The Jefferson Bible

Thomas Jefferson’s edited bible will be published in color in November. Although it was once called The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, it's typically referred to as “The Jefferson Bible.” The founding father hoped to crop all but the most critical parts of Christ’s teachings from the Bible. HE literally cut and pasted his selections with a razor, creating a single story from the four Gospels. He left out anything miraculous and references to divinity. The final product was not published until after his death. It was intended to be a primer for the Indians on Jesus' teachings. The new version will be printed by Smithsonian in hardcover with introduction by Smithsonian curators Barbara Clark Smith and Harry Rubenstein.