Post by Rogier van Vlissingen on Oct 12, 2006 3:45:52 GMT -5
This is just a bit of interesting background information, which among other things might put the interest in the Jefferson Bible in DU in perspective. Originally posted on DU list.
Based on some information from the book "The Five Gospels" which is the modern translation of the four canonical gospels plus Thomas by the Jesus Seminar, the following numbers of parallels exist between Thomas and the Canonical material: Mark 47, Luke 17, Matthew 4, John 5, and Q 40. In other words 40 parallels are in common with that "other" hypothetical sayings gospel, named Q, and what's listed here are the unique references to the Thomas Gospel in the Canonical Gospels.
Now Thomas Jefferson sat down for three evenings in 1804, and cut and pasted together, simply based on what made sense to him, his own gospel of the sayings of Jesus, which we now know as the Jefferson Bible, and which every US Senator is sworn in on. He called the book: "Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth extracted Textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French and English."
The correspondence of the Jefferson Bible with the Thomas Gospel is on the order of 80%. What he trew out was the OT, and all of Paul, and Revelation. He was evidently pretty clear that Paul was an imposter who distorted J's teaching. Of him he says at the end of his 1820 letter to William Short: "Of this band of dupes and impostors, Paul was the great Coryphaeus, and first corruptor of the doctrines of Jesus. These palpable interpolations and falsifications of His doctrines, led me to try to sift them apart. I found the work obvious and easy, and that His past composed
the most beautiful morsel of morality which has been given to us by man.
The syllabus is therefore of His doctrines, not all of mine. I read them as I do those of other ancient and modern moralists, with a mixture of approbation and dissent.." It is also very interesting to note therefore that Jefferson notes that he doesn't necessarily always agree with Jesus, but nevertheless compiled this little book based on what he felt was obviously authentic, not based on what he agreed with. He never knew how close he came...
You can find the material on-line at this site:
www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/
And perhaps most interesting are his letters to explain his procedure,
here:
www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/jeffbsyl.html
Interestingly, in a modern edition of the Jefferson Bible by Forrest
Church, son of Senator Frank Church of Idaho, who presently is the pastor of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York, Jefferson's rationale for dismissing Paul is conveniently overlooked, without even any mention of the fact that part of said letter was omitted.
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Based on some information from the book "The Five Gospels" which is the modern translation of the four canonical gospels plus Thomas by the Jesus Seminar, the following numbers of parallels exist between Thomas and the Canonical material: Mark 47, Luke 17, Matthew 4, John 5, and Q 40. In other words 40 parallels are in common with that "other" hypothetical sayings gospel, named Q, and what's listed here are the unique references to the Thomas Gospel in the Canonical Gospels.
Now Thomas Jefferson sat down for three evenings in 1804, and cut and pasted together, simply based on what made sense to him, his own gospel of the sayings of Jesus, which we now know as the Jefferson Bible, and which every US Senator is sworn in on. He called the book: "Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth extracted Textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French and English."
The correspondence of the Jefferson Bible with the Thomas Gospel is on the order of 80%. What he trew out was the OT, and all of Paul, and Revelation. He was evidently pretty clear that Paul was an imposter who distorted J's teaching. Of him he says at the end of his 1820 letter to William Short: "Of this band of dupes and impostors, Paul was the great Coryphaeus, and first corruptor of the doctrines of Jesus. These palpable interpolations and falsifications of His doctrines, led me to try to sift them apart. I found the work obvious and easy, and that His past composed
the most beautiful morsel of morality which has been given to us by man.
The syllabus is therefore of His doctrines, not all of mine. I read them as I do those of other ancient and modern moralists, with a mixture of approbation and dissent.." It is also very interesting to note therefore that Jefferson notes that he doesn't necessarily always agree with Jesus, but nevertheless compiled this little book based on what he felt was obviously authentic, not based on what he agreed with. He never knew how close he came...
You can find the material on-line at this site:
www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/
And perhaps most interesting are his letters to explain his procedure,
here:
www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/jeffbsyl.html
Interestingly, in a modern edition of the Jefferson Bible by Forrest
Church, son of Senator Frank Church of Idaho, who presently is the pastor of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York, Jefferson's rationale for dismissing Paul is conveniently overlooked, without even any mention of the fact that part of said letter was omitted.
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