Jefferson Bible
The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, commonly referred to as the Jefferson Bible, is one of two religious works constructed by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson compiled the manuscripts but never published them. The first, The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1804, but no copies exist today. The second, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1820 by cutting and pasting, with a razor and glue, numerous sections from the New Testament as extractions of the doctrine of Jesus. Jefferson's condensed composition excludes all miracles by Jesus and most mentions of the supernatural, including sections of the four gospels that contain the Resurrection and most other miracles, and passages that portray Jesus as divine.
| Jefferson Bible | |
|---|---|
The title page of the Jefferson Bible, written in Jefferson's hand, reads: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth Extracted Textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French & English. | |
| Material | Red Morocco goatskin leather, handmade wove paper, iron gall ink |
| Size | 8.3 in × 5.2 in × 1.3 in (21.1 cm × 13.2 cm × 3.3 cm) |
| Writing | Greek, Latin, French, and English |
| Created | c. 1819, at Monticello |
| Discovered | Acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1895 |
| Present location | Smithsonian National Museum of American History |
| Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Thomas Jefferson's Bible | |