1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you Should Know 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: from House Stuff Works dot Com. Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. With me is always as 5 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:23,639 Speaker 1: Charles W. Chuckers Bryant, and that makes this stuff you 6 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: should know. I'm always here for you. Josh. Yeah, Hey, 7 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: don't whatever. I'm glad you are. Chuck. Sure. This is 8 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: UM Day two, Episode two in the new Studio. Yes, 9 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: the walls are closing in on us. I'm kind of 10 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: looking in here now. I'm already used to it, Chuck, Josh. Um, 11 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: So the Bible has been popping up in my life 12 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: a lot lately. Really, Yeah, um, you mean? And I 13 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: just started subscribing to Harper's Monthly Weekly, one of those two. 14 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: It's like this magazine from like eight nine, okay. Um. 15 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: And in the first article of the first issue that 16 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: we got, it's um there's a there's I guess notes 17 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: section by a guy who says that the Old Testament 18 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: is an allegory for the Neolithic revolution. Remember we went 19 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: from hunting and gathering to agriculture. And he made some 20 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: really cool points, Um, like for example, Kane and Abel. 21 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:32,399 Speaker 1: Abel was a herdsman, Kane was a farmer. Kane murdered Abel, right, 22 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: so he slew him, uh first murder. Ever, as far 23 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: as we know, yes, um, I can't remember what he 24 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: said about Adam and Eve. But basically like that's the 25 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: beginning where we It was actually kind of a cautionary tale. Yeah, 26 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,559 Speaker 1: like like be careful, there's all this other stuff associated 27 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: with agriculture that you're not seeing. Um So, I found 28 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: that intensely interesting. Then you suggest we do one on 29 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: the Jefferson Bible, and I'm like, what's going on here? 30 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: Right right? Third one, number three? This elderly woman by 31 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: all right, she's in her eighties, nineties, spitfire ladies still though, sure, 32 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 1: I didn't like to use a blinker When she stopped 33 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 1: suddenly in parking lots when I'm right behind her, the 34 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 1: um so I went around her. I was a little irritated, 35 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: and I wanted her to know it. She lays on 36 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: her horn and I let's stick my head out, and 37 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: I'm like, be quiet, and like you did not, I 38 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: go in park and I go into the into the um, 39 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: into public spe quiet. This woman comes and finds me 40 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,359 Speaker 1: and it's like, are you the sir, You the gentleman 41 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: who went around me and traffic blah blah blah, and 42 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: she's like berating me loudly in the middle of public. 43 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: He said, I'm no gentleman. So finally she ends it 44 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: with you need to get to church. And I was like, 45 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: I swear to God, I'm not kidding you. My friend 46 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: tom My bff Tom was on the phone with me. 47 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: He can verify this, and he said, Betty White is 48 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: coming after me in a public I wish this was 49 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: Betty White. This woman was terrifying. She was wearing like 50 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: clam diggers with um white sox, pulled up black s 51 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: a S shoes um. Her skin hung loose, and she 52 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: had fire in her She wanted to kill me. What 53 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: did you say? Did you reply anything? Or did you 54 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: just sheepish sleep? Rather, I wasn't sheepish. You're not gonna 55 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: say what you said? You can tell me afterwards there, right, okay? 56 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: But I was. I wasn't cheapish. I wasn't like entirely mean, 57 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: but I didn't I didn't frankly, as you know, I 58 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: quit the boy Scouts because I think that it's a 59 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: bad idea to just give blanket respect to the old 60 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: people because they're old. I've met some old jerks in 61 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: my time, and this was actually one of them. So yeah, 62 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: but this this week, man three, it's an exciting week. 63 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: I never talked about the Bible. It never comes up, 64 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: Church never comes up. But here we are, all right, Chuck. 65 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: Did Thomas Jefferson right or rewrite the Bible? Fact or fiction? Hey, 66 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: that's old school, Josh. That is faction because he um, 67 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: he did not rewrite the Bible, but he did cobble 68 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,239 Speaker 1: together his own version of the Bible that he thought 69 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: was um valid and and should be read. I'll just 70 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: say that, which is actually, if you think about it, 71 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 1: really a pretty pretentious and arrogant thing to do. This 72 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't go over well in today's president If someone said Obama, UM, 73 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 1: put together, you know, different parts of the Bible and 74 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: said that this was what I think the Bible should be, 75 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: he wouldn't last too long. No, I don't think it 76 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: would have ever gone over If Taft had done it, 77 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: he would have been like run out of town on 78 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:59,480 Speaker 1: a rail, Like, you can't do that. It's early day, 79 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,920 Speaker 1: so you away with anything. Back then, I suspect that 80 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson had um Asperger's from some of his uh, 81 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: some of his um. His demeanor, the way carrying himself 82 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: is incredibly high level of intellect. Um. I suspect that 83 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: he had some something along those lines. Right, he might have. 84 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: You can also say that he could not have cared 85 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: less what people thought of him. He did his own thing. 86 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: Highly intelligent guy. Um. And like you said, if it 87 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: had come out that the president had done that, a 88 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: lot of people are unaware of this, that it wouldn't 89 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 1: go over very well, which is why he didn't let 90 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: it out. I don't know that that's why he didn't 91 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 1: let it out. I think he just was doing it 92 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 1: for himself, genuinely. I don't think he was trying to 93 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: be secretive about it. But you were saying, like it 94 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: wouldn't go over well. Today, there's kind of it's kind 95 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: of um fashionable in certain quarters to point out that 96 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,599 Speaker 1: the founding fathers were bent on founding a Christian nation. 97 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: It's a very contentious thing to say, although a lot 98 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 1: of people that's how they see the United States, right. 99 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: I think Thomas Jefferson cutting up the Bible and cutting 100 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: out all the miracles and what he considered gobbledygook kind 101 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: of undermines that argument a little bit. Don't you think, well, 102 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: he was a deist. It's a good time to bring 103 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: that up. George Washington was a deist. Benjamin Franklin and 104 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: what we call founders, they are they differ from traditional 105 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: Christians because they reject miracles, basically a lot of the prophecies, 106 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: and they says here they embraced the notion of a 107 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: well ordered universe created by God, but God then withdrew 108 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: into detached transcendence. They believe like a lot of things 109 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: Christians believe, but a lot a lot of people at 110 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: the time said this was a way for you to 111 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: reconcile your Christianity with all these amazing new scientific findings 112 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:52,919 Speaker 1: that we're finding that kind of fly in the face 113 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:58,799 Speaker 1: of Christianity. Right in Deism was the Enlightenment religion, right um. 114 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: And basically the way it looked at God is there's 115 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,920 Speaker 1: a creator God, but he's kind of like a clockmaker, 116 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: and he created this clock of a universe wounded up 117 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: and just stood back to to watch it go. It's 118 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: a great way to say. And do you remember, like 119 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: in the really uber paranoid late nineties, right before the millennium. 120 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: There's like kind of a concept that the universe is 121 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: a u the result of an alien experiment. That's kind 122 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: of like in the same vein. Actually there's some higher 123 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: power that doesn't have a hand in our individual lives, 124 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: but start created all this. Yeah, pretty interesting, it is. 125 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: So that was That was T J m BF and 126 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: g W T Jeff. That's what his nickname today would 127 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: be T Jeff. His nickname today is T Jeff as 128 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: of now. So um. He also was the he pinned 129 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: the Declaration of Independence, we should say, which most people know. 130 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: He was also the one who co first elucidated the 131 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: wall of separation between church and state. Yeah, not did 132 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: not come from the Constitution. No, but he So there's 133 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: this Baptist Convention of dan Berry, Yes, the Connecticut Committee 134 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: of the dan Berry Baptist Association, and they wrote to 135 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: Jefferson saying, is this a Christian nation or not? Basically 136 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: he basically pointed to know he said, he said, he said, no, 137 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: I I I'm sure you agree with me that religion 138 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: is between a man and his God and really eloquently 139 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: said no, there's a First Amendment. There's a there's a 140 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: clause in the First Amendment that says that that UM 141 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: Congress won't um establish a religion, and so I Thomas 142 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: Jefferson as president and one of the guys who wrote that, 143 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: see it as a wall of separation between church and state. 144 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: He thought it was a very very personal thing. Religion 145 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: was spirituality was a very personal thing. No one should 146 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: step in and tell you what to think about it, right, 147 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: It's so personal that he decided to craft his own Bible. Yes. 148 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: And one of the reasons he did us because Um, 149 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:03,839 Speaker 1: like we said, he was a deist deist or deist daist. 150 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: I think you can go either way. Now he's a Deist. 151 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 1: And he was also very skeptical of who wrote the Bible, 152 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: the Gospels in particular. He thought they were quote unlettered 153 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: and ignorant. Yeah, basically how he saw the Bible writers. Um, 154 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: that's where the name comes from. Yeah, those were the 155 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: Gospel writers. But they were also um Platonics. They followed 156 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: Plato and wrote around the time of Plato. Um. And 157 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:37,199 Speaker 1: they remember when we were talking about like Halloween, Christmas, Easterday. Yeah, 158 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: they're all pagan holidays that we've adopted and christianized in 159 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: in an effort Um eastern together. Yeah, it wasn't. Yes, 160 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:49,839 Speaker 1: spring harvest, spring um equinox, vernal equinox. I think it's 161 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: what it's called right, vernal and autumnal. Yes, vernal equinox, 162 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: and s Tera was a pagan goddess. Anyway, Um, this 163 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: is this, This is how he viewed the the Bible 164 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: being written like like there was a there was a 165 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: person named Jesus of Nazareth. He walked awesome guy, philosopher, 166 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: incredible philosopher, had this amazing moral code what right? Um? 167 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: And then uh and espoused it to people who remembered it, 168 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: passed it down orally, and then somebody finally wrote it down. 169 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: But when they were trying to write it down, they 170 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: were also trying to establish a church. And Um, so 171 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 1: they added some magic so that they could they could 172 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 1: bring the pagans into the fold a miracles. Yes. And 173 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: he also believed and this is where he really wouldn't 174 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 1: jibe with today's UH system as a politician. He did 175 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,079 Speaker 1: not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ. He did 176 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 1: not believe that he was the son of God. He 177 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 1: thought that he was like Plato, essentially like a spot 178 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: on philosopher. But he thought a lot of them, he said. Um. 179 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: He wrote a letter to John Adams in eighteen thirteen 180 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: and said that the book that he ended up putting together, 181 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: which we'll get into the nuts and bolts of that, 182 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,000 Speaker 1: but he said he called it the most sublime and 183 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 1: benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered demand. Yeah, 184 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,679 Speaker 1: Jesus's philosophy. Yeah, so he clearly thought a lot of 185 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:14,559 Speaker 1: of Jesus's philosophy, and he thought a lot of the 186 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:20,320 Speaker 1: Greek um philosophers and I imagine other religious philosophers as well. 187 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: But what he was saying was that what Jesus had 188 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: come up with was as good as it gets. He 189 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: kind of bashed Plato though, did you see that? Yeah? 190 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,880 Speaker 1: He read Plato in the original Greek and was like 191 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 1: many exactly he found it lackluster. Yeah. Yeah, well, I 192 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: guess he's hard to please. He read the Bible and 193 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,559 Speaker 1: he cut it down to forty six pages. He did. 194 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: Christopher Hitchins put it like this, You know, Hits, he's 195 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 1: not he's not a big guy on religion. No, he 196 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: kind of actively combats it. But yeah, um on, there's 197 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,559 Speaker 1: a forty six second clip on YouTube of Christopher Higgins 198 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: debating somebody, and he describes the Jefferson Bible as what 199 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: was left after Jefferson took a pair of scissors and 200 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: cut out anything that could not buy any intelligent person 201 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: be believed. It makes for a slender, convenient ready. And yeah, 202 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 1: I mean, if you take Christopher Hitchins, this is no 203 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: surprise to you. If you love Christopher Hitchins, this is 204 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:13,599 Speaker 1: no surprise. Yes, But he got one thing wrong. He 205 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:17,560 Speaker 1: apparently is a razor and not scissors. Small detail. He 206 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,080 Speaker 1: literally he went through and was was scratching stuff out, 207 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: and then I think he went back and started cutting 208 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 1: stuff out. Well, he probably that he found himself scratching 209 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: so much out he got tiresome, and he's like, I 210 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,439 Speaker 1: should just see cut out what I do like instead 211 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: of scratching out what I don't like. Because all told, 212 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,559 Speaker 1: there are thirty one thousand, a hundred three Bible verses 213 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: numbered Bible verses, right, but he was just doing the 214 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: New Testament, so we're talking seven thousand and seven, right, 215 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: and specifically the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, which there 216 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:50,959 Speaker 1: well there was more than that, but he he used 217 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: a lot for Matthew and Luke two thousand, two hundred 218 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: twenty two and Matthew and Luke and all told, he 219 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: only had the Jefferson Bible only had nine versus. So 220 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:03,439 Speaker 1: he definitely paired down quite a bit big time. He Um, 221 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 1: he took out everything about he and he took he 222 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 1: took out everything about um Christ's birth, the virgin birth 223 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: that was gone. He left in the crucifixion, but it 224 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: ends at the burial. There's no resurrection. Yeah. Basically the 225 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 1: last verse was um John nineteen and they ended it. 226 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: His book ends with they rolled the stone in front 227 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: of the sepulcher and the the end. Uh. He he 228 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,559 Speaker 1: left a lot of the Last Supper ing but kept 229 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 1: the part of the Eucharist out. This is my body, 230 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: my blood. Yeah. Um. So basically he just kept in 231 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: basically the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth and 232 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 1: his philosophy. Yeah. They in the article that he left 233 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 1: what they called what he considered genuine events like the 234 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: Sermon on the Mount, certain parables, the way to live 235 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: your life. And see, that's always been my deal. I 236 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 1: don't want to get too personal, but you know I 237 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: was right after the last two hundred episodes that. Yeah, 238 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:04,680 Speaker 1: I was raised Southern Baptist and it wasn't the best 239 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 1: experience for me. But I still say, I still maintain 240 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 1: that the Bible has is a great moral code, and 241 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:14,439 Speaker 1: there's lots of great parables that teach you how you 242 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: should act as a human. And apparently I'm in Jefferson's camp, 243 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: because that's what he ended up using as Uh. He 244 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: ended up calling it initially the Philosophy of Jesus of 245 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: Nazareth and then change that title later to the Life 246 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, right, and then uh 247 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 1: in the edition there was a subtitle or how to 248 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: get Buying Queens on a dime of day. I'll long 249 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: have you been working on that one? Just now? Yeah? 250 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: Shut up? So, Um, it clearly wasn't called how to 251 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: Win Friends and Influence People, because he he this probably 252 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: wasn't a very popular thing to do even back then. 253 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: I'm sure it would have the same effect as how 254 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: to Win friends and Influence people? Though. Yeah, but he 255 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: did keep it quiet it Um, he said it was 256 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: for himself. Again, I don't think he kept it quiet. 257 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 1: I think he he was just keeping it for himself. 258 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 1: I disagree with part A of the sentence you just said, 259 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: but agree with part B. Thank you. Yea. I have 260 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: a quote from him if you want to hear from 261 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 1: the man himself. Uh, Josh is wrong. No, sorry, he said, 262 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: I performed the operation for my own use by cutting 263 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: verse by verse out of the printed book and arranging 264 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 1: the matter, which is evidently his, and which is as 265 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: easily distinguished as diamonds and a dunghill. That's kind of harsh, 266 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: but he's saying that the stuff that really came from 267 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: Jesus mouth is the gold, the diamonds in the dunghill. 268 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: So he extracted all that and that was what he 269 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: believed in. Well, yeah, he thought the Platonics were sellouts 270 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: that they should have just you know, maybe not added 271 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: quite so much. So what happened to it, Josh? What 272 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: happened to it? Was it? Basically again, he did it 273 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: for himself. Um. I think I read a reference that 274 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: he did it kind of on a whim or in um. Uh. 275 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: In response to a question from a friend to his 276 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: Dr Benjamin Rush, he said, like, how would you characterize 277 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: your view of Christianity? So he went about doing that. 278 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 1: I think it's the idea exactly got a razor um 279 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: and it was in his private library, which apparently somebody inherited, 280 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 1: and a Smithsonian librarian came across it. What I Cerrus Adler. 281 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 1: What I found funny was Cyrus Adler is a government employee, 282 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: came across this and was like, I'm going to sell 283 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: list to the Library of Congress. You know though. Yeah, 284 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: they did, and they started putting it in print. Congress 285 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: ordered it in print. Um. Thomas Jefferson is considered the 286 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: father of the Senate. Uh. He was the first vice president. Um. 287 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: So he and he wrote the rules of the Senate 288 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: that are still in use today. Uh. He just did 289 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: it because it was bored. One day, asked Berger's same 290 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 1: regin he cut up the Bible yeah, um, and so 291 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: Congress Um. Congress started publishing. I think it published like 292 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: nine thousand copies and even still today it's um a 293 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: customary welcome gift to new members of Congress. I find 294 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,639 Speaker 1: that interesting, like the same Congress who are like, this 295 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: is a Christian nation. Yeah, but I mean it's still 296 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: in there. That's that's the diamond. But it is very 297 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: interesting that they would give an altered version of the 298 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: Bible as a gift. Yeah, I mean it's it's not 299 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: as odd as if they were to give like Alistair 300 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 1: Crowley's memoirs, but it was definitely a little odd. When 301 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,879 Speaker 1: I read that, I was slightly shocked. Yeah, well it 302 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: kind of comes it kind of reveals a certain disingenuousness. 303 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: Done that, Yeah, a little bit possibly makes you think 304 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:46,919 Speaker 1: at least well, and then lets you know what was 305 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 1: in Thomas Jefferson's mind, and he's easily one of the 306 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:53,919 Speaker 1: most fascinating historical figures we have. You got anything else? No, 307 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,159 Speaker 1: if you want to know more about the Jefferson Bible, 308 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: you can read this pretty cool article by McGrath. You 309 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: can find it online the whole Bible. You can do both. 310 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:08,200 Speaker 1: How about let's get some people this site first, that's true. Uh. 311 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: You just type in Jefferson Bible and the handy search 312 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:14,160 Speaker 1: bart how stuff works dot com. Uh, and then after 313 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: that you might as well just go read the Jefferson Bible, right, yes, yes, 314 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 1: which leads us to listener questions. So yeah, we we 315 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 1: put out a call on Facebook a couple of weeks 316 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: ago for questions and we got bombarded. So we're actually 317 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:33,119 Speaker 1: having to do this in installments, because there are a 318 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: lot of good questions. These are the really we need 319 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: new questions, man, No, no, no, no, old no. These 320 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 1: are brand new. You're lying every two weeks ago. But 321 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 1: there's still new because we haven't used them. So we're 322 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 1: gonna bust a lot of these pretty quickly. Chuck says, 323 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 1: who's taller between Josh Chuckers and Jerry. Josh is the tallest, 324 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: at a robust six ft or so. I'm about on 325 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,040 Speaker 1: the nun about five tin, Jerry, how tall are you 326 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,880 Speaker 1: behind the curtain? Go ahead, I've got one from Colin. 327 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: Who would win in a fist fight? Ire a Glass 328 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 1: or Josh? I think it would be a um we 329 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,080 Speaker 1: can actually size we sized him up physically in person now. 330 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: I think it would be like a um, humiliating slap 331 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: fight for both guys. I don't know that there would 332 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,439 Speaker 1: be a fight. Would be more like, um, do you 333 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:28,159 Speaker 1: remember Adam Goldberg in Daisy Confused? Yes? Do you remember 334 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: when he's being pulled off or when when um Nikki 335 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 1: Kat's being pulled off at him? Yeah? I think it 336 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 1: would be like that, but both of us, both of 337 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:41,159 Speaker 1: us is Adam Goldberg? Yeah? Uh? Tripp says can you 338 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,560 Speaker 1: finally reveal the name of the big box appliance store 339 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: that UM did not do? Chuck right with his extended warty. 340 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: I don't think that that would be very smart. Do 341 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: you know that? Even I don't know what it is. 342 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:54,679 Speaker 1: I don't think that would be very brand smart to do, Josh. 343 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: So I'm not going to thank you trip for the question, Chuck. 344 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: I'm not reading this one. So here's another one from Natalie. 345 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 1: Would you consider doing a six degrees of separation from 346 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,679 Speaker 1: your listeners? I go first. My sister Kathleen went to 347 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: ride Dan High School with Chuck. Kathleen egan awesome, So 348 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: that's not a question. Even ends in an exclamation point. 349 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 1: Tom says, what's it like being so old? Chuck? Tom? 350 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: It is awesome? Go ahead. Okay, there's one from Hannah. 351 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: Which is better cake or pie? What do you call 352 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 1: a soft drink? I call it soda. My pubby calls 353 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: it pop. That's two questions. I call it coke. I 354 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: call it coke as well. I grew up calling it pop. Yeah. 355 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:42,879 Speaker 1: What's better? Cake and pie? Actually, there's nothing better than 356 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:47,640 Speaker 1: a good cake pie. Yeah? I like cake cake pie. Brittany, Oh, 357 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: this is Brittany from New York and actually, to answer 358 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 1: that question, pies better remember Brittany britt britt Yes, Brittany says, 359 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,080 Speaker 1: does hippie Rob participate in the s y FK drinking 360 00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: game which we don't sanction? No one knows we're a 361 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: hippie robbis and if so, is he the all time 362 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:04,720 Speaker 1: record holder? Uh? I don't even know that hippie Rob 363 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: knows that s y s K exists, and of course 364 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,679 Speaker 1: she doesn't. I don't think he does. Uh So, this 365 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: one's from Bobby. What are your favorite bands of all 366 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,960 Speaker 1: times or your favorite songs? My favorite band of all time? 367 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: Clear winner is the Pixies. Chuck really oh yeah, probably 368 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 1: go with like the Who or Pavement. Maybe Zeppee Brianna 369 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: are favorite fan. Brianna says, what were your first impressions 370 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,439 Speaker 1: of each other? I thought Josh was like me when 371 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:33,920 Speaker 1: I first met a Mint. It turns out he sort 372 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: of is, and he's sort of not. It's not true 373 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: at all. Now I knew we were like fellow Um. 374 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:43,199 Speaker 1: I thought you were a cool guy, reformed bad boys. 375 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,239 Speaker 1: You know, you had that pack of cigarettes rolled up 376 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,719 Speaker 1: in your sleeve. That was the dig giveaway I've got 377 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: one from Ebba. How does Jerry work? She doesn't? Oh, 378 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:58,160 Speaker 1: not true? Um, Christopher, what's it like living in Hotlanta? 379 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: Particularly now that the summer starting? It is awful? And 380 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: I grew up here and it's still awful. And it's 381 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 1: not like you get used. It's gotten exponentially worse even 382 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:10,359 Speaker 1: since I moved down here. You can't break, It's like 383 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: you're swimming outside. Yeah, I got one more. This one 384 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 1: is from Mark. If you could have one superpower, what 385 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 1: would it be? Flying invisibility? Well, those are the questions. 386 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:25,200 Speaker 1: I'm not done yet. I got two more quick ones. 387 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,360 Speaker 1: Josh Shan says, would you like cheese with that? Always 388 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: of course as the answer to that question. And Joe says, 389 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: what is the best most unique piece of free swag 390 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,880 Speaker 1: anyone has sent you? And I think we just got 391 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: it this week. Yeah, I'm gonna have to go with 392 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: the Root suit, are you? Yeah? The Root Suit, for 393 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 1: those of you that are always sunny in Philadelphia fans, 394 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: is the green Man costume that Charlie wears. And so 395 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:54,360 Speaker 1: I requested a green Man outfit and you won't take 396 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: it off? And I got it, and I wrote the 397 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: guy today and said thank you so much for the 398 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: green Man thing. I'm really excited, and said your life, 399 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: your new life begins now, your new life of leaving 400 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 1: absolutely nothing to the imagination. Chuck, it's disturbing. Nobody wants 401 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: to see this, So if you have a question for us, 402 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: go join our Facebook fan page jerk It's uh Facebook 403 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,879 Speaker 1: dot com, YadA YadA, stuff you should know, follow us 404 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: on Twitter, s y s K podcast, and as always, 405 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 1: you can send us an email. We still like those. 406 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: It's very you know, late nineties, but still it's cute. 407 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: You can send it to Stuff podcast at how stuff 408 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: works dot com for more on this and thousands of 409 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,160 Speaker 1: other topics. Is it how stuff works dot com. Want 410 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: more how stuff works, check out our blogs on the house. 411 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: Stuff works dot com home page. Brought to you by 412 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 1: the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you