supernatural BS behind Jesus Christ and his life time. Dug hard into various Bibles of the times and manages to find the wisdom of a progressive Jewish rebel. This Jesus was killed for believing in treating people equally and finding the best of human nature.

The supernatural birth and other mystical events of Jesus' life have been removed and instead readers will discover a new vision in the man called Jesus, with all the mystical mumbo-jumbo that the church has added to him to make him seem like a divine being.

Instead we see a person who even during his childhood questioned his family and leaders with critical reasoning skills that were probably self-taught. Jesus learned that they were manipulating the public for their own personal gain over the betterment of all. He hung out with criminals, whores and the lowest end of the public, treated them with compassion and became an accidental leader to them.

His martyrdom was then justified by the church to make him divine much like the ancient demi-gods like Hercules, Peresus, and other Greek/Roman heroes that inspired the people. His "divinity" has been cut by Jefferson's own hand and instead we see through the church's deception and lies to keep the public in control and instead see that Jesus was a rebel with a cause to help to better not only his fellow Jews but all people everywhere. The pseudo-mystical nature of his birth to the documentation of his supposed resurrection have been cut away and we still see a good leader who inspired people to help people.

Unlike the many Christians today who turn their backs on their own fellow human being in the name of Christ and don't bother to lend a helping hand as Jesus did. Jefferson took the true teachings of Jesus the man and rebel leader to heart. Those teaching helped America throw off the shackles of English rule and domination to allow America the right to be free. (less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Nathan added it · review of another edition

"In 1820, at seventy-seven years of age, Thomas Jefferson removed the six testaments from his shelf, where they had been sitting for a decade and a half, and carved out a Gospel for himself, one whose witness he could respect and whose message he could understand" (pg 30).

Yes, Jefferson literally cut and pasted the Bible, nixing the "supernatural" parts and leaving only Jesus' teachings in a new arrangement.

The history behind it and the book itself are interesting, but the content is misguided a...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Israel Weber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The controversy surrounding this is probably why I liked it. I appreciate Jefferson's undertaking this. I read it in the same manner I would've read a novel, but it definitely read more like the bible than a work of fiction or a biography. I'd recommend it for any one interested in a philosophic view of Christ. It's also really, really short compared to the New Testament as it's only miracle-free snippets taken from the four gospels.

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Dec 27, 2012 John Martindale rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion, history

Well, first off, this is the "Life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth" its not the "Jefferson bible," Jefferson would have been horrified if he learned someone took a book where he compiled the moral philosophy of Jesus and called it his bible. I have heard that according to the original preface, it was suppose to be for the native Indians, though there is no evidence of it reaching them, we have no right to create a new motive for Jefferson.

Next, Jefferson cutting from a bible and pasting in anoth...more Well, first off, this is the "Life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth" its not the "Jefferson bible," Jefferson would have been horrified if he learned someone took a book where he compiled the moral philosophy of Jesus and called it his bible. I have heard that according to the original preface, it was suppose to be for the native Indians, though there is no evidence of it reaching them, we have no right to create a new motive for Jefferson.

Next, Jefferson cutting from a bible and pasting in another book, is no reason for the delight and glee from secularist and horror from Christians. Think about it, Jefferson didn't have a computer where he could copy and paste the moral philosophy of Christ from the bible into a book, so he did exactly what I would do if I had several bibles. I personally once cut verses from a bible to paste in a painting, I suppose 200 years from now, someone will find the painting and think I was some anti-Christian, irreligious, bible hating deist, because I applied my scissors to the Holy Bible!

Now as far as the content, so many of reviews just focus and delight on what is LEFT out and yet don't feel any discomfort about what is there. Though it is obvious that Jefferson didn't allow any of Jesus' miracles to be recorded and he didn't include the resurrection of Christ at the end, it is still rather interesting what he did leave in the so called "Jefferson bible." There is much more then moral teachings here.

So yeah, for a so called "Secular humanist" among many atheist and a Deist among "Christians," how do they make sense of all Jefferson left in? For I suppose they must assume that Jefferson cut out all the supernatural crap he disagreed with, and what is left in the Jefferson bible is the "Diamonds from the dung hill". The way some reviewers are acting, I suppose we can say what Jefferson left in the Jefferson Bible, he approved of? So what are these diamonds salvaged from the dung hill?

I just read the it and inside the "Jefferson bible" we find many examples of heaven, the fires of hell and both devils and angels. Also, most of Jesus' mentions of the second coming, the final Judgment, the Kingdom of God, salvation, Jesus' mighty works and that Jesus is the Son of God are all here! Jesus affirms the resurrection, Noah and the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. Most importantly almost every reference to prayer from Jesus is in the "Jefferson bible", even God giving the Holy Spirit to all who ask. We also find fulfilled prophesy; Jesus prophesies Peter will deny him 3 times before the cock crows and later we read of this happening. So yeah, there is a lot more, I could make this into an extremely long review and just post example after example directly from the eBook, of all that shouldn't have survived Jefferson's scissors and bible blotter!

so yeah for a so called Deist, it sure seems odd he didn't clip out all mentions of prayer, God's activity on the earth, as well as prophesy, the second coming, angels and demons and the Holy Spirit and Jesus being the actual Son of God, the Christ and the King whose Kingdom is not of this earth. It would be nice to find some explanation for all Jefferson left in there, if he really was creating for himself his own bible without the supernatural. Is not the resurrection, the Holy Spirit, prophesy and salvation supernatural? Oh Hitchen's and Dawkin's, how did all this nonsense make it into this book from your secular saint?

O.K with all of that aside, i must say i really enjoyed "The Life and morals of Jesus." As far as Jesus' life, its extremely brief, the book is primarily the read letters of the bible, Jesus' teachings all put together seamlessly. I am glad Jefferson did this, it was a pleasure to read Jesus' teachings without the constant interruptions of miracles.(less)

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May 03, 2012 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I suppose I expected a more condensed version of the Gospels in Jefferson's work. And, while it is more condensed (by leaving out all the miracles and resurrection story), it is not more concise. He's merely stripped away those parts and left everything else in. So, as with other parts of the Bible, we're left reading similar passages, with similar wording, over and over again.

However, in this edition, if you continue on past Jefferson's manipulation of the Gospels, you'll read an afterword by...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Lance rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had heard about this book for years, so I was glad to pick it up at a book sale. I was curious to learn more about Jefferson's attempt to rewrite the Gospels.

Fortunately, this version of the book includes a forward by Forrest Church that explains the history of Jefferson's choice to read the book and an afterward by Jaroslav Pelikan that explains the theological and intellectual context in which Jefferson wrote it. Without the context provided by these two authors, this would be an awfully str...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thomas Jefferson is among the greatest minds from the Founding Generation of Americans. Despite his contributions to the American framework, Jefferson believed that religious beliefs were and should remain an immensely personal topic, and as such he spends very little time discussing this issue even among his most trusted contemporaries, including Benjamin Rush, who may have inspired Jefferson to complete this work following Rush's death.
The Jeffersonian Bible is an intimate look into the mind o...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Katrin (kitkatkathy!) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9th-grade-school-year, books-i-own, non-fiction, read-online, not-as-good-as-i-thought

I tried not be critical with this book because going into it, I knew it would be different than the actual Bible; this was impossible because the book is a Bible constructed by a man's skepticism and critism. Then I have full right to be a religious airhead right now: how could you base faith off just that? Not even the full four gospels, this was tidbits Jefferson found "correct", taking out so much FAITH and what FAITH is based off of: not only what you see, but what you believe, and belief is...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Thomas Jefferson created his own telling of the life of Jesus by literally cutting out verses from the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and pasting them together in his own book. He kept only the words of Jesus which Jefferson felt "There will be remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man."

To preserve the original text photocopies have been made of the original and then printed. You can still see the marks of the pieces of text he cut and pas...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Prooost Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jefferson's attempt to present Jesus's story, as collected from the four Gospels, in chronological order, omitting all of its supernatural aspects, gives the story a shape that one doesn't necessarily perceive in selecting verses for study out of context. The reader can see an inevitable trajectory towards crucifixion as Jesus gains a following while challenging the authority of some important people.

Jefferson did not believe in the virgin birth, the miracles, the resurrection, etc., but he wish...more

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Jun 25, 2008 Wesley Weissenberger rated it 5 of 5 stars

As Thomas Jefferson is arguably the most important figure in American History. I had to pick this one up. While nothing but a re-telling of the New Testement, and even though it is written with a strange mixture of Old Enlish and Contemperary American. It allows for a fresh look at the New Testement with out all of the religious stuff thrown in.

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Apr 11, 2013 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is Jefferson's study Bible. In his Bible, he used the four Gospels in the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) to put together a linear story of Christ and his teachings. Jefferson was a deist and refused to accept Jesus Christ as a Messiah, but instead as one of the greatest philosophers, teachers, and thinkers of all time. He studied from this Bible extensively.

To create this Bible, Jefferson took two copies each of an English, French, Latin, and Greek Bible and cut out the stories...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Richard Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an odd one to review. It could be titled The best of Jesus Christ as told by the disciples chosen by Thomas Jefferson. It is somewhat refreshing because there is little story in there, just some morals and parables. Regardless of how you view Christianity, I don't really want to associate with people who don't find the morals in this book to be virtuous at the least.

It isn't the easiest thing to read, but it is the Bible what did I expect? Lots of old english confusing the sentences, bu...more

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May 24, 2009 Dean rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reference

Brilliant editing...when considered with his design for the University of Virginia grounds sheds light on TJ's careful consideration, no, critical inquiry into the spectrum of 18th c norms. Everything is in play with reason the blade that carves the irrelevant and nonsense from core truths. UVA is an architectural analog. Though it can be debated that it is less successful as a unified work because it is new, untested function from an old form (a core campus from a Roman temple and forum), it is...more

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Oct 16, 2007 Jake Wegman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Definitely a puzzling project for Jefferson to undertake. I really didn't like how he jumps from chapter to chapter. It's not like the Bible is exactly easy to read in the first place, but Jefferson's approach to the translation of the New Testament is even more beguiling.

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Jan 03, 2013 Steven rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: religiony

My sister suggested I might get something out of this, after I'd been going on about how bogus everything in the bible is. That Thomas Jefferson took out all the supernatural elements from the Jesus mythology and humanized him and his moral lessons. It's cool that Jefferson was bold enough to attempt that, but it still didn't work for me because Jesus still waxes on about a supernatural god and heaven and hell and spirits, and a lot of his moral lessons are still based around those things, so ho...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Mahdis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lds-christen-themed

I picked this book up when I went to DC. It was fascinating to see how Thomas Jefferson studied the New Testament. I only wish I spoke Latin. He basically stripped the New Testament of all spiritual references and then organized all of the books chronologically while placing French and Latin versions next to each verse. This was an incredible undertaking especially for his time. I can't imagine anyone during this point of history even considering cutting and pasting bibles.

Although I greatly mi...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Paul Cato rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christianity, summer-research-2012, swat-2011-2012, theology

More interesting than the "Jefferson Bible" (aka "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth") are the comprehensive introduction and collection of letters concerning his religious belief. Ultimately the Jefferson Bible is somewhat stale - as both a piece of literature and as a religious/philosophical work. Though an interesting exercise, and certainly a legit example of the sort of religious self-reflection he urged all people to do, any compilation of four distinct sources - each with their own...more

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May 09, 2011 Stephanie Levan rated it 2 of 5 stars

I can appreciate Jefferson's struggle with the theology and content of the gospels as presented in the bible. I think he had good intentions -- he was struggling to understand his own beliefs and faith in God. So in an attempt to explain things that he couldn't logically explain, such as the divinity of Jesus, he reconstructed the gospels into one new gospel that excluded any verses/passages that talked of healing miracles and being the son of God.

While I can understand this struggle, I still ag...more

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Mar 05, 2009 Rob Haas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lifetime learners

Shelves: philosophy

I found this to be very readable. It is an abridged version of the new testament that removes all the virgin birth, resurrection and miracles that the apostles tribute to Jesus of Nazareth. You're left with the man and his philosphy. I have a much clearer idea of what exactly he was trying to teach his followers. A lot of critics get bogged down by Jesus widely attributed miracles, this is a more secular approach to the man. at 140 very short and small pages anyone can blow through this in 2-3 d...more

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Feb 19, 2012 David Crumm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Specific to Tarcher Edition: Jefferson’s Bible in a Handy Edition

In posting this review, I’m also posting a review of a second new edition that is freshly available: The Smithsonian facsimile edition of The Jefferson Bible. That special Smithsonian volume is a reasonably priced collector’s item, and so is this Tarcher edition.

If you’ve read this far about the book, you probably know something about the so-called Jefferson Bible. First, he never called it that himself. His final 1820 edition was...more Specific to Tarcher Edition: Jefferson’s Bible in a Handy Edition

In posting this review, I’m also posting a review of a second new edition that is freshly available: The Smithsonian facsimile edition of The Jefferson Bible. That special Smithsonian volume is a reasonably priced collector’s item, and so is this Tarcher edition.

If you’ve read this far about the book, you probably know something about the so-called Jefferson Bible. First, he never called it that himself. His final 1820 edition was called “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.” I’m not interested in starting a book-review debate about the nature of Jefferson’s faith, but this much is true: In his own lifetime, Jefferson did called himself “a Christian.” It’s also true that Jefferson’s interest was in the moral teachings of Jesus and his version of the Bible cut out all miraculous details from the Gospels. You’ll find that his Bible, nearly two centuries after he created it, still sparks spirited discussion in classes and small groups.

Of course, the 1820 Bible was intended for his own reading and for his circle of friends and colleagues, most of whom could appreciate the Greek, Latin and French columns in his pasted-together composite. His original edition remains a major milestone in American religious history and a book that any Bible teacher should have on the shelf. Of course, today, there are lots of free and almost-free editions of this book with more popping up all the time.

The Tarcher edition represents a historical milestone, as does the Smithsonian facsimile. First published in 1940, the new Tarcher version includes the original 1940 preface, so readers can look back on American attitudes toward this document just prior to America’s involvement in World War II. Plus, frankly, if you want to actually read the whole text of Jefferson’s version, this is a much easier book to read than the Smithsonian facsimile. Among other things, Tarcher doesn’t bother to publish the Greek, Latin and French columns, just the English in a highly readable typeface.

My strong recommendation: Buy both of these books now, while they’re still available.
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Nov 28, 2010 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reading

Finally, I have finished The Jefferson Bible, only took me two years to read a 169 page book. It's not for the lack on content or boring subject, I just kept losing my place over and over and over again... It's hard to find any organization that the original text had since Jefferson literally did a cut and paste job to produce this book, so I kept getting lost trying to follow the chapter verse layout.

Thomas Jefferson worked for a couple restless nights in Washington carefully extracting bible p...more

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About Thomas Jefferson

More than a mere renaissance man, Jefferson may actually have been a new kind of man. He was fluent in five languages and able to read two others. He wrote, over the course of his life, over sixteen thousand letters. He was acquainted with nearly every influential person in America, and a great many in Europe as well. He was a lawyer, agronomist, musician, scientist, philosopher, author, architect...more More than a mere renaissance man, Jefferson may actually have been a new kind of man. He was fluent in five languages and able to read two others. He wrote, over the course of his life, over sixteen thousand letters. He was acquainted with nearly every influential person in America, and a great many in Europe as well. He was a lawyer, agronomist, musician, scientist, philosopher, author, architect, inventor, and statesman. Though he never set foot outside of the American continent before adulthood, he acquired an education that rivaled the finest to be attained in Europe. He was clearly the foremost American son of the Enlightenment.

Jefferson was born at Shadwell in Albemarle county, Virginia on April 13, 1743. He was tutored by the Reverend James Maury, a learned man, in the finest classical tradition. He began the study of Latin, Greek, and French at the age of 9. He attended William and Mary College in Williamsburg at sixteen years old, then continued his education in the Law under George Wythe, the first professor of law in America (who later would sign Jefferson's Declaration in 1776). Thomas Jefferson attended the House of Burgesses as a student in 1765 when he witnessed Patrick Henry's defiant stand against the Stamp Act. He gained the Virginia bar and began practice in 1769, and was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1769. It was there that his involvement in revolutionary politics began. He was never a very vocal member, but his writing, his quiet work in committee, and his ability to distill large volumes of information to essence, made him an invaluable member in any deliberative body.

In 1775 when a Virginia convention selected delegates to the Continental Congress, Jefferson was selected as an alternate. It was expected that Payton Randolph, (then Speaker of the Virginia House and president of the Continental Congress too,) would be recalled by the Royal Governor. This did happen and Jefferson went in his place. Thomas Jefferson had a theory about self governance and the rights of people who established habitat in new lands. Before attending the Congress in Philadelphia he codified these thoughts in an article called A Summary View of the Rights of British America. This paper he sent on ahead of him. He fell ill on the road and was delayed for several days. By the time he arrived, his paper had been published as a pamphlet and sent throughout the colonies and on to England where Edmund Burke, sympathetic to the colonial condition, had it reprinted and circulated widely. In 1776 Jefferson, then a member of the committee to draft a declaration of independence, was chosen by the committee to write the draft. This he did, with some minor corrections from James Madison and an embellishment from Franklin, the document was offered to the Congress on the first day of July. The congress modified it somewhat, abbreviating certain wording and removing points that were outside of general agreement. The Declaration was adopted on the Fourth of July.

Jefferson returned to his home not long afterward. His wife and two of his children were very ill, he was tired of being remote from his home, and he was anxious about the development of a new government for his native state.

In June of 1779 he succeeded Patrick Henry as Governor of Virginia. The nation was still at war, and the southern colonies were under heavy attack. Jefferson's Governorship was clouded with hesitation. He himself concluded that the state would be better served by a military man. He declined re-election after his first term and was succeeded by General Nelson of Yorktown.

In 1781 he retired to Monticello, the estate he inherited, to write, work on improved agriculture, and attend his wife. It was during this time that he wrote Notes on the State of Virginia, a work that he never completed. Martha Jefferson died in September of 1782. This event threw Jefferson into a depression that, according to his eldest daughter he might never have recovere(less)

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Books by Thomas Jefferson

The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States

Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States of America, Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments (Including Images of Original

Writings: Autobiography/Notes on the State of Virginia/Public & Private Papers/Addresses/Letters (Library of America #17)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8508.The_Jefferson_Bible?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328756765l/8508.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8508.The_Jefferson_Bible?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson[/url]

The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

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