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Jesus and Jefferson

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    The third president's version of the bible

  • Duration 4:36
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-- on view now the Smithsonian is president -- the life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth it's a version of the Bible that he assembled to.

Tell the chronological version of jesus' life but without the miracles.

And without the resurrection.

Joining me now with insider all of this and the third president's belief in -- this is not his religion correspondent Lauren Green happy east happy Easter to you -- -- you see you do it's very interesting this whole idea.

Thomas Jefferson was a champion of religious freedom but he had when you might call.

A blind spot when it came to his own beliefs and of course he created his own Bible reflect those beliefs and it's for the Jefferson Bible that's on this play but we.

Looking at the whole idea of the resurrection what Jefferson may have not them.

When he made his own Bible take a look at.

And they -- this First Amendment freedoms guarantees that -- -- -- this week like Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

Parishioners can observe christianity's biggest day of the year -- during the celebration of Jesus rising from the dead.

The resurrection is absolutely foundational christianity if Jesus hadn't been raised from the dead as they wouldn't be -- christianity.

But -- Jefferson third president and the principal writer of the declaration of independence believed only in an earthly Jesus a teacher of great moral ideas.

Jefferson created his own version of the Bible now on exhibit at the Smithsonian museum.

Cut and pasted together -- as Monticello a state of Virginia Jefferson's Bible is stripped of the divine no miracles and no resurrection.

To accept anything that couldn't be proved miracles would upset.

-- lawful orderly universe that Jefferson believed him if there was going to be enlightenment and -- the possibility of popular self government.

There had to be the law.

But Oxford University mathematician John -- is one of several scholars who in the last two centuries since Jefferson wrote his Bible.

Sees strong historical proof for the resurrection of Jesus.

The evidence is powerful which is -- -- of course.

There is a long list of people who started by being skeptical of christianity.

So that the resurrection of the central -- -- they could disprove that and ended up becoming efficient.

The Bible says a crucified Jesus was later that too.

A large stones seal the entry in a Roman guard posted.

Two days later.

The -- have been -- away the tomb empty an Angel told to women that Jesus had risen Jesus leader appeared to his disciples.

And -- many others.

Although there are no eyewitnesses to the actual resurrection scholars like Tom -- pointed out and in usual part of the story that the gospel writers chose to include.

The testimony of women in ancient times not permissible in a court of law.

Nobody in the first entry -- source so you would have invented a story which hinged on the testimony all the woman particularly Mary Magdalene and in the haul flight took off a Sunday morning the only reason those stories about -- nineteen and all that.

Because they -- that is the only explanation.

Even though Thomas Jefferson did not believe in the miracle of -- resurrected savior he faithfully founded in America the right to believe otherwise.

In New York Lauren Green Fox News.

So it sounds as though he'd believed that they -- Miraculous parts -- -- the Bible were contrary to reason and he wanted to stay grounded in reason -- that and this is very much a product of the enlightenment this is a problem that you know modern actually lot of people actually don't have.

Because of saying you have to understand that there there's the possibility of miracles actually can exist.

-- only say that they upset the natural course but and in terms of a theological understanding.

What the Jesus miracles are basically restoring.

The world to its rightful place not creating something different.

Susan -- at the Thomas Jefferson believed that Jesus was an extraordinary man -- he wanted to say that Jesus.

Had really did most extraordinary kinds of ideas about how we should treat each other and that -- -- arrive at those ideas through reason.

You didn't have to have any kind of divinity.

But jesus' whole point of being here was to -- To sort of change the course of history to written to resurrect sort of what we should be.

So thought provoking an -- saying on of course this Easter Sunday it's great to have you here -- thank you.

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