The Real Story Of The Lincoln Bible

CBS Evening News: Library Of Congress Shares Secrets To Holy Book Barack Obama Will Use At Inauguration

(CBS)  Inspired by Abraham Lincoln, President-elect Barack Obama has invoked the memory of the great emancipator throughout his political life. And tomorrow, he will swear to preserve, protect and defend the constitution on the same bible Lincoln used in 1861, CBS News White House correspondent Bill Plante reports.

They call it the "Lincoln Bible."

"It is in tolerably good condition," said Clark Evans of the Library of Congress.

While it is in good condition, it's not really the Lincoln family bible.

With the Civil War about to erupt and an assassination threat in Baltimore, Lincoln arrived in Washington in the middle of the night.

His belongings and his bible were still en route.

So could it be true that Abraham Lincoln showed up for his first inauguration without a bible, and the chief justice there to swear him in sent him and his clerk to get one?

"That's a very likely scenario for what happened," Evans said, showing the current Lincoln Bible. "And … this is what he brings back."

The clerk of the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carroll, brought back one of the many bibles he kept for official use - then signed and sealed it.

On that day, Lincoln spoke to a nation in crisis, about to split in two.

And on Election Night, Mr. Obama echoed Lincoln's words.

"As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours," Mr. Obama said.
"We are not enemies, but friends, though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."

For inspiration tomorrow, Mr. Obama has been reading Lincoln's second inaugural address, shown to CBS News by John Sellers, a Lincoln curator at the Library of Congress.

"Changing words until the end," Sellers said of Lincoln's work. "The final paragraph is one of the most moving things he has ever written. 'With malice towards none with charity for all.'"

In Abraham Lincoln's rise from nothing and in his determination, Barack Obama sees a model - to inspire, to guide and to unite.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[hippysusan]

I bet if someone walked up to Michelle Obama and looked into the box carrying the so-called "Lincoln Bible" it would be empty. If history trivia serves me right...I believe the Bible Lincoln read and studied God''s Holy Word was his Mother''s own Bible...and he did not use that one for his first inauguration because it was still packed away in Lincoln''s luggage at the White House. And I''m glad President Obama wants to use Lincoln as a mentor or a role model for his service in the White House..but he is no Abe Lincoln. Most Americans have forgotten that God was the central and most revered figure by our founding fathers of America and wrote the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution believing that America would always serve God and fear Him. That America does not exist today. American has turned her back on God. America is like a fallen angel from Heaven and I truly believe that America has "voted" its souls to the clutches of the devil. To those who "compare" Obama to a Savior such as Jesus Christ the Lord...ask yourself this..does President Obama wear a crown of thorns?..does he have nail holes in his hands and feet?...if you say "no" to these questions.....then I would have to say that President Obama is just like the rest of us.....simply a man who is trying to do his job to the best of his ability. The only thing I really enjoyed about the inauguration was Rick Warren.

[MichaelBurns]

Correction: it''s Bible, not bible.
The word bible comes from byblos meaning book.
God''s Holy Word (Holy Bible) is a THE book, a very special and specific book. Thus it is widely and correctly referred to as Bible. Derivative words such as biblical are not capitalized.

Thanks for the otherwise good article.

[lightnin001]

We Republicans will be HAPPY to show Obama the same respect, kindness, decency, consideration, and cooperation the "democrats" and their media groupies/propagandists so generously and enthusiastically bestowed upon Bush for 8 years and on Gov. Palin, for as long as Obama is in office.

[annfanny]

Yep, I''''ve nothing against Obama, but this likening him to Lincoln is too syrupy sweet. yuck. Bad Marketing.

Posted by yongamerica at 05:32 AM : Jan 20, 2009

Yep, sure you don''t.

[yongamerica]

Yep, I''ve nothing against Obama, but this likening him to Lincoln is too syrupy sweet. yuck. Bad Marketing.

America is getting a president in an Abe Lincoln box tomorrow and if it doesn''t walk, talk and act like Abe, then America will wish they could return it for a better one.

[annfanny]

Another comparison of Obama with Lincoln. How sickening!

Posted by Mihann at 04:42 AM : Jan 20, 2009

Go ahead and cry like a little girl then.

[annfanny]

The Jesus myth hypothesis (also known as the nonhistoricity hypothesis, the Christ-myth theory or sometimes simply Christ-myth or Jesus-myth) is the hypothesis that Jesus did not exist as a historical person and that the Jesus of the New Testament was created by early Christians based on earlier mythology.
Different versions of the hypothesis have proposed many different sources for the New Testament Jesus, including Indian myths of Krishna, myths of dying and rising gods such as Adonis and Osiris, Hellenistic mystery religions such as Mithraism, or a pre-Christian cult of Jesus within Judaism. Some versions of the hypothesis attribute the beginning of Christianity to a historical founder who predates the time Jesus of Nazareth is said to have lived, such as Yeshu ben Pandera or the Teacher of Righteousness.

http://en.wikipedia.or
g/wiki/Jesus_myth_hypothesis

Posted by TexHillHole at 01:12 AM : Jan 20, 2009

I did not know this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, NObsEver.

[mihann]

Another comparison of Obama with Lincoln. How sickening!

[sblake63]

Its sickening to see a man who think''s its OK to murder unborn babies holding any bible. I''ll be watching what ever is on my DVR to aviod all this Obama hype tomorrow. The honeymoon will end soon just like it did with Clinton. God will not bless the administration of a baby killer - watch and see....

[meonmaui3]

You anti-Obama people need to get over it!! He''s our President and we voted for him! What better man to be sworn into office using the Lincoln bible! HA! Just wait...You will all be pro-Obama eventually :-)

[alpine42]

Does anyone truly believe that the typical Obama voter, say a 22 yr old HS dropout working in a beauty salon, has the slightest notion of what a trillion dollar deficit might be? Of course she doesn''''t! Does she realize that the economy started going to hell just after Obama entered the Senate?

Ah... Try again....I served in the military for six years, participated in Desert Storm, 42 years old, white, put myself through school, have a degree in accounting and own my own house (thats not in forclosesure), read up on business and political stories like a maniac.....I know plenty of blondie bimbos who voted for Bush.

[lightnin001]

The least experienced, least qualified, least accomplished President-elect in history, with racist, anti-American, abortion extremist, and criminal associates, will be sworn in with the Bible of the greatest President this country ever had. This is truly an Obamanation and a desecration, a violation of the posessions of the dead. Obamanation is a term that will live for a hundred years or more. Just wanted to take a moment to remind everybody that the President-elect couldn''t have gotten a government job that required a security clearance otherwise because of some of his closest long-term associates. Yeah, I know, a lot of people don''t care