The Jefferson Bible

Name: The Jefferson Bible
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Thomas Jefferson
ISBN: 9781101538753

Author: Thomas Jefferson

Narrator: Mitch Horowitz

Unabridged: 2 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 01/05/2012

Categories: Nonfiction, Religion, New Testament, Body, Mind, & Spirit, Bibles, Multiple Translations

Synopsis

A uniquely attractive, compact edition of Thomas Jefferson's classic abridgment of the Bible, in which Jefferson sculpted the words and ideas of Christ into a resounding moral philosophy. "To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself." -Thomas Jefferson, 1803 With these words, written to a personal friend, Thomas Jefferson began one of the most audacious religious experiments in American history. On and off for the next seventeen years (including his term in the White House), Jefferson cut and pasted the philosophy of Jesus Christ, as recorded in Scripture, into one compact statement. He purposefully omitted any references to the virgin birth, miraculous healings, demonic possession, or supernatural events of any kind. His aim was to distinguish the moral philosophy of Christ from the religion that was later created around Christ. This hardcover replica of The Jefferson Bible restores a handsome, immensely accessible version of Jefferson's manifesto as it was published for general readers in 1940 by Grosset & Dunlap. This volume includes the original 1940 foreword by editor Douglas E. Lurton, which provides an engaging introduction to the history behind Jefferson's effort. Jefferson's selections are beautifully recomposed in a dignified yet pleasing style for a gem of compactness and clarity.

About The Author

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was the third president of the United States (1801–1809), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most beloved and revered Founding Fathers of the United States of America.Mitch Horowitz is the author of One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life (Crown). His previous book, Occult America (Bantam), received the 2010 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for literary excellence. Horowitz is vice president and editor in chief at Tarcher/Penguin, the division of Penguin books dedicated to metaphysical literature. He frequently writes about and discusses alternative spirituality in the national media, including CBS Sunday Morning, Dateline NBC, All Things Considered, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, BoingBoing, Time.com, and CNN.com. Visit him at MitchHorowitz.com and on Twitter @MitchHorowitz. He and his wife raise two sons in New York City.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kenny on October 19, 2011

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 on September 23, 2008

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 on November 12, 2008

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 on February 19, 2017

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 on January 03, 2013

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