Lincoln Quotes Scripture

“The Lincolns had several Bibles in the White House, each in a convenient place so that they could be easily reached by the president. He liked to read the Bible every day when he could, especially before breakfast or at lunchtime. The Bibles in the living quarters were kept for his devotions, and the one he kept in his office was for quick reference when he was writing letters or important documents.” (p. 2).

In many American homes during the nineteenth century the King James Bible was the only book, and its influence on language and literacy was enormous.

A work of meticulous scholarship, this book traces every Biblical reference in the massive nine-volume Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (1953).

In his second Inaugural Address – “a seven hundred word masterpiece”(p. 133) – on March 4, 1865, just five weeks before his assassination, Lincoln voiced a radical theology of the war, arguing that it was God’s will that the conflict continue until all the wealth created by slavery should be destroyed:

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said ‘the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.’”

The direct quotation is from Psalm 19:9. Not surprisingly, this extraordinary passage is rarely taught in American History classes in parts of our country.

Gordon Leidner, a board member of the Abraham Lincoln Institute (https://lincoln-institute.org/), is the author of many published articles on aspects of Lincoln’s life. In this book Leidner notes that “the debate as to whether Lincoln was a Christian is a rock on with the ships of many historians have foundered over the course of the last one and a half centuries.” (p. 4)

There is an old joke in the publishing industry that books about Lincoln, books about doctors, and books about dogs always sell well. So the sure-fire formula for a best seller is Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog. Although lacking in canine and medical content, Abraham Lincoln and the Bible is likely be of great interest to historians of American religion, and both Civil War historians and enthusiasts.

Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek.Com and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews in modern history include To Train the Fleet for War: The U.S. Navy Fleet Problems, 1923-1940, D-Day Encyclopedia: Everything You Want to Know About the Normandy Invasion, Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War, Loyal Sons: Jews in the German Army in the Great War, Holocaust versus Wehrmacht: How Hitler’s "Final Solution" Undermined the German War Effort, Governments-in-Exile and the Jews During the Second World War,‘ Admiral Gorshkov, Comrades Betrayed: Jewish World War I Veterans under Hitler, Rome – City in Terror: The Nazi Occupation 1943–44, A Raid on the Red Sea: The Israeli Capture of the Karine A, Strike from the Sea: The Development and Deployment of Strategic Cruise Missiles since 1934, 100 Greatest Battles, and Battle for the Island Kingdom.  

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Note: Abraham Lincoln and the Bible is also available in e-editions.

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