The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (Unabridged‪)‬

Extracted textually from the Gospels, together with a comparison of his doctrines with those of others.

By Thomas Jefferson

Narrated by Ron Altman

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson copied from the four gospels such passages as he believed would best present the ethical teaching of Jesus, and arranged them according to time and subject. Accordingly, all references to miracles or events related to the supernatural were removed, and the text restructured to form a treatise on morality comparable to the Dhammapada or the Analects of Confucius.

Jefferson described his book thus: "The philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, extracted from the account of his life and doctrines, as given by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; being an abridgment of the New Testament for the use of the Indians, unembarrassed with matters of fact or faith beyond the level of their comprehension."