The Jefferson Bible

By Thomas Jefferson

This short work is the result of Thomas Jefferson's attempt to extract from the gospels the true essence of religion. While not an ardent Christian, Jefferson did find insight in the words of Christ and in this volume he laid forth the words that he thought to be most important. Presented here is the original 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, 2010
• ISBN: 9781420905724

Thomas Jefferson

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

Book preview

THE JEFFERSON BIBLE

BY THOMAS JEFFERSON

THE LIFE AND MORALS OF JESUS OF NAZARETH

EXTRACTED TEXTUALLY FROM THE

GOSPELS IN GREEK, LATIN FRENCH & ENGLISH

WITH THE 1904 INTRODUCTION OF CYRUS ADLER

A Digireads.com Book

Digireads.com Publishing

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-2492-3

Ebook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-0572-4

This edition copyright © 2012

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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 the following order: On the left hand page Greek and Latin, on the right, French and English. The sources are indicated in the margin in Jefferson's handwriting. The numbers of the leaves, which run from 1 to 83, are on the left side top of the left hand pages. Leaf 83 has extracts on the right hand page, the left hand page has only the black line; it is, followed by three (3) other blank leaves, the first of which has the black line on both sides; then come the fly-leaf and the cover. Between each of the leaves, with the exception of the blank ones, there are alternately one and two narrow strips of paper bound in.

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. Randall, published in three volumes, New York, 1858.

It was, moreover, brought to the attention of the Government very definitely in the form of a report, Fifty-first Congress, First Session, Senate Report 1365, presented June 14, 1890, by Senator Evarts of the Committee on Library, and ordered printed. This report was with reference to a bill relative to the proposed purchase of the manuscript papers and correspondence of Thomas Jefferson, which does not appear to have been followed by favorable action. In it the following description is given of the book in question, which was written by Mr. Ainsworth R. Spofford, then Librarian of Congress:

`The Morals and Life of Jesus of Nazareth,' extracted textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French and English. Title and very full index in his own hand. Texts were cut by him out of printed copies of Greek, Latin, French and English Testaments and pasted in this book of blank pages, which was handsomely bound in red morocco, ornamented in gilt, and titled on the back in gilt letters, `The Morals of Jesus.' His original idea was to have the life and teachings of the Saviour, told in similar excerpts, prepared for the Indians, thinking this simple form would suit them best. But, abandoning this, the formal execution of his plan took the shape above described, which was for his individual use. He used the four languages that he might have the texts in them side by side, convenient for comparison. In the book he pasted a map of the ancient world and the Holy Land, with which he studied the New Testament.

In 1886 I was engaged, when a fellow at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, in cataloguing a small but very valuable Hebrew library gathered together by Dr.

Reviews for The Jefferson Bible

[darthdeverell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In his forward, Brent D. Glass writes, “By removing all references to superstition and the supernatural, Jefferson made clear his admiration of Jesus as a great teacher and moral philosopher while, at the same time, reaffirming his belief in and commitment to the power of reason as the basis for understanding life and the natural world” (pg. 7). Since all interpretations of the Bible are now biased by what the reader wants to find within its pages, it’s refreshing to see such an honest edit to a book that has undergone innumerable edits, translations, and other changes. According to Harry R. Rubenstein and Barbara Clark Smith, “Left behind in the source material were those elements that [Jefferson] could not support through reason, that he believed were later embellishments, or that seemed superfluous or repetitious across the Four Evangelists’ accounts. Absent are the annunciation, the resurrection, the water being turned to wine, and the multitudes fed on five loaves of bread and two fishes. It essentially offers what the title indicates: a distillation of the teachings of Jesus the moral reformer, combined with what Jefferson accepted as the historical facts pertaining to Jesus the man” (pg. 30). The main text of this facsimile reprint shows Jefferson’s cut-and-paste technique of removing supernatural elements, cleaning up the text to prevent multiple prepositions on the same sentence, and even allowing Jefferson to compare the original Greek text of the four Gospels, alongside their Latin, French, and English translations (pg. 38-39). For the philologist or those looking to see how meaning changed via translation, the work allows them to follow Jefferson’s scholarship. Further, the work represents an early step in scholarship on the historicity of Jesus, making it a must-read for all religious scholars. Finally, the Jefferson Bible offers the unique opportunity to gain insight into the private thoughts of one of the Founding Fathers of the nation who was among the first to articulate freedom of religion.

[berthashaver · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Basically a "copy and paste" version of the highlights of the four gospels without all the repetition. It is a very short, condensed version of Christ's life starting with the birth of Jesus, goes through his childhood, selecting the diciples, beatitudes, Lord's prayer, and several of the more famous parables - the widow's mite, the adulteress, the good samaritan, the ten virgins. ends with the last supper and the crucifixion. Not a work of scripture that I would study intently or read again, but it was ok for a brief overview of the life of Christ.

[terk71 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Inspired by a featured program on History Channel, I purchased this book as a curiosity and as additional Americana for my library. Two introductory articles by members of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History rebroadcast the core information contained on that TV show. An essay by Harry R. Rubenstein (Political Curator) and Barbara Clark Smith (Curator) elaborates upon the history of this publication. Conservation descriptions are expounded by Janice Stagnitto Ellis (Senior Paper Conservator).The subtitle reads: “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth Extracted Textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French & English.” Thomas Jefferson had spent years cutting, aligning, and pasting typeset classical language passages against the English version. His patience and precision in amassing this assemblage are amazing. It has been decades since I could read Greek and Latin with understanding, so I was not able to decipher the first three columns on each page; but, I read the King James English text almost like the Cliff’s Notes version of the New Testament. This version is astonishingly clearer in presenting Christ’s messages. Jefferson has eradicated any confusion that might arise through reading the divergent texts of the four gospel writers. Since Jefferson has eliminated all the evangelical editorial remarks and hearsay from this text, Christ’s preaching parables and moral messages are more focused and remarkably more comprehensible.The inclusions of Jefferson’s handwritten bibliography as well as the folded map of the 18th Century Mediterranean area have added precious connections to this work. The reproductions of clippings, smudges, and handwritten marginalia are ribbons that connect us to hours of intensive effort two centuries ago in Monticello. The faux-leather binding and hard plastic book jacket create an elegant addition to any bookshelf. Paradoxically, this book by a U.S. President and sponsored by a renowned American institution was printed in China. I can appreciate why Jefferson used this book for his daily reflections. This work may become a reader’s breviary or a primer in learning classical languages, but certainly it will sit as an antiquarian acquisition on anyone’s bookshelf.

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because it was recommended to me as "Jesus without the magic," which it turns out is not quite what it is (nor quite what I was interested in). But like any "best of" list, the most entertaining part of this is arguing with the selections -- "divorce is adultery" is in (twice!) but not the loaves and the fishes? I get wanting to take out the miracles, but in the process Jefferson's managed to remove everything that made it sound like the guy had a sense of humor. I was prepared to be annoyed by duplication, but it turns out that putting in the same story told in different gospels gives a remarkable effect of veracity.

[razinha-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

President Kennedy said something during a dinner honoring Nobel laureates about it being the greatest gathering of intelligence in that room since Jefferson dined alone. Mr. Jefferson had a good idea here, cutting out everything he thought to be unnatural (the more common, if incorrect, term is "super"natural). I wonder if he believed anything of his end product, of if he just passed it on without applying critical thinking. He was not without flaws.

I've decided that part of my reading track for 2016 will be Books I Should Have Read Already. This is the first. Am I enriched? Not very. I've already read the source material (not primary source material...those don't exist) in multiple versions.

[mreed61 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly a fast read. I think all the essentials for following in Christ's path can be found here. I have always thought Jefferson was a little misunderstood by those who have generally read history, and much maligned by those who didn't dig deeper. Those who didn't dig deeper really don't have much of an understanding of theism and its break from religion and religious practices.

[bookscatsetc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's been awhile since I read the New Testament, and I didn't remember Jesus' message being this culty. I guess I'm just more familiar with cult tactics now.

[joshua7pelton7stroud · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The Jefferson Bible is basically a distilling of the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, removing (most of) the miraculous acts and focusing instead on the words and teachings of Jesus. In this it succeeds quite well, though the language is old and in some places a little hard to follow. The one thing I felt really hampered the book was the amount of repetition; when reading the New Testament, you don't really get a feel for how often Jesus says the same things over and over again, but nearly each parable related is told twice, making it a tad bit monotonous.Over all, it is a good, short refining for those more interested in the message Jesus spent his life trying to convey; almost an early American "Cliff's Notes" of the Bible, more than a treatise on the scripture itself. I would like to see it modernized a bit, with the language brought up to date and the repetition cut down.

[stretch_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 passages from the gospels to revile the true essence of religion; collecting them into a single common sense gospel narrative. A brilliant and enlightening take on the essential heart of the teachings of Jesus of absolute love and service to others. Mr. Jefferson eliminated the virgin birth, the miraculous healings, and the resurrection, leaving only the essential teachings and a very human biography of Jesus.I found it fascinating to see which passages Jefferson felt were the correct telling of Jesus's life and what could be discarded. Then to try to piece those passages into a coherent biography. I think Jefferson did an admirable job, but parts still don't seem to fit quite right, often redundant information is conveyed in several places. I think that has far more to do with the structure of the gospels themselves then with Jefferson's edits. Overall, I feel this is one of the best ways to understand and grasp the true teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Smithsonian Edition provides a nicely-done facsimile of the original "Jefferson Bible," accompanied by a historical essay by Harry Rubenstein and Barbara Clark Smith and a piece on the conservation of the volume by Janice Stagnitto Ellis. Rubenstein and Smith provide useful background on Jefferson's project and its origins, and Ellis offers a neat perspective on the steps taken to preserve the original volume and make it accessible for exhibition and research. Much different from other editions of the work I've seen, this facsimile helpfully provides the original context, showing the Greek, Latin, French, and English versions side-by-side as Jefferson placed them.

[midlevelbureaucrat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The gospels according to noted deist, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson took the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, arranged them in chronological order to form a single narrative and expunged the miracles, creating an interpretation of the life of Jesus as a guide and teacher, not necessarily as the son incarnate. There's virtually no introduction to this edition; no historical context provided by the editor. Would've been nice to have one.

[kaulsu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is what it is. No miracles, no supernatural acts. This Jesus of Nazareth speaks with a sparseness and type of authority that convinces better than waiting for water to turn to wine. I place more value in this attempt to uncover the real Christ than I do in the Jesus Seminar theologians "votes." Especially helpful are the citations at the end of the book.

[thebentley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really interesting--not only the history of the book and of Jefferson's philosophy but actually the Bible itself. It's interesting to read the French text alongside the English (unfortunately, I can't read Greek or Latin), and it's also interesting to read just the moral philosophy of Christianity with the supernatural completely removed. I actually found that portion of the book much more engaging than I thought I would. Well worth the read.

[dyarington_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book will be a forever classic. I'm so glad I was able to get a first edition from Amazon.

[sunnydale_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Jefferson was a Deist who believed in a distant "watchmaker" God. He revered Jesus as a great teacher, but rejected the supernatural events added to the gospels by authors who lived after Jesus died and never met him. "I hold the precepts of Jesus, as delivered by himself, to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to man," Jefferson wrote. "I adhere to the principles of the first age; and consider all subsequent innovations as corruptions of his religion, having no foundation in what came from him."Jefferson endeavored to find a way to read Jesus's teachings without being irritated by the parts of the Bible he considered false. So with scissors and paste he cut the gospels up and made his own version of the Bible that included only the words attributed to Jesus, without the miracles or other supernatural trappings. The result is a small book of elegant simplicity and much worth.