Presidential Oath Tradition: From Washington to Trump, 200 Years of Bible Use | EWTN News Nightly

About this sermon

It is a well-known fact that the new president of the United States takes an oath of office on a Bible, but what is lesser known is where this tradition came from and what Bibles are used. 35 words, a Bible and a judge. What sounds like the makings of a wedding are actually Inauguration Day traditions passed down for more than 200 years. It is an iconic moment when a citizen takes the oath of office with his hand atop a Bible, and becomes the country's president, swearing an allegiance to uphold the Constitution before God and country. While many believed George Washington added the words "so help me God" at the end of the oath, there are no accounts of him saying the phrase. We do know that in 1881, when President Chester A. Arthur was sworn in, he did use the words during his ceremony. Many subsequent presidents followed the leads of Washington and Arthur, using Bibles and the phrase "so help me God" but with their own personal touch. Although Trump recently released an "Inauguration Edition" of his Bible, he instead chose the same 2 he used in 2016, Abraham Lincoln's Bible and a Bible his mother gave him as a child. President Trump's childhood Bible from the Inauguration will be on display at the Museum of the Bible for a limited time starting this week. The exhibit will also feature other Bibles used by past presidents. ------------ EWTN News Nightly provides the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Join host Tracy Sabol, our Capitol Hill, White House and Rome Correspondents, as well as many other diverse guests daily, to get the latest from the U.S. and the Vatican on topics regarding our Catholic faith and interests. ------------- EWTN News Nightly airs on EWTN weekdays at 6pm & 9pm ET. ------------ Don't miss an episode of EWTN New Nightly. Get updates here: https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/ewtn-news-nightly ------------- Sign up today to receive the EWTN News Nightly newsletter: https://www.ewtn.com/enn ------------- Follow EWTN News Nightly on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewtnnewsnightly Twitter: https://twitter.com/EWTNNewsNightly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewtnnewsnightly/ ------------- Subscribe to EWTN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/EWTN ------------- You can support the EWTN News mission: https://bit.ly/3qDR1qf

Topics

• Bible Study