The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus Review

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(More customer reviews)THE JEFFERSON BIBLE is an interesting historical source by one of America's brilliant "Founding Fathers." Many know Jefferson as the author (co-author) of The Declaration of Independence, third US President, architect, etc. What many readers may not know is that Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)was an accomplished violinist, a brilliant mathematician (he knew calculus which was know as "fluctions"),and someathing of an expert on the Bible. Jefferson was obviously not a "mainline" Christian, but he knew the Bible much better than many self proclaimed Christians.
As readers may know Jefferson titled his "bible" THE LIFE AND MORALS OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. As mentioned in other reviews, Jefferson accepted much of Christ's social teachings, but he did not believe in the miracle stories which he thought were exploited to enhance supersition at the expense of moral conduct.
Another interesting feature of Jefferson's "Bible" is that he wrote this source in parallel columes in English, Greek, Latin, and French. This arrangement was designed to help his children to learn these languages. Such work also demonstrates Jefferson's knowledge of fogeign languages.Some editions of THE JEFFERSON BIBLE have photoplates of these translations which would appeal to those who know these languages.
Some editions of THE JEFFERSON BIBLE has essays and comments by Jefferson who passionately believed in freedom of religion. Recent "critics" have attempted to distort Jefferson's passionate defense of religious freedom by claiming he did not claim such freedom. Essays and anecdotes refute such distortions. For example, some have denied that Jefferson used the phrase Separation of Church and State. It was Jefferson who used the phrase that there was a wall of separation between Church and State. Jefferson argued that only error needed defense of the government and that different views should be brought to the bar reason. Truth would stand on her own. One must reaalize Jefferson's time. Terrible religious persecutions in Europe and colonial America were recent history during Jefferson's lifetime. One must remember that the Salem Witchcraft trials occured between 1692-1693.
Jefferson accepted reason as an adequet guide to find truth as mentioned above. Some editions of JEFFERSON'S BIBLE have a well written, well reasoned essay of Jefferson's scathing denounciation of John Calvin. This essay is not only penetrating criticism of Calvin, but Jefferson effectively denounces religious persecution in this particular essay.
Thomas Jefferson was a brilliantly talented indivudual. His intelligence is reflected in his constitutional thought, mathematics (mentioned above), etc. Supposedly the late US President John F. Kennedy reflected that when there was never so much intellect who sat at the White House dinner table as when Jefferson sat there alone. The above titled book is a good example to justify this high praise.

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The Reverse Jefferson Bible: What the President Left Out Review

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(More customer reviews)Admittedly, without having read this book, I can honestly condemn the actions of the real "editors" of this work simply for their blatant misrepresentation that this book was authored by Thomas Jefferson. It was not. Thomas Jefferson wrote his version of the Bible and titled it "The Life and Morals of Jesus". On the cover they say "What the President Left Out". If that is true, Jefferson cannot be the author because he left out the parts they re-included. By simply reprinting the whole of the Four Gospels, and then highlighting the sections Jefferson chose to keep, does not make Jefferson the author. One of these Gospels, Revelations, was entirely rejected by Jefferson because he felt, as I do, that John the Divine was likely insane. If you believe in the Gospels as divine truth, then the authors are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and not Thomas Jefferson. However, the editors of this Christian apology really go too far when they state "many the passages Jefferson left out are those which can impart the most power and life to our spiritual walks". In doing so, they do create a Reverse Jefferson Bible which Jefferson himself would repudiate. Thus, to claim Thomas Jefferson is the author of this book is a LIE. Once you lie on the cover, what is inside should be treated with the absolute disrespect it deserves. Amazing chutzpah, even for whack-job fundamentalists. What they forget is Jefferson wrote his version to denounce the orthodoxy of fundamentalist Christianity. Jefferson felt Jesus' central message was first corrupted by Paul and followed by a host of others; most of the corruption was political, pecuniary, tended to justify greed and excessive wealth, minimized the role of women and created a justification for misogyny, and gave believers the easy way out by incorporating the belief "once saved, always saved" no matter what one might do to another. I have read the real "Jefferson Bible" and personally I believe Jefferson was right: Christianity, even by his time, was thoroughly corrupt and Jesus' values were ignored and replaced by much more venal, political and selfish concerns. Christianity today is far worse and has drifted so far from Jesus' values I imagine the religion in his name would embarrass him. The unconscionable acts promoted by so many christian sects have become so evil it is sometimes difficult to see the handiwork of God anywhere in what they do. I do not hate Christians nor Christianity; I just wish it were practiced as Jesus taught, not as others corrupted it so we could justify every ugly thing we do unto our fellow man and claim we were righteous in doing it.

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Memoirs of Pontius Pilate: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although it is a work of fiction, "Memoirs of Pontius Pilate" comes close to deserving a place in the history section. Much of this well-researched book is devoted to Pilate's own biography of Jesus; nevertheless, there is enough supplementary material here to leave the reader a bit more knowledgeable on the history of Roman Palestine.
Mills' Pilate begins with an introductory discussion about the Jewish people (written from a perspective that feels authentically Roman). The rest of the book traces the life of Jesus from the Nativity to the Crucifixion, after which the exiled former procurator adds his own views on the events that he had just described. Throughout the work Pilate remains sufficiently sceptical of the miracles and odd "coincidences" that his spies report to him, but the reader soon realises that this Roman is at least open to the possibility that the "strange carpenter" may actually be who he says he is.
A word of caution, though: readers who insist on seeing a cruel, heartless tyrant of a governor in this book will be sorely disappointed. Though the historical Pontius Pilatus may have been a man who truly deserves the wicked reputation he is cursed with today, would he have written about himself that way? In all certainty he would have described actions we now see as barbaric within the context of his own culture and upbringing; that is, he would have said that he was simply "doing his job" when he mowed down the Samartians on Mount Gerizim and threatened to hack a crown of Jews to death in Caesarea. Out of his love for Rome, his loyalty to Caesar and perhaps even his own strange form of concern for the well-being of the Jewish people, he did what he felt he had to do.
I am no relativist. From the very little that we know about Pilate, there is no doubt that he was -- to put it bluntly -- a very bad man. But it would be ridiculous to assume that he would have seen himself as anything other than a devoted public servant who tried to do his duty well.

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What He Said: The Words of Christ in the Four Gospels Review

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(More customer reviews)I never set out to read the Bible before. Perhaps the only extended passages I ever read were the Christmas and Easter stories (and, OK, those were read to me). But I've always been curious about the essence of Christianity -- what did Jesus do and say? Well, that's only addressed in the New Testament and there only in bits and pieces.
I'd heard of other presentations of Jesus' words called out from the rest of the Bible's text and had even asked for the King James Bible for my birthday once, where Jesus' words are in color. But WHAT HE SAID is so much better -- it's just the four Gospels and keeps Jesus' quotes in order and context. I am enjoying it very much and recommend it to others curious about the faith.

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The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth: The Jefferson Bible Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth; The Jefferson Bible" is Thomas Jefferson's Unitarian idea of what Jesus said and believed. Jefferson's idea was simple, but deeply meaningful. Unitarians believe there is one God and that the notion of a 'Trinity' is mistaken. As a Unitarian, Jefferson had the idea of taking the four Gospels, as they were, and cutting out all mention of miracles or of Jesus being God. Jeferson bought two copies of the four Gospels and cut out and pasted together only those passages that quoted Jesus and showed his life and he discarded any direct mention of Jesus as God or anything about miracles. There was no mention of virgin birth or of resurection. Jefferson rearranged the passages, keeping similar themes together, in a logical fashion. What emerged was a book of sayings from a man, who was a philosopher and a teacher and who spoke to everyone about belief in God and moral behavior.
If one reads this short book, one finds, as Jefferson did, the teachings of Jesus, stripped of most of the ideas of others. Jefferson's idea had been very simple. However, the book is a wonderful teaching tool, that focuses on Jesus, separate from all that was not important to Jesus, the philosopher and teacher.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in what Jesus taught, rather than what the various Christian churches teach, today. If you are a Trinitarian Christian (Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, or Protestant), I believe that this book will not discourage your own faith, but will help you to understand Jesus and his own teachings.

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The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth: The Jefferson Bible, written by legendary author Thomas Jefferson is widely considered to be one of the greatest classic and historical texts of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth: The Jefferson Bible is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Thomas Jefferson is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books International and beautifully produced, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth: The Jefferson Bible would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

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The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth Extracted Textually from the Gospels: The Jefferson Bible Review

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(More customer reviews)I was surprised to see what the product description fails to mention: this book wasn't simply published at the turn of the 20th century. Rather, if you look at an original first edition, at the bottom of the title page, it states as follows:
Washington
Government Printing Office
1904
This book wasn't simply published, it was published by the Congress of the United States of America, for the express purpose of being given to each freshman member of both houses of Congress.
Disagree with it if you wish, that is the right of every American, but the 1904 Congress were following the wishes of Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers that so many today insist was a godless, deist, atheist of a man. And yet he wished for every freshman member of Congress to have in their possession the words of Christ. What does that say about the original intent of what Jefferson himself coined as 'the separation of church and state' in 1802?
Please, I would urge all Americans not only to read this brilliant collection, edited by Jefferson himself, but also the complete, original, unabridged writings of one of our most profound, brilliant, intelligent, and spiritual founding fathers and former presidents, Thomas Jefferson. So many questions about our country today, so many questions about the original intent upon the founding of our republic, can be answered by reading his original words. But more importantly, there's so much we can learn from him about what it means to be an American, from one of our greatest forefathers, one of our greatest examples of what it means to be a truly remarkable, intelligent, loving, tolerant, respectful, yet proud American citizen.

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In the early nineteenth century Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence, conceived the idea of extracting a gospel purified of what he saw as extraneous philosophical, mythological, and theological elements. To do so, he took verses from the four canonical gospels and arranged them into a single narrative, focusing on the actual words of Jesus. This work was never published during Jefferson's lifetime, but was inherited by his grandson and printed for the first time in the early twentieth century. The original bound manuscript, often referred to as "the Jefferson Bible," is held by the United States National Museum in Washington.

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King James Only Controversy, The: Can You Trust Modern Translations? Review

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(More customer reviews)Every Christian who believes that the Bible is God's Word should read the first part of this book, whether they agree with the author's stance or not, or whether they are interested in the controversy or not, since it covers quite a bit of background information relating to the history and nature of New Testament translation, including its history, major translations, translators, and other key figures, information about the nature of the greek manuscripts, and so on.
Most of what I would comment about on this book has already been said, so I won't push the point much further.
However, I would like to add another point which James White seems to have overlooked in his book, I assume because of his lack of international/missionary experience:
I come from Singapore where not everyone is fluent in English, or even knows English, much less read English. For the ethnic Chinese who only reads and understands the Chinese language, the only Bible they can read would obviously be on that is translated to Chinese. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), none of the Chinese Bibles, as far as I know, are translated from the TR, and you cannot find a Chinese Bible translated from the King James version.
Now that's just the Bible in Chinese, where there are a few versions/translations. How about those other Bibles in languages where there's only ONE translation (mostly translated by UBS, and not translated from TR/KJV)?
Those who insist on KJV Only should perhaps remember that there's a whole world out there that does not and cannot understand English, much less KJV English. I supposed they are doomed, unless they learn English, KJV English.
That said, my opinion is that this is probably the best book on the subject. Read it, unless your mind is already made up (see those 1 star reviews).

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Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels, NRSV Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Gospel Parallels is a serious work indexing and comparing the first three New Testament books (Matthew, Mark and Luke) so that those interested in the study of the Gospels can see exactly the similarities and discrepancies in the stories.
But the book is more than that. Given the increasing interest in recent years in the non-canonical works, Greek and other manuscripts that are not easily found in the local library are cited as a way of further illuminating the path toward further understanding of early Christian writing and thinking.
This is not a book that offers a lot of commentary. In fact, it offers virtually none. It simply lines up in a table such offerings as Accusations Against Jesus and then gives us Matthew (12:22-24) against Mark (3:19-22) and Luke (11:14-16).
One benefit of this style is that we're able to quickly see the differences in accounts. Those wanting an explication of the significance in choice of language or details included or excluded will have to look elsewhere for enlightenment. That makes this very thorough book a study aid accompanying other works that might provide more understanding; it is not a freestanding help to those curious about why accounts of Jesus' life or teaching vary so radically.
I used the fourth edition of this book in a New Testament course years ago and had forgotten its seeming limitations. But for those interested in serious exploration and in need of help tracking down New Testament and other texts, this book is invaluable.
It offers us a decent who's who of church fathers, and a short but terrific explanation of the different versions of texts in the Bible, which helps account for differing interpretations and changes in language. The fourth edition is in conformity with the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
For those wondering, the Gospel of John is not included in this book because of the extensive differences in content between it and the three synoptic gospels covered by this book. Among them:
John doesn't include a lot of the material about the temptation of Christ, his transfiguration and the Lord's supper, the Sermon on the Mount. John offers virtually nothing in the way of narrative parables. John's account of Jesus' ministry is also at odds with the three synoptics.
The many differences make a side-by-side comparison just about impossible, though certainly extensive scholarship exists on this topic.
What this book will do is shed light on the ways in which some of the same events and thoughts are reported. You'll see quickly which author appears to exaggerate or at least report events in their most extreme, and which basic themes, such as concern for the downtrodden, draws the most attention in each gospel.
I'd recommend this to anyone studying the New Testament and in need of a quick guide to where to find a specific verse or theme.

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A classic since 1949, Gospel Parallels presents Matthew, Mark, and Luke printed side-by-side for easy and enlightening comparative study.Now fully revised and updated using the NRSV, it features a more readable type face and a new, even more effective system for comparison.

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