The Jefferson Bible (with an Introduction by Cyrus Adler)

By Thomas Jefferson

“The Jefferson Bible” or “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” as it was originally entitled is an extraction of biblical passages constructed by Thomas Jefferson sometime around 1819. In an 1803 letter Jefferson remarks that he first conceived of the idea of writing his interpretation of the “Christian System” sometime during 1788-89. He first accomplishes it in a more limited fashion in 1804 with “The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth” which he describes in an 1813 letter to John Adams as follows: “In extracting the pure principles which [Jesus] taught, we should have to strip off the artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to themselves… There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” The work is notable in the absence of any reference to the supernatural aspects of Jesus’ life including the divine birth and the resurrection. According to Jefferson “Jesus did not mean to impose himself on mankind as the son of God” and he believed that “the day [would] come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, [would] be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” Presented here is the 1904 Government Printing Office edition presented to members of Congress with the original introduction by Cyrus Adler.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781420955286

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd president of the United States. William Peden is professor emeritus of English at the University of Missouri.

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THE JEFFERSON BIBLE

By THOMAS JEFFERSON

THE LIFE AND MORALS OF JESUS OF NAZARETH

EXTRACTED TEXTUALLY FROM THE

GOSPELS IN GREEK, LATIN FRENCH & ENGLISH

Introduction by CYRUS ADLER

The Jefferson Bible

By Thomas Jefferson

Introduction by Cyrus Adler

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-6131-7

eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5528-6

This edition copyright © 2019. Digireads.com Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Image: a detail of a Portrait of Thomas Jefferson, c. 1805 (oil on canvas), by Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) / Collection of the New-York Historical Society, USA / Bridgeman Images.

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CONTENTS

A Table of the Texts from the Evangelists employed in this narrative and of the order of their arrangements

Introduction

The Jefferson Bible

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

A Table of the Texts from the Evangelists employed in this narrative and of the order of their arrangements

Bracketed numbers represents the page number of Jefferson’s original manuscript.

[1] Luke 2. 1-7. Joseph & Mary go to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born. 21. 39. he is circumsized & named & they return to Nazareth. 40. 42-48. 51. 52. at 12 years of age he accompanies his parents to Jerusalem and returns.

[2.] L. 3. 1. 2. Mk. 1. 4. Mt. 3. 4. 5. 6. John baptises in Jordan. Mt. 3. 13. Jesus is baptised. L. 3. 23. at 30 years of age.

[3.] J. 2. 12-16. drives the traders out of the temple. J. 3. 22. Mt. 4. 12. Mk. 6. 17-28. he baptises but retires into Galilee on the death of John.

[4.] Mk. 1. 21. 22. he teaches in the Synagogue.

[5.] Mt. 12. 1-5 .9-12. Mk. 2. 27. Mt. 12. 14. 15. explains the Sabbath. L. 6. 12. call of his disciples.

[6. to 15.] Mt. 5. 1-12 L. 6. 24. 25. 26. Mt. 5. 13-47. L. 6. 34. 35. 36. Mt. 6. 1.-34. 7. 1. L. 6. 38. Mt. 7. 3-20. 12. 35. 36. 37. 7. 24-29 the Sermon on the Mount. Mt. 8. 1. Mk. 6. 6. Mt. 11. 28. 29. 30. exhorts.

[16.] L. 7. 36-46. a woman anointeth him.

[17.] Mk. 3. 31-35. L. 12. 1-7 . 13-15. precepts.

[18.] L. 12. 16-21. parable of the rich man.

[20.] 22-48. 54-59. L. 13. 1-5. precepts.

[21.] L. 13. 6-9. parable of the fig tree.

[22.] L. 11. 37-46. 52. 53. 54. precepts.

[23.] Mt. 13. 1-9. Mk. 4. 10. Mt. 13. 18-23. parable of the sower.

[24., 25.] Mk. 4. 21. 22. 23. precepts. Mt. 13. 24-30. 36-52. parable of the Tares.

[26., 27.] Mk. 4. 26-34. L. 9. 57-62. L. 5. 27-29. Mk. 2. 15-17. precepts. L. 5. 36-38. parable of new wine in old bottles.

[28.] Mt. 13. 53-57. a prophet hath no honor in his own country.

[29.] Mt. 9. 36. Mk. 6. 7. Mt. 10. 5. 6. 9-18. 23. 26-31. Mk. 6. 12. 30. mission, instruction, return of apostles.

[30., 31.] J. 7. 1. Mk. 7. 1-5. 14-24. Mt. 18. 1-4. 7-9. 12-17. 21-25. precepts.

[32., 33.] Mt. 18. 23-35. parable of the wicked servant.

[34.] L. 10. 1-8. 10-12. mission of the LXX.

[35.] J. 7. 2-16. 19-26. 32. 43-53. the feast of the tabernacles.

[36.] J. 8. 1-11. the woman taken in Adultery.

[37.] J. 9. 1. 2. 3 to be born blind no proof of sin. J. 10. 1-5. 11-14. 16. the good shepherd.

[38.] L. 10. 25-37. love god & thy neighbor. parable of the Samaritan.

[39.] L. 11. 1-13. form of prayer.

[40.] L. 14. 1-6. the Sabbath.

[41.] 7-24. the bidden to a feast.

[42.] 28-32. precepts.

[43., 44.] L. 15. 1-32. parables of the lost sheep and Prodigal son.

[45.] L. 16. 1-15. parable of the unjust steward.

[46.] 18-31. parable of Lazarus.

[47., 48.] L. 17. 1-4. 7-10. 20. 26-36. precepts to be always ready.

[49.] L. 18. 1-14. parables of the widow & judge, the Pharisee & Publican.

[50., 51.] L. 10. 38-42. Mt. 19. 1-26. precepts.

[52.] Mt. 20. 1-16. parable of the laborers in the vineyard.

[53., 54.] L. 19. 1-28. Zaccheus, & the parable of the talents.

[55., 56.] Mt. 21. 1-3. 6-8. 10. J. 12. 19-24. Mt. 21. 17. goes to Jerusalem and Bethany. Mk. 11. 12. 15-19. the traders cast out from the temple. Mk. 11. 27. Mt. 21. 27-31. parable of the two sons.

[57.] Mt. 21. 33. Mk. 12. 1-9. Mt. 21. 45. 46. parable of the vineyard & the husbandman.

[58.] Mt. 22. 1-14. parable of the king and wedding.

[59.] 15-33. tribute. marriage. resurrection.

[60.] Mk. 12. 28-31. Mt. 22. 40. Mk. 12. 32. 33. the two commandments.

[61., 62.] Mt. 23. 1-33. precepts. pride. hypocrisy. swearing.

[63.] Mk. 12. 41-44. the widow’s mite.

[64.] Mt. 24. 1. 2. 16-21. 32. 33. 36-39. 40-44. Jerusalem & the day of judgment. 45-51. the faithful and wise servant.

[65.] Mt. 25. 1-13. parable of the ten virgins.

[66.] 14-30. parable of the talents.

[67. 68.] L. 21. 34-36. Mt. 25. 31-46. the day of judgment.

[69.] Mk. 14. 1-8. a woman anointeth him.

[70.] Mt. 26. 14-16. Judas undertakes to point out Jesus.

[71.] 17-20. L. 22. 24-27. J. 13. 2. 4-17. 21-26. 31. 34. 35. Mt. 26. 31. 33.

[72.] L. 22. 33-34. Mt. 26. 35-45. precepts to his disciples. washes their feet. trouble of mind and prayer.

[73.] J. 18. 1-3. Mt. 26. 48-50. Judas conducts the officers to Jesus.

[74.] J. 18. 4-8. Mt. 26. 50-52. 55. 56. Mk. 14. 51. 52. Mt. 26. 57. J. 18. 15. 16. 18. 17.

[75.] J. 18. 25. 26. 27. Mt. 26. 75. J. 18. 19-23. Mk. 14. 55-61. L. 22. 67. 68. 70. Mk. 14. 63-65. he is arrested & carried before Caiaphas the High priest & is condemned.

[76.] J. 18. 28-31. 33-38. L. 23. 5. Mt. 27. 13. is then carried to Pilate.

[77.] L. 23. 6-12. who sends him to Herod.

[78.] L. 23. 13-16. Mt. 27. 15-23. 26. receives him back, scourges and delivers him to execution.

[79., 80.] Mt. 27. 27. 29-31. 3-8. L. 23. 26-32. J. 19. 17-24. Mt. 27. 39-43. L. 23. 39-41. 34. J. 19. 25-27. Mt. 27. 46-55. 56. his crucifixion. death and burial.

[81.] J. 19. 31-34. 38-42. Mt. 27. 60. his burial.

Introduction

The so-called Jefferson Bible, more accurately The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, is now the property of the United States National Museum at Washington, having been obtained by purchase in 1895. The following is a description of the volume:

Measurements: Height, 8 1/4 inches; width, 4 15/16 inches; thickness at back, 1 1/4 inches; in middle, 1 5/8 inches; at edge points, 1 inch.

Binding: Full red leather with gilt tooling. The back divided in five (5) panels; in second (2d) panel from top title in gold: Morals of Jesus.

The margin of the covers of all four sides on the outside, and on the three outer ones on the inside, as well as on the edges, are tooled in gold. Inside of the upper cover is on the left side top a label containing the words: Bound by Fred A. Mayo, Richmond, Va.

The cover inside as well as the fly-leaves are covered with gray paper in marble designs.

Order: Upper cover; two (2) manuscript leaves in the handwriting of Jefferson, containing on the first two and a half pages the table of texts; the rest is blank; fly-leaf; three (3) blank leaves; title page in manuscript in Jefferson’s handwriting, reading

THE LIFE AND MORALS OF JESUS OF NAZARETH EXTRACTED TEXTUALLY FROM THE GOSPELS IN GREEK, LATIN FRENCH & ENGLISH;

folded printed maps of Palestine and Asia Minor, taken out from a book; that of Palestine has on top in print: page 1, and that of Asia Minor page 414; blank page excepting for a black line in its middle, running from top to bottom. Then come, on numbered leaves, beginning on the left side of the first (the reverse of the page just described), and closing on the right side of the last, the extracts arranged in two columns, separated by a black line, on each page, in