If Abraham Lincoln was Christian

[Cinjin]

I'm pretty sure it started with Greek traditions of burying someone with money for the ferryman that takes you across or along the river Styx to the afterlife.

That's nearly word for word what I wrote in my OP. I wasn't asking what the coins meant. That, I already knew.

I cannot find any historical suggestions that he was buried with coins over his eyes, which leads me to believe that it is just a myth.

In fact, the only thing his wife persisted on in relation to his burial was the location.

I wish I could locate the source, but I definitely recall that the coins being placed over Lincoln's eyes was documented as historical fact. Unfortunately for me, I can't seem to locate the source for even my own verification. I'll keep looking.

It strikes me as odd that a professed Christian president would have such a ritual performed on his corpse

That would probably be news to Lincoln.

My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.
-- Abraham Lincoln, to Judge J S Wakefield

The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession.
-- Abraham Lincoln

There was the strangest combination of church influence against me. Baker is a Campbellite; and therefore, as I suppose with few exceptions, got all of that Church. My wife had some relations in the Presbyterian churches, and some in the Episcopal churches; and therefore, wherever it would tell, I was set down as either one or the other, while it was everywhere contended that no Christian ought to vote for me because I belonged to no Church, and was suspected of being a Deist and had talked of fighting a duel.
-- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Martin M Morris (March 26, 1843)

The custom of placing a coin is Greek but IIRC it was a single coin in the mouth..not one on each eye.

Xtians stole so much they could easily have stolen this idea.

Thank you Minimalist. Always good to have your historical insight. (...and to know that Lincoln's accomplishments can't be attributed to Sky Daddy and the Godboy.)


One further thing Min -
Are you at all aware of how common this practice (coins on eyes) might have been in 19th century America?