The Jefferson Bible, Thomas Jefferson
The Jefferson Bible, Thomas Jefferson
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The Jefferson Bible
The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

Author: Thomas Jefferson

Narrator: Mel Foster

Unabridged: 3 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/20/2010

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

In the early nineteenth century, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, conceived the idea of extracting a gospel purified of what he saw as extraneous philosophical, mythological, and theological elements. To do so, he took verses from the four canonical gospels and arranged them into a single narrative, focusing on the actual words of Jesus. This work was never published during Jefferson's lifetime but was inherited by his grandson and printed for the first time in the early twentieth century. The original bound manuscript, popularly referred to as The Jefferson Bible, is held by the United States National Museum in Washington.

About Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was born in Virginia into a wealthy and socially prominent family. After attending the College of William and Mary, he went on to study law. At the age of twenty-six, Jefferson began building Monticello. Three years later, he married Martha Wayles Skelton. The couple had six children, two of whom survived to adulthood. Considered eloquent in his writing, Jefferson took on much of the writing needed by the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, both of which he was a member. In 1776, the thirty-three-year-old Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. From 1779 to 1781, Jefferson served as governor of Virginia. He temporarily retired from public life after his term as governor, returning to public life in 1784 as a diplomat serving in France. In 1790, Jefferson was appointed secretary of state in President Washington's cabinet but resigned in 1793 over a disagreement with Alexander Hamilton. As political disagreements continued to polarize the young government, Jefferson found himself leading those who sympathized with the revolutionary cause in France. In 1800, Jefferson was elected president in a tie vote that ironically was decided by Alexander Hamilton. In 1809, after two terms as president, Jefferson returned to his home in Monticello, where he developed, among other projects, plans for the University of Virginia. In addition, he sold his collection of books to the government to form the basis of the Library of Congress.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kenny

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......more

Goodreads review by Josh

As a deist, Thomas Jefferson believed in God as the ultimate creator and believed Jesus to be the greatest moral teacher. This collection of writings confirms his staunch belief in reason over faith. Jefferson believed that the Bible was imperfect insofar as it contained the works of corrupt individ......more

Goodreads review by David

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 spi......more

Goodreads review by Anna

I found myself missing the miracles. And although I did love reading the moral-based stories, there was still repetition amongst them. You would think Jefferson could have trimmed the fat, so to speak, and removed the duplicates. But overall a nice summary of Jesus' teachings.......more

Goodreads review by Steven

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 attemp......more