Books by Thomas Jefferson

Better known as a Founding Father of the United States, and its third president, Thomas Jefferson maintained an abiding interest in philosophy and religion. In 1804 he conceived the idea of collating the story of Jesus found in the four Gospels, and of dissecting away their more wordy and (for him) overly-magical aspects, so as to reveal the fundamental tenets of the moral system promulgated by Christ.Following a false start, and many delays, he began anew in 1819 and produced the Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, the essential ethical philosophy of the Saviour, shorn of miracles or supernatural interventions. For Jefferson it was enough: there remained "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man… A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen."This is a book for anyone interested in Christianity and the root-precepts of its founder. There is much to ponder here for both Believer and sceptic alike.

This book has been considered by academicians and scholars of great significance and value to literature. This forms a part of the knowledge base for future generations. We have represented this book in the same form as it was first published. Hence any marks seen are left intentionally to preserve its true nature.

"The Jefferson Bible" or "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" as it was originally entitled is an extraction of biblical passages constructed by Thomas Jefferson sometime around 1819. In an 1803 letter Jefferson remarks that he first conceived of the idea of writing his interpretation of the "Christian System" sometime during 1788-89. He first accomplishes it in a more limited fashion in 1804 with "The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth" which he describes in an 1813 letter to John Adams as follows: "In extracting the pure principles which [Jesus] taught, we should have to strip off the artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and power to themselves… There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." The work is notable in the absence of any reference to the supernatural aspects of Jesus' life including the divine birth and the resurrection. According to Jefferson "Jesus did not mean to impose himself on mankind as the son of God" and he believed that "the day [would] come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, [would] be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." Presented here is the 1904 Government Printing Office edition presented to members of Congress with the original introduction by Cyrus Adler printed on premium acid-free paper.

A collection of important writings that had a profound effect on the debates that led to the Civil War. The Virginia Resolutions were written by James Madison [1751-1836] and adopted by the Virginia legislature in 1798, the Kentucky Resolutions were written by Thomas Jefferson [1743-1826] and adopted by the Kentucky legislature in 1798. Both opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts and initiated a debate about the respective powers of the federal government and states. This edition collects these three works, and adds the texts of the Alien and Sedition acts, comments from other states and relevant extracts from Madison's letters. [vii]-xvi, [17]-264 pp.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again ¿ worldwide.