The former president, Thomas Jefferson, leaned over the book, meticulously using a razor and scissors to cut out small squares of text. These carefully selected words would soon find a new home in a hand bound book, covered in red leather, to be read during moments of private reflection.
Each seemed deliberate, and every word seemed thoughtfully chosen. Jefferson then pasted his selections, written in a mix of ancient and modern languages that showcased his extensive knowledge, into the book in orderly columns.
Thomas Jefferson who is known for his inventiveness, ventured into a controversial project involving the Bible. Using clippings, he crafted his own version of the New Testament, which deviated from traditional Christian beliefs. Jefferson’s Bible centered solely on the teachings of Jesus, omitting mystical elements such as miracles, the resurrection, and ascension. Instead, it portrayed Jesus as a moral teacher, emphasizing his teachings without supernatural embellishments. Jefferson’s unique interpretation of the Bible challenged conventional religious views.
Jefferson’s 84-page Bible, kept secret for decades, was created near the end of his life. It contained no signs of Jesus’s divinity and was a carefully condensed version of the Bible that reflected his complex relationship with Christianity. Jefferson edited out passages he found excessive or offensive to his Enlightenment-era sense of reason, resulting in two volumes: “The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth” and “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jefferson’s editorial work took place in a United States deeply entrenched in state-sponsored religion. Despite many immigrants coming to America to escape religious persecution, laws governing religious practices were prevalent before the Revolution. Even after the founding of the United States and the ratification of the First Amendment, states continued to use public funds to support churches and enforce Christian tenets for over a century following the Bill of Rights. For instance, Massachusetts only disestablished its official state religion, Congregationalism, in 1833.
Jefferson, a person of rational thought and individual freedom, had long criticized such laws while keeping his own religious beliefs private. In 1786, he drafted a Virginia law prohibiting the state from coercing individuals to attend a specific church or persecuting them for their religious beliefs. This law ended the Anglican Church’s status as the official church of Virginia. Jefferson was so proud of this achievement that he requested it be inscribed on his tombstone, alongside his authorship of the Declaration of Independence and his role in founding the University of Virginia.
During his political career, Jefferson’s religious views, or lack thereof, faced criticism from his fellow colonists and citizens. The Federalists accused him of atheism and rebellion against Christianity during the contentious 1800 election. Theodore Dwight, a journalist, went as far as predicting that Jefferson’s election would lead to the downfall of Christianity itself, warning of a society filled with crime and immorality.
Even after his presidency, Jefferson played around with his beliefs on Christianity. In 1820, at the age of 77, he began editing the New Testament to remove sections he deemed unnecessary, focusing on preserving Jesus’ teachings as a moral guide rather than a religious figure.
Jefferson’s modified Bible remained largely unknown during his lifetime, only coming to light in the 1880s when a student discovered the cut-up books in a private library. The Bible, divided into two volumes, was eventually acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, with the first volume lost over time.
In the early 1900s, incoming Senators received a copy of Jefferson’s Bible, a tradition that was later revived by economist Judd W. Patton in the 1990s. Today, the Smithsonian Institution holds Jefferson’s edited Bible, which has been digitized for public access.
