A Jefferson Bible for the Twenty-First Century

The original “Jefferson Bible,” fully entitled "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," was assembled by President Thomas Jefferson for his own personal use in the early 19th century. Jefferson was fascinated by Jesus in his capacity as a philosopher and moral teacher, not in his alleged capacity as a divine being. His aim was to extract from the gospels the human Jesus, not the deity. At that time, Christianity was virtually the only show in town, at least among...
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The original “Jefferson Bible,” fully entitled "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," was assembled by President Thomas Jefferson for his own personal use in the early 19th century. Jefferson was fascinated by Jesus in his capacity as a philosopher and moral teacher, not in his alleged capacity as a divine being. His aim was to extract from the gospels the human Jesus, not the deity. At that time, Christianity was virtually the only show in town, at least among literate whites. Today, after two centuries of immigration from around the world, America has a vastly larger selection of religious scripture that is relevant to substantial parts of the populace. Humanists believe that, like the gospels, these other scriptures are the product of fallible humans, and should be read just as critically. Therefore, our this Jefferson Bible for the Twenty-first Century presents candidates for the “Gold” and the “Dross” from other scriptures as well, including the Hebrew Bible, the Muslim Qur’an, the Hindu Bhagavadgîtâ, various Buddhist Sutras, and the Book of Mormon. We hope that those who make our laws will agree that there is good and bad to be found in all these major scriptures, and that it is a worthwhile use of time to sort them out.