The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

ISBN: 158834312X

Author: Jefferson, Thomas

Condition: New

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 sections of the New Testament containing supernatural aspects as well as perceived misinterpretations he believed had been added by the Four Evangelists. Using a razor, Jefferson cut and arranged selected verses from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in chronological order, mingling excerpts from one text to those of another in order to create a single narrative. After completion of The Life and Morals, about 1820, Jefferson shared it with a number of friends, but he never allowed it to be published during his lifetime. The most complete form Jefferson produced was inherited by his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, and was published in 1895 by the National Museum in Washington.Once published in black-and-white facsimile by the Government Printing Office in 1900 as a gift for new members of Congress, the Jefferson Bible has never before been published in color in its complete form. The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition is an exact facsimile reproduction based on the original copy in the Smithsonian collections. The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition is as beautiful an object as was so painstakingly crafted by Thomas Jefferson himself.

• The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson The Jefferson Bible is an exquisite full-color reproduction of his famous, much-edited version of Jesus’ life and teachings, cut and pasted from eight Bibles—two each in English, French, Latin and Greek | Includes his hand-written margin notes, chapters on his Enlightenment views, and a review of the painstaking process to preserve the original. An introduction by Smithsonian curators Harry R | Rubenstein and Barbara Clark Smith explains Jefferson’s intentions in creating the volume and the ways that his endeavor reflected his Enlightenment ideals and Revolutionary spirit | Smithsonian conservator Janice Stagnitto Ellis’s essay on conservation reveals surprising insights into how Jefferson crafted the book so precisely | Faithful to the unique artifact so painstakingly created by Thomas Jefferson himself, The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition makes the thoughts of a great American mind accessible for generations to come.