Rating: 
Summary: Throwing out what he didn't like....
Review: In one way, I haven't read this book. But in another way, I have read it and in its authentic context. (I've read the Bible.)If Jefferson had chosen to clip out some of the "teachings" of Jesus, to focus upon them in order to study them with intellectual honesty, that would be one thing. If he chose to delete whatever Christ and others asserted about His divinity and therefore His authority and power to save us from eternally dead alienation in our sin, but instead to live in Christ's righteousness through our faith, that is a very stupid thing to do. It is very poor history, too. The teachings of Jesus are inextricably woven with His own assertion of who He was (and is). They caused His countrymen to wonder at how He spoke with such authority. At this, some were compelled to listen, others were offended and some of these eventually provided the Earthly conditions of His crucifixion. The teachings of Christ are full of His references to what He really was about doing: coming from the Father to Earth, in order to provide salvation to rebellious humanity. (God being the authoritatively distinct Person, His revelation of Himself and the salvation He offers are also mercifully distinct.) To ignore this is to attempt to hang certain of His words out in space, disattached from beginning, end, and context. Hmm.... Maybe I'll edit the writings of Jefferson, to leave out the facts that he was one of the founding fathers and wrote the Declaration of Independence; I'll simply portray him as a political philosopher without his stated cause or consequence.... Naa. Jefferson is dead. (So are us all, unless we accept "the Way, the Truth, and the Life....")
Rating:
Summary: Throwing out what he didn't like....
Review: In one way, I haven't read this book. But in another way, I have read it and in its authentic context. (I've read the Bible.) If Jefferson had chosen to clip out some of the "teachings" of Jesus, to focus upon them in order to study them with intellectual honesty, that would be one thing. If he chose to delete whatever Christ and others asserted about His divinity and therefore His authority and power to save us from eternally dead alienation in our sin, but instead to live in Christ's righteousness through our faith, that is a very stupid thing to do. It is very poor history, too. The teachings of Jesus are inextricably woven with His own assertion of who He was (and is). They caused His countrymen to wonder at how He spoke with such authority. At this, some were compelled to listen, others were offended and some of these eventually provided the Earthly conditions of His crucifixion. The teachings of Christ are full of His references to what He really was about doing: coming from the Father to Earth, in order to provide salvation to rebellious humanity. (God being the authoritatively distinct Person, His revelation of Himself and the salvation He offers are also mercifully distinct.) To ignore this is to attempt to hang certain of His words out in space, disattached from beginning, end, and context. Hmm.... Maybe I'll edit the writings of Jefferson, to leave out the facts that he was one of the founding fathers and wrote the Declaration of Independence; I'll simply portray him as a political philosopher without his stated cause or consequence.... Naa. Jefferson is dead. (So are us all, unless we accept "the Way, the Truth, and the Life....")
Rating: 
Summary: Jesus without the miracles!
Review: Jefferson presents a picture of Jesus that is very compelling. In this work, there is no healing of the sick or walking on water. What Jefferson puts much attention to is Jesus's use of parables asa way to tell his stories. Even though, I am no longer religious at heart this book was very thought provoking.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended, regardless of your religious beliefs
Review: Many Christian fundamentalists would argue that if Jesus was not what mainstream Christian theology says he is, then either he was a liar or a madman. That assumption is based of course on the idea that everything in the New Testament gospels must be taken as if it literally happened, as if the Gospel writers were able to accurately write what Jesus said and did in the same way a reporter could today. Balderdash. .... "Jefferson's Bible" is an attempt--a labor of love--by one incredibly brilliant man to create a gospel that made sense, building on the writings of the original gospel writers (who he unfairly detested but had no choice to rely upon). Was he successful? That's for each person to determine for himself or herself. But whether you are a pure Unitarian (as Jefferson was) or a traditional Christian, or none of the above, the value of his work is in the way he reminds us of the truly wonderful morals that Jesus preached, many of which are overlooked in the lavish doctrinal attention paid to the Resurrection.
Rating: 
Summary: The Old English hinders reading.
Review: Overall, I think the Jefferson Bible contained some very good information. It highlights the "non-supernatural" parts of the Gospels and focuses on the teachings of Jesus as the primary concern. The main problem, though, is that the text is written in unfamiliar English and is more difficult to understand because of this. I recommend just buying a modern Bible and reading the four Gospels in modern English instead.
Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading for all so-called Christians.
Review: Perhaps the best review is to let Jefferson speak for himself: "To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which he wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others and ascribing to him every human excellence, believing he never claimed any other" (from a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, April 21, 1803).
Rating: 
Summary: An Enlightening Read
Review: The brilliant statesman who drafted the Declaration of Independence and served as America's third president boldly separated himself from the established churches of his day. Regarding Jesus as a great moral guide but not a divine figure, and believing that Jesus' message had been distorted by Christian prelates, Jefferson discarded the Old Testament and the works of Paul, and extracted from the Gospels the basic story and teachings of Jesus to compile what is called The Jefferson Bible. This new Noontide edition of a long-suppressed work is set in large type for easy reading. In an enlightening introduction, Biblical- and religious scholar Dr. Martin Larson explains the deist outlook of Jefferson and some of America's other founding fathers
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant mans take on morality.
Review: This book goes deep into the root of what is missing in America today. Morality. Written by possibly one of the greatest minds ever, Jefferson goes into the meaning of the Bible.
Rating:
Summary: Only an insight to Jefferson's views, not the truth
Review: This book should be taken for what it is. Historically speaking, this book is very helpful in understanding the views and beliefs of one of our founding fathers. It is not, however, proof that all Christians are wrong!!! It has been proven that many books of the New Testament were written in the lifetime of witnesses to the crucifixion!!! Historians who lived during Jesus' time and were NOT followers of him wrote that Jesus claimed to be the son of GOd, so how can he be wiewed as a moral man if he lied about being the son of God? Why would so many people who knew Jesus claim to be witness to his Resurrection and die for this claim? Historians who lived at that time and were not followers of Jesus
said that these people were killed for their beliefs. If God does not exist, then how can good and evil exist? How do we know to distinguish between what is moral and what is not. If Jesus was not the Christ, how could someone from Nazareth and did not travel far from there with little education be so wise? If you think being an atheist or agnostic or Unitarian is truely right and Christians are wrong and self-rightoues(and yes there are many self rightous so called Christians who do not understand love and mercy along with rightouesness, and for that I am truely sorry), you should not be afraid to research the dating of historical documents found and writings of ancient historians or to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel(Both of these authors used to be athiests and these books detail their research,discovery and spiritual journey) along with the books that supposedly are proof of atheism. Jefferson was a human being who achieved some wonderful things for our country, but by taking his views on Jesus as a support against Jesus as the Son of God and salvation through Him is in turn trying to make Jefferson a god. Just because there are some wonderful people who achieve wonderful things and are athiests doesn't mean they are right in being athiests. There is plenty of evidence for intelligent people (And no I am not saying that athiets and agnostics are not intelligent. I have three very intelligent athiests in my life whom I love dearly and are so precious to me) out there that is proof that Jesus IS the Son of God and that he did rise from the dead. If the Jews and Romans had Jesus' body, they would have gladly produced it to prove Jesus' followers wrong (Historical records by nonChristians will even attest to this), and if his followers did take his body and claim he had risen from the dead, why would they then be willing to die,some of them long agaonizing deaths for this, (there is historical proof of their deaths if your are willing to find it). If he did die and rise again, which there is enough real proof that he did, why would he do this if there were not a hell and why would he do this if we did not need to be saved for our sins. Most Christians know this and most leave it to God to make the judgement and have athiests friends whom they love dearly no matter what. Yes, the Bible is very complex, and we will not completely understand it this side of heaven, but there are thruths in there that can be proven now. God's mind is above ours. So, of course, we are not going to completely understand him but who are we to judge Him? And even though it seems that Jefferson was not a Christian(only he and God know that for sure)and definitely wanted religious freedom, I think he would be horrified to see the extremes that people are taking to separate church from state and the ridcule Christians suffer. Christians believe in freedom of religion. God gave us our own will to decide to choose him and his ways or not and I don't believe he intends us to force people into it, but I believe He wants us to speak the truth when it is being hidden, but that doesn't mean hitting people over the head with Bible and badgering them to death about it either.
Rating:
Summary: Jesus Escaped the Fundamentalists!
Review: This work condenses the scattered faith documents that are the "Gospels" into a kernel of real truth. It is a truly remarkable piece of work for those of us who believe Christ is more than the charicature that many zealots paint him as today. Jefferson deduced the real message in the New Testament, which was a call to live a better, more ethical life. He saw through the amalgam of Greek mythology, cynic-style homilies, and cosmic-battle cultic material that was mish-mashed together by 2nd century apologists to create a life for a man whose very existence is debatable. Christ is a concept and a model, not a god! Jefferson indeed created a bible that can be used as a life tool, not a tool of oppression and coersion with which one can be saved or damned.
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