Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-16
: MORALS Of JESUS
Thomas Jefferson's Bible Which
Congress Authorized Printed
at Public Expense.
Congressman Lacey, Who Intro
duced the Bill, Tells His
tory OF the Volume.
Teachings of Christ in Con.
densed Form With All the
Miracles Omitted.
Special to Times-Republican.

|
which work there is not another copy
| in existence volue by Thomas Jeffer-
son upon the Morals of Jesus" All the
other works of Jefferson have been re-
printed by order of congress save this
one. which was not at that time known
to be in existence. Congressman Lacey
introduced bill to have 5000 copies
printed, and in explaining the matter
to the house told the story of the ia
nous volume, as follows:
There is little volume of 1874 pages
in the library of the national museum,
bound in red Morocco, which is one of
the most curious things in Washington,
that is rarely seen. Thomas Jefferson's
library was purchased by the govern
ment as is now contained in the Con-
gressional Library. Sometime ago in
giving the Jefferson collection careful
examination, ] found that the Jefferson
Bible as it is sometimes called, was not
there. No one could tell me where it
was until asked A. r. Spofford, who
knows everything about books, and he
told me 1T was in the National Museum
Library 1t appears that the volume
was not included in the sale of Jeffer-
sons library, but was afterward pur-
chased for $500 from Miss Randolph.
This book is too valuable to be kept up
on shelves of the museum library, but
DR.. Cyrus Adler keeps it under lock and
key and carries the key himself.
Mr.. Jefferson was a free thinker, but
his clear and Just mind appreciated the
teaching of the founder of the Christian
religion, and he conceived the idea of
condensing everything pertaining to the
life and teachings of Christ into one
volume, emitting everything pertaining
to miracles and the supernatural.
The book is a duodecimo volume of
164 pages, tho Mr.. jefferson PACED on
ly the left hand pages. On the left hand
he has pasted the clipping in two col
umns, first in Greek and then in Latin.
On the right hand he has put the
French version first and the English in
the last column. So the whole is neatly
pasted in four finely printed columns in
Greek, Latin, French and English.
There are marginal notes in Jefferson's
own handwriting, with table in front
giving the pages and citing the chapters
and verses from which the clippings are
taken. I'm his writings he says that he
mas sent for two testaments in each
language for the purpose. The scope
OF the book is indicated by the title
page, which is in Jefferson's handwrit-
ing; The Life and Morals of Jesus OF
Nazareth, Extracted Textually from the
Gospels in Greek, Latin, French and
English"
In marginal note Jefferson gives the
Roman law on sedition under which
Jesus was tried.
He has omitted everything of a mir
aculous nature and has confined his
clippings to the pure teachings of Je-
sus. He has clipped from all the Cos
pels, using verses which make the
clearest statement where the texts are
practically the same, but he inserts
texts from all of them, so as to include
the entire teachings of the Savior. The
result Is unique. In clear, lucid form
apart from all surroundings of the SUI
al teachings of the Son of Man.
In the concluding verse of the work
Jefferson takes John XIX AZ, and Mat
thew xvii. 60. and combines them,
clipping out all but the plain statement
OF the burial. The result is as follows:
John xix. 40: There laid they Jesus
Matthew xvii. 60: And
rolled great stone to the door of the
sepulchre and departed.
So he leaves Jesus buried forever in
the grave and gives no hope of the
resurrection and the life"
Tho 1t is a blue-penciled and expur-
gated New Testament, it has not been
prepared in any irreverent spirit. The
result Is the consolidation of the beau
tiful, pure teachings of the Savior in a
form, mingled with only sc
much of narrative as Virginia lawyer
would hold to be credible in those mat
ter-o fact days, and the opportunity
is given plain and unadorned to compare
these teachings with Marcus Aureli-
US and other pagan morals" They !
are in striking contrast to Plutarch's,
or, rather, his immorals. No greater
practical test of the worth of the tenets
of the Christian religion could be made
than the publication of this condensa-
ton by Mr.. Jefferson. The jewels are
taken from their settings, but they
shine with their own luster. A verse of
John is combined with verse of Mat
thew with no interlineations but 1T is
blended into a harmonious whole.
In these days of photolithography |
this little volume can be easily repro
duced in facsimile. The work was in
tended to place the morals of Jesus in
a form where, simple and alone, they
could be contrasted with the teachings |
of the pagan philosophers. In doing
this work Mr.. Jefferson has builded |
better than he knew, and 1 trust that
we may now have reproduction of
this beautiful little volume in the form
TO be accessible to the Christian world
1t has been said by an eminent min
ster of the Gospel that Christianity
must be true or it could never have
so much poor preaching. Mr..
Jefferson has put 1t to a still better
test by this abridgment of the doctrines
Of the Divine author.
Major Lacey was subjected to some
little cross-questionings concerning the
book. Congressman Grosvenor asking IL
he would be permitted to add Dilling-
spelling book as an appendix,
hen humorously remarking that he
vas sorry the book had ever been
found. However, there was practically
10 opposition to the resolution to per-
nit the printing of 5000 copies, and it
m ssed The senate has agreed to the