The Jefferson Bible
Overview
Created by Thomas Jefferson in 1820, The Jefferson Bible is an assemblage of passages from the first four books of the New Testament and was originally known as The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. It was extracted textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French, and English. The resulting work represented a meeting of Enlightenment thought and Christian tradition by one of the great thinkers of the Revolutionary Era. Jefferson made no plans to publish this work—it was solely for his own reading and reflection in understanding Jesus’ moral teachings.
Throughout Jefferson’s life the book’s existence was known only to a few. After his death in 1826, it remained in his family until 1895, when Smithsonian’s librarian Cyrus Adler purchased the long-sought-after book from Jefferson’s great-granddaughter. That year The Life and Morals was first publicly displayed under the title Jefferson’s Bible.
For more of Jefferson’s works, check out the Thomas Jefferson Collection (5 vols.).
Key Features
- Presents Thomas Jefferson’s personally assembled Bible
- Displays selected passages from the Gospels
- Showcases Jefferson’s interpretation of Jesus’ moral teachings
- Title: The Jefferson Bible (2015)
- Author: Thomas Jefferson
- Publisher: N.P.
- Print Publication Date: 1820
- Language: English
- Resources: 4
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Resource ID: {11B80B1F-C9D6-4F74-956A-D1942C5E33EE}
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-28T19:26:33Z
About Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was the third president of the United States of America and the principal author of the The Declaration of Independence. He served in the Continental Congress as a representative from Virginia, and was the wartime governor of Virginia. He served as the United States minister to France after the Revolutionary War and was the first secretary of state, under George Washington. He was close friends with James Madison, with whom he cofounded the Democratic-Republican Party in opposition to the Federalist Party. He was elected president in 1800 and oversaw the Louisiana Purchase. A key figure in the Enlightenment and a polymath, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia after his two terms as president. He died a few hours before John Adams, on July 4, 1826, 50 years to the day after the United States officially declared independence.