The Jefferson Bible - Hardcover

Thomas Jefferson

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585429163 ISBN 13: 9781585429165

Publisher: Jeremy P Tarcher, 2012

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 to print 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 dignifi ed yet pleasing style for a gem of compactness and clarity.

About this title

Review:

Religion in America [gained] something unique from Jefferson. . . . His Jesus was a figure fitted for the Enlightenment, rational but not divine. Gustav Niebuhr, "New York Times"
"The Founding Father's treatment of the Bible was radical. . . . Today, historians such as Yale University's Jaroslav Pelikan are struck by the project's 'sheer audacity' . . . Jefferson's Bible is a curious sidelight on an ever-intriguing figure, whose image has become more controversial in recent years." Richard N. Ostling, Associated Press
"Gives us a preaching Jesus of distinctly human dimensions, without miracles or resurrection. [A] fascinating document, telling us a great deal about a great eighteenth-century mind and its world." Charles S. Adams, "Religious Studies Review"
"These excerpts from the four Gospels are among the most interesting and compelling in all of the Scripture. They emphasize Jesus' ethical lessons of love, reverence, forbearance, reproachment, repentance, and forgiveness." Garrett Ward Sheldon, "Virginia Magazine of History and Biography""

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jeremy P Tarcher
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1585429163
• ISBN 13: 9781585429165
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160