Yesterday’s post reminded me of a conversation between Schroeder and Lucy in a Charles Schultz Peanuts cartoon. Schroeder is, of course playing his toy piano. Lucy, leaning on it asks: “I have an historical question for you.”

Then she asks: “Did Beethoven ever have any beautiful girls nearby while he was practicing his piano?”

Schroeder replies: “No. I don’t think Beethoven ever had any nutty females hanging on his piano while he was trying to practice!”

A frowning Lucy says: That isn’t quite what I said.”

Isn’t that kinda like reading a different translation of a Bible?

If you read yesterday’s message on Steven Allen Books, you know who said the words I listed there. But some of you would be interested in comparing those words with the King James Edition of the Bible. So here it is:

“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou into them in parables?
“He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
“For whosoever hath to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
“Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” (KJV Matthew 13:10-13).

Do you see the subtle difference, which can lead to subtle differences in understanding? That’s what Thomas Jefferson understood. That’s why he created his own side-by-side version of parts of the Bible in Greek, Latin, French and English. This way he could determine some subtle differences in the meanings of Jesus Christ’s words. You see, he was fluent in all those languages.

And he was also very religious!