The life and morals of jesus of nazareth, known today as the jefferson bible, is thomas jefferson s own compilation of the four gospels in the new testament. Throughout his life, jefferson was intensely interested in theology, religious studies, and morality. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth, known today as the jefferson bible, is thomas jeffersons own compilation of the four gospels in the new testament. Presenting jesus as a moral guide rather than as divine, this brief narrative focuses on his life of compassion and service. Among his proudest achievements was his bill for establishing religious freedom, passed by the general assembly of virginia in 1786. Apr 09, 2014 that jefferson had in mind the preparation of such a book, and that he actually prepared it, has been known to students of his letters and writings, and especial attention was drawn to the fact in the life and times of thomas jefferson, by henry s. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Download the jefferson bible audiobook by thomas jefferson. Thomas jefferson, together with several of his fellow founding fathers, was influenced by the principles of deism, a construct that envisioned a supreme being as a sort of watchmaker who had created the world but no longer intervened directly in daily life.
He was seventyseven years old when he constructed his book by cutting excerpts of the new testament gospels from six printed volumes published in english, french, latin and greek. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth by thomas jefferson 2,191 ratings, 3. Jefferson wished to extract the doctrine of jesus by removing sections of the new testament containing supernatural. Subscribe thomas jefferson american president born on april, 1743, died on july 04, 1826 thomas jefferson was an american founding father, the principal author of the declaration of independence, and the third president of the united states. Jefferson bible, abridgment of the new testament compiled by thomas jefferson. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth also called the jefferson bible was an attempt by thomas jefferson to glean the teachings of jesus from the christian gospels. The correspondence between thomas jefferson and james madison, 17761826 thomas jeffersons farm book by thomas jefferson call number.
The writings of thomas jefferson library edition vol. The jefferson bible the life and morals of jesus of nazareth. The jefferson bible audiobook by thomas jefferson youtube. The jefferson bible by jefferson, thomas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. He is now writing a book on the adventures of two reporters who covered the civil war until they were captured by the confederates, imprisoned, and then made a dramatic escape. Thomas jefferson 17431826 was the third president of the united states, the author of the declaration of independence, and the founder of the university of virginia. Topics thomas jefferson, jesus, jefferson bible, bible, religion, christianity collection opensource language english. This should be required reading for anyone with an interest in religion. He was sympathetic to and in general agreement with the moral precepts of christianity. The writings of thomas jefferson thomas jefferson 84 downloads history of the expedition under the command of captains lewis and clark, vol. The jefferson bible kindle edition by thomas jefferson. The first time jefferson undertook to create his own. You can examine and read jeffersons complete 1820 bible online by visiting the smithsonian institutions interactive web display.
The table of texts is from the life and morals of jesus of nazareth. The hardcover of the the jefferson bible, smithsonian edition. The jefferson bible is the result, offering valuable. Jefferson was most comfortable with deism, rational religion, and unitarianism. Thomas jefferson and his bible the jefferson bible was thomas jefferson s attempt to extract an authentic jesus from the gospel accounts. The jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus of nazareth as it is formally titled, was thomas jefferson s effort to extract the doctrine of jesus by removing sections of the new testament containing supernatural aspects as well as perceived misinterpretations he believed had been added. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth jefferson bible. In the fall of 1996 american book distributors, a division of libertarian press, published a beautiful, redletter edition of the classic work by thomas jefferson, the life and morals of jesus of nazareth. When it became available in an ebook, it was the time for me to read it. The philosophy of jesus and the life and morals of jesus. Regardless of the intended audience, jeffersons work wasnt published for many decades after his death. Second series 1983 princeton university press hardcover. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth thomas jeffersons.
Thomas jefferson believed that the pureprincipled teachings of jesus should have been separated from the dogma and abuse of organized religion of the day. Jefferson adapted the teachings of jesus by removing sections of the new testament containing supernatural parts along with areas that he felt were added by the four evangelists. Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Congress had the government printing office issue 9,000 copies of the jefferson bible for. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the jefferson bible. The jefferson bible kindle edition by jefferson, thomas, adler, cyrus. Jeffersons bible was originally created using jacob johnsons 1804 printing of the king james new testament. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth aka the jefferson bible by thomas jefferson addeddate 20160730 18. The writings of thomas jefferson by thomas jefferson. Thomas jefferson american president born on april, 1743, died on july 04, 1826 thomas jefferson was an american founding father, the principal author of the declaration of independence, and the third president of the united states. Province united christ church ministry 23 now the same john had his raiment of camels hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins. The jefferson bible, as its known, is scripture by subtraction, writes stephen prothero, a professor of religion at boston university. The retained passages, jefferson explained in an 18 letter to john adams, contain the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.
Jefferson undertook his selfappointed task in 1794, consulting not only the king james bible but also greek, french, and latin versions. Opinion thomas jeffersons bible teaching the new york. Jefferson finished his bible in approximately 1819. Thomas jeffersons revolutionary take on the bible reissued this article is more than 8 years old former us president took a razor to parts of the gospels he. Meriwether lewis and william clark 82 downloads memoir, correspondence, and miscellanies, from the papers of thomas jefferson, volume 2 thomas jefferson 71 downloads. The jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus of nazareth as it is formally titled, was thomas jeffersons effort to extract what he considered the pertinent doctrine of jesus by removing. Thomas jeffersons bible teaching the new york times.
I am a christian in the only sense in which he wished any one to be. The jefferson bible thomas jefferson by thomas jefferson. When you consider that jeffersons original book was a cut and glue book, it. The jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus of nazareth, as it is properly titled was thomas jeffersons version of the new testament. It is where the core strength of a corrupted church lies. You can examine and read jefferson s complete 1820 bible online by visiting the smithsonian institutions interactive web display. It was an article of thomas jeffersons faith that no government should interfere in anyones private.
Thomas jefferson, letter to thomas law, june, 1814 ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions. The bible, thomas jefferson peter carlson is a former reporter for the washington post and the author of two books on american history, k blows top and roughneck. The jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus of nazareth as it is formally titled, was thomas jefferson s effort to extract what he considered the pertinent doctrine of jesus by removing. Jesus many faces thomas jefferson and his bible from.
Thomas jefferson and his bible the jefferson bible was thomas jeffersons attempt to extract an authentic jesus from the gospel accounts. The second, the life and morals of jesus of nazareth, was completed in 1820 by cutting and pasting with a razor and glue numerous sections from the. Jun 27, 2017 the thomas jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus is a stripped down and combined version of the first four books of the biblical new testament compiled by thomas jefferson as a means. By the time he was elected the nations third president in 1801, the founding father had become a champion of separation of church. That jefferson had in mind the preparation of such a book, and that he actually prepared it, has been known to students of his letters and writings, and especial attention was drawn to the fact in the life and times of thomas jefferson, by henry s. In 1804 thomas jefferson decided to study the gospels to see if he could distill the essence of jesus teachings into a concise book that could be quickly read and easily understood. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth jefferson bible by thomas jefferson. The thomas jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus is a stripped down and combined version of the first four books of the biblical new testament compiled by thomas jefferson as a means of distilling the core teachings of jesus christ. To the corruptions of christianity i am indeed opposed. Finally, in 1895, a smithsonian librarian named cyrus adler stumbled upon the cutup bibles and jeffersons work in an obscure private collection source. Randall, published in three volumes, new york, 1858. This led him to recast, by cutting and pasting from the gospels, a new narrative of the life and teachings of jesus, where.
The correspondence between thomas jefferson and james madison, 17761826 thomas jefferson s farm book by thomas jefferson call number. The first, the philosophy of jesus of nazareth, was completed in 1804, but no copies exist today. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream. The jefferson bible thomas jefferson, author of the declaration of independence and third president of the united states, was characterized by some of his contemporaries as. The thomas jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus is a stripped down and combined version of the first four books of the biblical new testament compiled by thomas jefferson as a. It is not actually a complete bible but an attempt at a harmony of the gospels. The thomas jefferson bible, also known as the jefferson bible, and officially titled the life and morals of jesus of nazareth, is a work of thomas jefferson, the third president of the united states. Province united christ church ministry 23 now the same john had his raiment of camels hair, and a leathern girdle.
Thomas jefferson, the third president of the united states and primary author of the declaration of independence, completed his version of the bible in about 1819many years after he served as president. Download or stream the jefferson bible by thomas jefferson. Patton, the 140 page book features an insightful foreword by william murchison, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of. Highlighting the ethical teachings of christ and eliminating the supernatural aspects of the gospels, jeffers on s edits of scripture reflect the deist view of religion, which developed during the 18th century. The jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus of nazareth as it is formally titled, was a book constructed by thomas jefferson in the latter years of his life by cutting and pasting with a razor and glue numerous sections from the new testament as extractions of the doctrine of jesus. What remained, said jefferson, was a precious morsel of. What jefferson did is pick and choose the parts of matthew, mark, luke, and john he liked or agreed with, cut them out of the gospels, then pasted. The jefferson bible quotes showing 11 of 1 to the corruptions of christianity i am indeed opposed.
By the time he was elected the nations third president in 1801, the founding father had become a. Available on kindle ebook and can be read on any device with the free kindle app. Jan 17, 2012 thomas jefferson s revolutionary take on the bible reissued this article is more than 8 years old former us president took a razor to parts of the gospels he did not agree with to compile his own. Ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them. Nov 16, 2017 thomas jefferson had a complicated relationship with the bible.
Jeffersons descriptions are noted in the table below along with a link to the readings from each page of the jefferson bible. Boloresartus favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite april 18, 2010 subject. In 1804 thomas jefferson decided to study the gospels to see if he could distill the essence of jesus teachings into a concise book that could be quickly, isbn 9781633843141 buy the the jefferson bible. The jefferson bible the life and morals of jesus of nazareth extracted from the four gospels originally compiled by thomas jefferson edited by charles m. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth by thomas jefferson at barnes. The jefferson bible what thomas jefferson selected as the life and morals of jesus of. The religious views of thomas jefferson diverged widely from the traditional christianity of his era. Apr 07, 2007 the writings of thomas jefferson library edition vol. Thomas jeffersons cutandpaste bible our third president sought to separate the words of jesus from the corruptions of his followers. United states politics and government 17831789 category. Thomas jefferson 17431826 was the third president of the united states 18011809, the principal author of the declaration of independence, and one of the most beloved and revered founding fathers of the united states of america. Thomas jeffersons revolutionary take on the bible reissued. The life and morals of jesus of nazareth 2011 smithsonian books hardcover. Thomas jefferson had a complicated relationship with the bible.
The jefferson bible kindle edition by jefferson, thomas. The jefferson bible the life and morals of jesus of nazareth was created in 1820 by thomas jefferson. Jefferson cut out excerpts from six new testament volumes in english, french, latin, and greek, and then assembled them together in this single volume. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. He selected verses from the books of matthew, mark, luke, and john, and arranged them in chronological order to form a single narrative. The jefferson bible, or the life and morals of jesus of nazareth, as it is properly titled was thomas jefferson s version of the new testament. Thomas jefferson the life and morals of jesus of nazareth.
483 83 99 1438 107 398 1487 1376 1059 732 845 1552 1138 57 404 22 1379 436 417 646 404 1071 1540 8 1057 643 891 1577 510 963 530 197 915 1461 1112 91 966