In 1820, a decade after he left the White House, Thomas Jefferson bought six Bibles in four languages: English, French, Latin, and Greek. Then, using a sharp blade, he began cutting and pasting passages to create his own version of the New Testament. Jefferson included the teachings of Jesus and some of his deeds, but left out the miracles, like changing water into wine, and even the resurrection. Jefferson called his version, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, but the book has come to be known simply as Jefferson’s Bible. Starting today, you can see it at the History Colorado Center in Denver. It’s on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, and this is the first time in more than 100 years the book has been displayed outside of Washington, D.C. Ryan Warner talks to curator Harry Rubenstein and book conservator Janice Ellis, both of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
[Photos: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History.]
