Thomas Jefferson and Religion

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States, and the author of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was a half a dozen people rolled into one, and his world was one of the most spacious that a normal man ever lived1 I will not try to speculate on anything about Jefferson himself, but rather to examine his propensity to the bible and to religion, and some of its consequences on the country. Thomas Jefferson may be the man who has had the most articles written about him ever, but this is perhaps not surprising considering that his character was so diverse that it seems there is always something new to investigate. Like the description of Henry Adams, A few broad strokes of the brush would paint the portraits of all the early Presidents with this exception, and a few more strokes would answer for any member of their many cabinets; but Jefferson could be painted only touch by touch, with a fine pencil, and the perfection of the likeness depended upon the shifting and uncertain flicker of its semi-transparent shadows."2 In this paper I will review Jeffersons political life, his personality and I will focus on Jeffersons relationship with religion and the bible.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Thomas Jefferson was born in Shadwell, Virginia in April 1743. His father, Peter Jefferson, wasnt born an aristocrat, but was a respected man in their hometown, and Jeffersons mother, Jane Randolph, was born into a very respected family. At the age of 5, Jefferson began education, and at the age of 9 was already studying Greek and Latin.

Weymouth, Lally. Thomas Jefferson, The man, His world, His Influence. First ed. New York, NY: G.P Putnam's Sons, 1973. Print. 9.
2

Adams, Henry. History of the United States of America, Volume 1. N.p.: C. Scribner's Sons, 1889. Print. 9.

At the age of 17, Jefferson began attending the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, where a Scottish professor named William Small became perhaps the man who influenced young Jefferson most with respect to religion and the bible. After graduating college in 1762, started Jefferson law school and in 1767 was admitted to the Virginia bar.3 In 1769, when he was 26, he started to represent Albemarle County in the Virginia House of Burgesses, a role he held until 1775. Following the passage of the Intolerable Acts by the British Parliament in 1774, Jefferson wrote a set of resolutions against the acts that was later called A summary view of the rights of British America. These writings were considered revolutionary, since therein Jefferson expressed his belief that people had the right to govern themselves.4 In June 1776, Jefferson was appointed to the five-man committee to write a declaration in support of the revolution. The other committee members changed almost nothing from Jeffersons first draft and therefore it can be stated that the Declaration of Independence is effectively the creation of Thomas Jefferson.5 This document, considered to be one of the most important in the history of mankind, and a showcase of the genius of its author, marked for the first time in history a foundation for a nation based on human rights, and the right of the individual to criticize government. Within the same year, Jefferson returned to Virginia to start working on corrections to the state constitution, a major one of them being the freedom of religion, a law that was approved only in 1786, when Jefferson was serving as a U.S. ambassador in France.

Peterson, Merrill. Thomas Jefferson and the New Ntaion. USA: Oxford UP, 1986. Print.8-19.

Ibid. 69-96. Ibid. 97-165.

In 1796, Jefferson was nominated as the Republican candidate to presidency, actually against his will. John Adams, his opponent, won and Jefferson instead became the Vice President, a position he convinced himself to run for in order to change policy.6 In the elections of 1800, Jefferson won against Adams. In his first period of time as President Jefferson mostly dealt with the Louisiana and St. Louis crises, and in his second half of presidency, Jefferson started an embargo on Britain following humiliating acts from Britain towards America. When Jefferson retired from presidency, the American democracy was a solid and unshakable fact: freedom of the press, freedom of religion, federal-states relationships, etc. The Jefferson presidency can be defined as a second revolution, a democratic and silent one.7

Jefferson and the freedom of religion Thomas Jeffersons main principle on religious matters was the principle of freedom of religion and conscience. Freedoms of the individual and society are a central theme in the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was also known for the establishment clause, which was first enacted in Virginia and later on was transferred to the rest of the states. The establishment clause was meant to create a separation between state and religion and because of it Jefferson was considered to be the father of separating state from religion. 8 Another conclusion from the freedom of religion was the separation of the school system from the church, what later brought him to establish the University of Virginia.

Ibid. 165-195 Ibid. 295-385.

Julian Boyd and Charles Cullen (eds.) (1990). The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 24 vols. Princeton, N.J. 1:413-433

Jefferson was very careful about announcing his religious views in public, careful to the extent that we can say that the freedom of religion was the only religious principle Jefferson supported in public.9 In his autobiography, Jefferson tells about the birth of the freedom of religion and mentions that this kind of a change in the status of religion couldnt happen in a short period of time and instead occurred slowly and over years.10 "...I proposed the demolition of the church establishment, and the freedom of religion. It could only be done by degrees; ... I prepared the act for religious freedom in 1777, as part of the revisal, which was not reported to the Assembly till 1779, and that particular law not passed till 1785, and then by the efforts of Mr. Madison."

We can also see the letter he sent to Madison, while he was in France, a letter that emphasizes the importance of the approval for Jefferson: "The Virginia act for religious freedom has been received with infinite approbation in Europe, and propagated with enthusiasm...In fact, it is comfortable to see the human mind has been held in vassalage by kings, priests, and nobles; and it is honorable for us, to have produced the first legislature who had the courage to declare, that the reason of man may be trusted with the formation of his opinions."

In his book Notes on Virginia, Jefferson discusses the issue of freedom of religion. He describes the religious laws in Virginia during the 18th century and criticizes the religious coercion of this time. Jefferson talks about the beliefs of Jesus Christ in the intelligence of mankind. He criticizes rulers and institutions that made religion their own property, and sees religious coercion as an evil thing that hurts human rights severely.11

Dumas Malone (1981). Jefferson and His Time. 6 vols. 6:499; Peterson. The Jefferson Image in the American Mind. 391
10

Thomas Jefferson. Autobiography. In God We Trust. 120. Thomas Jefferson (1783). Notes on Virginia. In Cousins. In God We Trust. 121-124.

11

Jeffersons religion views in public Jefferson was very careful about revealing his religious views in public, same as was his policy regarding other personal views. As a matter of fact, the fact that Jefferson, who wrote so many letters, never published a letter to the press serves as proof of how careful he was about revealing his religious views. In his letter to Thomas Leiper, around the end of his presidency, after Leiper asked Jefferson about his religious views, Jefferson answered that this matter was to be discussed between him and his God, and they should refrain from discussions outside of politics, a field in which they could both understand each other. In one of his letters to his "adoptive son," William Short, we can see how much the hiding of his religious views is an important matter to him.

"Your favor of March the 27th is received, and as you request, a copy of the syllabus is now enclosed. It was originally written to Dr. Rush. On his death, fearing that the inquisition of the public might get hold of it, I asked the return of it from the family, which they kindly complied with. At the request of another friend, I had given him a copy. He lent it to his friend to read, who copied it, and in a few months it appeared in the Theological Magazine of London. Happily that repository is scarcely known in this country, and the syllabus, therefore, is still a secret, and in your hands I am sure it will continue so."

Also in a letter to Timothy Pickering, who was a political rival of Jefferson, he repeats the point that his religious views are a matter between him and his God, and not an issue he had any interest in discussing with the public. In another letter to James Smith, Jefferson writes about his wish to keep his privacy about his religious views. Smith asked him to support Unitarianism, and Jefferson, who also did not believe in the trinity, was again careful to refrain from supporting any religious group. ..I write with freedom, because, while I claim a right to believe in one God, or so my reason tells me, I yield as freely to others that of believing in three. Both religions, I find, make honest men, and that is the only point society has right to look to. Although this mutual freedom should produce mutual indulgence, yet I wish not to be brought in question before the public on this or any other subject, and I pray you to consider me as writing under that trust. I take no part in controversies, religious or political. At the age of eighty, tranquility is the greatest good of life, and

the strongest of our desires that of dying in the good will of all mankind. And with the assurance of all my good will to Unitarian and Trinitarian, to Whig and Tory, accept for yourself that of my entire respect."

Thomas Jefferson and Christianity Even though Jefferson was careful not to discuss his religious views in public, his private letters give us a pretty clear picture of his religious beliefs. If I had to pick an example of a deist, I would pick Thomas Jefferson, as he talks about the belief in one God, and he scorns the idea of the Holy Trinity. He believes that Human intelligence and logic are the superior judge and does not consider the bible to be a source of authority. In a letter to Peter Carr from 1787, Jefferson encourages him to investigate and study religion, and not to fear harsh conclusions, even if the conclusion that would be reached is that there is no God. "...Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it ends in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others, which it will produce you. If you find reason to believe there is a God a consciousness that you are acting under his eye,...you will be comforted by a belief of his aid and love..."

Jefferson did not discuss his beliefs and kept a good relationship with Evangelical groups. In a letter to Joseph Priestly, Jefferson discusses his opinion on Evangelicalism, stating that Christianity is the superior religion, but also the most corrupted one. In this letter he also stated that Priestleys enemies were Lilliputians upon Gulliver and that America was based on science and honesty. Jefferson despised religious institutions and, after being called an atheist, he answered Mrs. Harrison Smith with a letter saying that there would never been an infidel, if there had never been a priest "...But this does not satisfy the priesthood. They must have a positive, a declared assent to all their interested absurdities. My opinion is that there would never been an infidel, if there had never been a priest. The artificial structures they have built on the purest of all moral systems, for the purpose of deriving from it pence and power, revolts those who think for themselves, and who read in that system only what is really there. These, therefore, they brand with such nick-names as their enmity chooses gratuitously to impute."

It seems that Jefferson believed that the church created the term atheist, an idea that is derived from deism, which proposes that all men are born believing creatures, and if not for becoming confused by others all people would believe in one God and furthermore would uphold ethical standards.12 As already discussed, Jefferson never stated these beliefs in public. However, it still appears that there is no other conclusion with respect to his beliefs. In his letter to Thomas Law we can see what Jefferson felt about deism. "...To these might be added Lord Kaims, one of the ablest of our advocates, who goes far as to say, in his Principles of Nature Religion, that a man owes no duty to which he is not urged by some impulsive feeling.... Perhaps I may misquote him, it being fifty years since I read his book.

Thomas Jeffersons bible Jeffersons view of the history of religion, very simply, was that the ancient Hebrews believed in one God, but their deism was completely twisted since it was very primitive. He believed that the Jewish traditions were primitive and had nothing to do with morality. He believed that Jesus based a better and more moral religion over Judaism or over any moral philosophy at the time. He believed that after Jesus death, his students wrote his life story and his doctrine in a twisted way. Specifically, they presented Jesus as non-human, as a God or the Son of God and they enveloped his life story with miracles. He claimed that even with that, you can still feel the Moral force of Jesus bible. Jefferson said that over 300 years, the Christian institutions managed somehow to twist Christianity totally and to make a religion of war and coercion. With these views, Jeffersons conclusion was obvious: the New Testament, the reform to the Jewish Old Testament, had to be rewritten to include Jesus superior beliefs. Jefferson didnt think himself the right person for the job and asked Benjamin Rash and later Joseph Priestly to do the job. Both did not agree, and eventually, one decade later, Jefferson rewrote the New Testament. He combined the

Hellenbrand, Harold. The Unfinished Revolution. Education and Politics in the Thought of Thomas Jefferson . 1965. Newark. Print 68-94.

four evangelists into one story about Jesus lifestyle and he eliminated all miracle stories about Jesus in their entirety. What remained was Jesus life story until his death, and his doctrine, as it was perceived from his homiletics. Jefferson wrote the New Testament in three nights, and tried to preserve the form of English used in the Old Testament. He was very careful about publishing the book since he was afraid of the publics opinion. In January 1815, in a letter to Charles Clay, Jefferson admits that he rewrote the bible, but he mentions that he would never publish it. A year later, Jefferson talks about the way he rewrote the bible, and about its advantages. At the same time he states that he is a loyal Christian and those who slandered him, claiming he was an atheist, were not truly Christians. All that is in his letter to Charles Thomason: I, too, have made a wee-little book from the same materials, which I call the Philosophy of Jesus; it is a paradigms of his doctrines, made by cutting the texts out of the book, and arranging them on the pages of a blank book, in a certain order of time or subject. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus, very different from the Platonists, who call me infidel and themselves Christians and preachers of the gospel, while they draw all their characteristic dogmas from what its author never said nor saw. They have compounded from the heathen mysteries a system beyond the comprehension of man, of which the great reformer of the vicious ethics and deism of the Jews, were he to return on earth, would not recognize one feature. Also in 1816, Jefferson writes to his friend, Judge Von Der-Kemp, telling him about his writings. He tells him that there was a work of a night or two while he was in Washington busy with other things, and that he plans on going back and examining his work. The name of the associated text is "The Philosophy of Jesus Extracted from the Text of the Evangelists." Now, writes Jefferson, is the time to add Jesus life story in human form, a straightforward task. Jefferson was happy that Van-Der-Kemp was willing to take the task on himself and offered him to collaborate so that they both could finally reveal the truth and meaning of Jesus doctrine. Jefferson had one condition, which was that his name would not appear on the text in any way. Eventually, Jefferson wrote it himself and named it The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth

This book is actually different from the New Testament: as its name describes, it includes details about Jesus life, the way Jefferson understood from the bible, and Jesus sayings and doctrine. Excluded from the book are miracles, the trinity, or ideas about a messiah. In his letters to Joseph Priestly and Benjamin Rush, in 1803, Jefferson wrote about the major points of his beliefs:

1. The greatest philosophers of these times were excellent in cultivating one's moral obligations to himself, but they almost ignored the duties of man towards his surroundings. Although they have talked about patriotism, justice, etc., they almost never speak about altruism, generosity, kindness and goodhearted nature. 2. The Jews believed in Deism, meaning they believed in one God. Jews were viewed as amoral and as having no social relation to other people, and their religion had to be reformed. 3. In this situation, Jesus appeared. It is not clear who his parents were. He grew up in poverty and privation, without formal education, but he became who he was by his noble qualities. 4. Like Socrates and Epictetus, he didnt write anything by himself, but had none to write his words. 5. At the age of 33 he fell victim to the altar and the throne, before he could fully develop his moral doctrine. 6. In addition to his early death, and thus lack of time, his believers corrupted his doctrine after his death. In it they have inserted mystical elements into his sayings and they convinced Christians to believe that Jesus was the messiah. 7. Thanks to his moral strength, he superseded the Jewish Torah (the first five books of the Jewish bible). The religion of Jesus could cross borders and nationalities, and eventually became a universal religion. 8. The Jewish philosophy is based on commandments. Jesus changed the philosophy center for thought, especially with respect to emotion. 9. Among other things, he developed belief in the afterlife, which Judaism didnt believe in.

Jeffersons views about the Old Testament John Adams was one of the only lucky men with whom Jefferson shared his beliefs. Around his plan to rewrite the bible, in 1813, he wrote to Adams and explained to him his thoughts about the Old Testament. Jefferson himself was clearly not proficient in Judaism and he adopted the opinion of an anti-Semitic Christian, whom he quotes. The text distorts the historical and moral character of the Jewish people in a disturbing way. . Jefferson's attitude toward the Jewish Bible and the tradition of Israel in general is held in contempt and loathing. To compare the morals of the Old, with those of the New Testament, would require an attentive study of the former, a search through all its books for its precepts, and through all its history for its practices, and the principles they prove. As commentaries, too, on these, the philosophy of the Hebrews must be inquired Into their Mishna, their Gemara, Cabbala, Jezirah, Sohar, Corsi, and their Talmud, must be examined and understood, in order to do them filll justice. Brucker, it would seem, has gone deeply into these repositories of their ethics, and Enfield, his epitomizer, concludes in these words: "Ethics were so little understood among the Jews, that in their whole complication called the Talmud, there is only one treatise on moral subjects. Their books of morals chiefly consisted in a minute enumeration of duties. From the law of Moses were deduced six hundred and thirteen precepts, which were divided into two classes, affirmative and negative, two hundred and forty-eight in the former and three hundred and sixty-five in the latter. It may serve to give the reader some idea of the low state of moral philosophy among the Jews in the middle age, to add that of the two hundred and forty eight affirmative precepts, only three were considered as obligatory upon women, and that in order to obtain salvation, it was judged sufficient to fulfill any one single law in the hour of death; the observance of the rest being deemed necessary, only to increase the felicity of the future life. What a wretched depravity of sentiment and manners must have prevailed, before such corrupt maxims could have obtained credit! It is impossible to collect from these writings a consistent series of moral doctrine." Enfield, B. 4, Chap. 3. It was the reformation of this "wretched depravity" of morals which Jesus undertook..."

In his letter to William Short from 1820, Jefferson describes what exactly Jesus reform to Moses bible was, and again he treats the Jewish Bible with contempt and loathing. ". ..his (Jesus) object was the reformation of some articles in the religion of the Jews, as taught by Moses. That sect had presented for the object of their worship, a being of terrific character, cruel, vindictive, capricious, and unjust. Jesus, taking for his type the best qualities of the human head and heart, wisdom, justice, goodness, and adding to them power, ascribed all of these, but in infinite perfection, to the Supreme Being, and formed him really worthy of their adoration... Moses had bound the Jews to many idle ceremonies, mummeries, and observances of no effect towards

producing the social utilities, which constitute the essence of virtue... The one (Moses) instilled into his people the most anti-social spirit toward other nations... Jesus had to walk on the perilous confines of reason and religion; and a step to right or left might place him within the grasp of the priests of the superstition, a blood-thirsty race, as cruel and remorseless as the being whom they represented as the family God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, and the local God of Israel..."

Conclusion If education were considered a religion, Thomas Jefferson would probably have been one of its main prophets. Thomas Jefferson believed in one God, a creator of the world and of man. He believed that men should strive to be moral. He truly believed that in this matter he was Jesus loyal student and this was the only true meaning of Christianity. Considering this, one can say that Thomas Jefferson considered himself a Christian. Regarding the criticism about regular Christianity Jefferson was similar to other deist or atheist philosophers. Including his criticism on the New and Old Testaments. Jefferson must be credited with being the first through several of his achievements. He was the first to take the ideas of freedom of religion and turn them into reality. His ideas werent anything new, but he was the first to turn these ideas into actions. Freedom of religion in Virginia was a precedent set by Jefferson, same as for the Declaration of Independence. These precedents have become the basis for all western cultures up until the present. Jefferson realized a religious basis in the U.S.: Christianity and the bible, not from the standpoint that Christianity is the one true religion, but from the belief that there is a God, and understanding that the U.S. is a Christian nation. Jefferson didnt strive to rip of religion from the American nation and culture; rather the opposite is true, as Jefferson saw the rewriting of the bible as an important thing to the basis of Americas religious-cultural framework. As far as Jeffersons personality, Jefferson preferred to keep his opinions to himself, especially whenever they reached beyond the consensus. This fact helps serve to define the borders of consensus during his time.

In the first decades of the 19th century, American society became more religiously strict.13 This is true especially of people from the lower classes, and also of some of the higher classes. Nonetheless its important to mention that the principles of freedom of religion and the separation of church from state grew stronger. Perhaps its reasonable to say that these principles became stronger when specifying that this belief stayed within the borders of the Christianity. Furthermore, its possible to say that the only thing that defines the borders of Christianity at the beginning of the U.S. is the acceptance of the bible, both Old and New Testaments. When we look at the continuous historical development of the U.S., we see that the American public connection to the bible remained on average significantly more meaningful than in Britain, France and other western democracies. What made Jefferson a symbol of Americanism even though he was not a war hero, and even though he was constantly accused of being an atheist? Supposedly, Jefferson symbolizes the birth of the revolution and the birth of a nation, but in fact it turns out that Jefferson symbolizes much more than a revolution. He symbolizes the ability to remove old and insert the new gradually. Like a gardener, being very careful not to damage the roots of religion, he cultivated the plant of freedom and progress.

13

Kerber, Linda. . Federalists in Dissent: Images and Ideology in Jeffersonian America, 1970 .Ithaca.

Reference Adams, Henry. History of the United States of America, Volume 1. N.p.: C. Scribner's Sons, 1889. Print. 9.. Boyd, Julian and Cullen, Charles . The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 24 vols. Princeton, N.J.1990. Commager, Henry , "Jefferson and the Enlightenment," in Lally Weymouth, ed., Thomas Jefferson; The Man, His World, His Influence (New York: G. P. Putnamt.1973. 39-67. Hackett Fischer, Daivd. The Revolution of American Conservatism: The Federalist Party in the Era of Jeffersonian Democracy. N.p.: U Of Chicago, 1965. Print Hellenbrand, Harold. The Unfinished Revolution. Education and Politics in the Thought of Thomas Jefferson. 1965. Newark. Print Jefferson, Thomas. "Autobiography", in Cousins. In God We Truast. Jefferson, Thomas. Notes on Virginia, in Cousins. In God We Truast.1743. Kerber, Linda K. Federalists in Dissent: Imagery and Ideology in Jeffersonian America. Cornell U.1970.13. Peterson, Merrill D. The Jefferson Image in the American Mind. [Virginia ed. Charlottesville, Va.: U of Virginia, 1998. page nr. Print. Peterson, Merrill. Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation. USA: Oxford UP, 1986. Print. Weymouth, Lally. Thomas Jefferson, The man, His world, His Influence. 1thed. New York, NY: G.P Putnam's Sons, 1973. Print. 9.

Thomas Jefferson Letters THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Benjamin Rush. April 21, 1803. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to John Adams. June 15, 1813. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to John Adams, Aug. 22, 1813. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Charles Clay, Jan. 29, 1815. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Van Der Kemp, April 25, 1816 THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Mrs. Harrison Smith, Aug. 6, 1816. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Joseph Priestley. Jan. 27, 1800. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Peter Can-, Aug. 10, 1787. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Joseph Priestly, March 21, 1801. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Thomas Cooper, Aug. 14, 1820. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to William Short, April 13, 1820. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Thomas Leiper, Jan. 21, 1809. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to James Fishback, Sep. 27, 1809. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to William Canby, Sep. 18, 1813. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Mrs. Harrison Smith, Aug. 6, 1816.

THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Joshef Priestly, March 21, 1801. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Benjamin Rush, April 21, 1803. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to the Rev. Charles Clay, Jan. 29, 1815 THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Benjamin Waterhouse, July 19,1822. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Thomas Law, June 13, 1814. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Van Der Kemp. April 25, 1816. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Peter Carr, Aug. 10, 1787. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to William Short, Oct. 31, 1819. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Joseph Priestley, April 9, 1803. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to John Adams, Oct. 13, 1813. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to William Short, Aug. 4, 1820. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Charles Thomson. Jan. 9, 1816 THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Madison. Dec. 16, 1786. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Thomas Leiper, Jan. 21, 1809. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to William Short. April 13, 1820. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Timothy Pickering. Feb. 27, 1821. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to James Smith. Dec. 8, 1822. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Joseph Priestley, March 21, 1801. THOMAS JEFFERSON. to Thomas Cooper, Aug. 14, 1820.