“I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know,” wrote President Thomas Jefferson, who, while living at Monticello in 1820 after serving two terms as president, assembled a handmade book that reflects his personal religious and moral philosophy — known today simply as “Thomas Jefferson’s Bible.” History Colorado has partnered with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to bring Thomas Jefferson’s Bible, a rare national treasure and masterful conservation story, to Denver.
The History Colorado Center will host “Jefferson’s Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth,” March 22 through May 27. This special limited-engagement viewing offers an intimate window into Jefferson’s extraordinary mind. Visitors also explore the story behind the intensive effort undertaken by Smithsonian conservators to preserve this fragile, yet remarkable, piece of American history.
By cutting excerpts from four translations — English, French, Latin and Greek — of the Four Gospels, Jefferson sought to tell a chronological and distilled version of Jesus’ life and moral teachings. Created to aid the third U.S. president and Declaration of Independence author’s reading and reflection, the resulting work represented a meeting of Enlightenment thought and Christian tradition as imagined by one of the great thinkers of early America.
Specific light, temperature and humidity controls are required to maintain the book’s integrity. For visitors interested in reading the complete text assembled by Jefferson, “The Jefferson Bible,” Smithsonian Edition, is a full-color facsimile created from high-resolution digital photographs that includes all four languages and Jefferson’s handwritten notes, and is on sale at the History Colorado Center gift shop ($35).
Jefferson’s Bible is included in the cost of a general admission ticket. The History Colorado Center, at 1200 Broadway in Denver, is a Smithsonian Affiliate museum.
Cost and Information: General admission — for tickets and visitor information, see HistoryColoradoCenter.org or call (303)-HISTORY. Special programs are available; see website for calendar of events.
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