Thomas Jefferson and Christianity
Ben O.
Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of America, as well as an enlightenment thinker. Commonly regarded as a Deist proponent of a completely rational religion, Jefferson himself was loathe to publicly express his opinion on religion during his life. Three documents that address the topic of Thomas Jefferson's views on religion are his Syllabus, Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, and his letter April of 1803 letter to Benjamin Rush.
The Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom is a law enacted in Virginia and authored by Thomas Jefferson that established religious freedom in the state of Virginia. It open with Jefferson's view that all men are free, and it is paramount that they be allowed to practice their religious views unmolested or coerced by the state or any other man. From there he goes on to codify that no man can be forced into any kind of religious interaction and that religious freedom is a natural right, such that any law enacted after this law cannot change to infringe upon that right.
In Jefferson's letter to Benjamin Rush, the subject of discussion at hand is Jefferson's thoughts about christianity. To Rush, he says that, unlike his detractors say, he does not hold any anti-Christian sentiment, and in fact identifies as a Christian. “I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other.” (Letter to Benjamin Rush) Jefferson says in his letter that he believes Christ to be a perfect man, and not to have claimed anything more. He wants to compare the doctrines of Jesus to philosophers and to accomplish this he created a syllabus. The letter closes with Jefferson saying that he doesn't want his personal views released to the public lest they be misunderstood, or he have some undue influence over the opinions of another man.
The Syllabus is Jefferson's comparison of Jesus to the great philosophers, as well an examination of the doctrines that he taught. Jefferson thought that Jesus thought radically differently than the Jews, who he regarded as being highly immoral, saying “Their system was Deism; that is, the belief of only one God. But their ideas of him & of his attributes were degrading & injurious.” (Syllabus Par. 5). He thought that they had gotten the idea of God right, but ruined it in their interpretation. This was then fixed when Jesus came along. Also in this document Jefferson shows his regard for the Doctrines of Jesus as being the best moral system.
Tim H. Blessing in the essay “Revolution by Other Means: Jefferson, the Jefferson Bible, and Jesus” that the common view of Jefferson as a completely rational Deist, devoted to the natural religion is not necessarily an accurate representation of the man. “His tolerance, his deism, his belief in a rational approach to religion ate writ large in accepted history...Devils in the details of Jefferson's religious beliefs and accepted texts of his beliefs must, in some instances be tinted and footnoted.” (26) That is to say that yes, while Jefferson was indeed a man of the enlightenment and a champion of rational thought, there were aspects of his writings that show a man that has some faith in something beyond that.
One thing that is important to note is that Jefferson identified as a Christian, rather than a deist or some believer in the natural religion. In his letter to Benjamin Rush he says, “I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other.” This passage also shows Jeffersons immense respect for Jesus as a philosophical, and deeply human person.
One of Jefferson's more noted works regarding religion is the Jefferson Bible. This was a document where in Jefferson physically carved up a bible, removing the portions that he regarded as false and keeping what he thought was the truth. According to Blessing this was “a variation (albeit with a considerable twist) of a Gospel harmony; that is, an attempt to create a text that takes the four gospels...to create a harmonious single gospel.”(34) This is an excellent lens through which to view Jefferson's relation with Christianity. He took what to him seemed like pollutions and corruptions of Jesus's essential teachings and simply cut them away as evidenced in the documents. In the Syllabus he says, “They have been still more disfigured by the corruptions of schismatising followers, who have found an interest in sophisticating & perverting the simple doctrines he taught by engrafting on them the mysticism of a Grecian sophist, frittering them into subleties, & obscuring them with jargon, until they have caused good men to reject the whole in disgust, & to view jesus himself as an impostor.” (Par. 13). In his letter to Benjamin Rush he says something similar, “To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself.”
Another large piece of understanding Thomas Jefferson's religious thought is that he had the ultimate respect for Jesus as a teacher and for his moral guidance, with out ascribing to him the status of God. In his Syllabus he says, “His parentage was obscure; his condition poor; his education null; his natural endowments great; his life correct and innocent: he was meek, benevolent, patient, firm, disinterested, & of the sublimest eloquence.”(Par. 7) This is not a man descibing God just a particularly exemplary man. Indeed, Jefferson says of Jesus's death at the age of 33 that he was dead to early and that his reason had “not yet attained the maximum of it's energy”(Par. 11) If Jesus was God than what reasoning is there to do? He is instead a man about who Jefferson says, “a system of morals is presented to us, which, if filled up in the style and spirit of the rich fragments he left us, would be the most perfect and sublime that has ever been taught by man.” (Syllabus Par. 14)
Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of America, as well as an enlightenment thinker. Commonly regarded as a Deist proponent of a completely rational religion, Jefferson himself was loathe to publicly express his opinion on religion during his life. Three documents that address the topic of Thomas Jefferson's views on religion are his Syllabus, Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, and his letter April of 1803 letter to Benjamin Rush.
The Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom is a law enacted in Virginia and authored by Thomas Jefferson that established religious freedom in the state of Virginia. It open with Jefferson's view that all men are free, and it is paramount that they be allowed to practice their religious views unmolested or coerced by the state or any other man. From there he goes on to codify that no man can be forced into any kind of religious interaction and that religious freedom is a natural right, such that any law enacted after this law cannot change to infringe upon that right.
In Jefferson's letter to Benjamin Rush, the subject of discussion at hand is Jefferson's thoughts about christianity. To Rush, he says that, unlike his detractors say, he does not hold any anti-Christian sentiment, and in fact identifies as a Christian. “I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other.” (Letter to Benjamin Rush) Jefferson says in his letter that he believes Christ to be a perfect man, and not to have claimed anything more. He wants to compare the doctrines of Jesus to philosophers and to accomplish this he created a syllabus. The letter closes with Jefferson saying that he doesn't want his personal views released to the public lest they be misunderstood, or he have some undue influence over the opinions of another man.
The Syllabus is Jefferson's comparison of Jesus to the great philosophers, as well an examination of the doctrines that he taught. Jefferson thought that Jesus thought radically differently than the Jews, who he regarded as being highly immoral, saying “Their system was Deism; that is, the belief of only one God. But their ideas of him & of his attributes were degrading & injurious.” (Syllabus Par. 5). He thought that they had gotten the idea of God right, but ruined it in their interpretation. This was then fixed when Jesus came along. Also in this document Jefferson shows his regard for the Doctrines of Jesus as being the best moral system.
Tim H. Blessing in the essay “Revolution by Other Means: Jefferson, the Jefferson Bible, and Jesus” that the common view of Jefferson as a completely rational Deist, devoted to the natural religion is not necessarily an accurate representation of the man. “His tolerance, his deism, his belief in a rational approach to religion ate writ large in accepted history...Devils in the details of Jefferson's religious beliefs and accepted texts of his beliefs must, in some instances be tinted and footnoted.” (26) That is to say that yes, while Jefferson was indeed a man of the enlightenment and a champion of rational thought, there were aspects of his writings that show a man that has some faith in something beyond that.
One thing that is important to note is that Jefferson identified as a Christian, rather than a deist or some believer in the natural religion. In his letter to Benjamin Rush he says, “I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished anyone to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other.” This passage also shows Jeffersons immense respect for Jesus as a philosophical, and deeply human person.
One of Jefferson's more noted works regarding religion is the Jefferson Bible. This was a document where in Jefferson physically carved up a bible, removing the portions that he regarded as false and keeping what he thought was the truth. According to Blessing this was “a variation (albeit with a considerable twist) of a Gospel harmony; that is, an attempt to create a text that takes the four gospels...to create a harmonious single gospel.”(34) This is an excellent lens through which to view Jefferson's relation with Christianity. He took what to him seemed like pollutions and corruptions of Jesus's essential teachings and simply cut them away as evidenced in the documents. In the Syllabus he says, “They have been still more disfigured by the corruptions of schismatising followers, who have found an interest in sophisticating & perverting the simple doctrines he taught by engrafting on them the mysticism of a Grecian sophist, frittering them into subleties, & obscuring them with jargon, until they have caused good men to reject the whole in disgust, & to view jesus himself as an impostor.” (Par. 13). In his letter to Benjamin Rush he says something similar, “To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself.”
Another large piece of understanding Thomas Jefferson's religious thought is that he had the ultimate respect for Jesus as a teacher and for his moral guidance, with out ascribing to him the status of God. In his Syllabus he says, “His parentage was obscure; his condition poor; his education null; his natural endowments great; his life correct and innocent: he was meek, benevolent, patient, firm, disinterested, & of the sublimest eloquence.”(Par. 7) This is not a man descibing God just a particularly exemplary man. Indeed, Jefferson says of Jesus's death at the age of 33 that he was dead to early and that his reason had “not yet attained the maximum of it's energy”(Par. 11) If Jesus was God than what reasoning is there to do? He is instead a man about who Jefferson says, “a system of morals is presented to us, which, if filled up in the style and spirit of the rich fragments he left us, would be the most perfect and sublime that has ever been taught by man.” (Syllabus Par. 14)
Thomas Jefferson: Deism and Jesus
Jerome J.
Thomas Jefferson was one of the most outspoken commentators on the subject of religious freedom amongst the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an extremely active writer throughout his life, and much of these writings focus on the subject of religion and its relationship to the realm of civil life and liberties. One of the greatest accomplishments that he wished to be remembered by was his drafting of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedoms. In this document, he argues that all men should be free to express their religious ideals and opinions through argument and rational discourse, and that this freedom should in no way diminish or enhance a person’s civil capacities (Statute, par. 2). In addition to his commentary on religion’s connection to the civic world, Jefferson wrote several letters detailing his personal views on Christianity and other religions. Jefferson has been widely defined as Deist; he believed in the one creator God and placed a high importance on the ability of human reason and rationality in discovering the truths about natural religion. In his letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Jefferson combats attacking claims of anti-Christianity and asserts that he himself is a Christian. In the Syllabus he attaches to the letter to Rush, Jefferson expands upon several of his religious views. The main argument of his syllabus is that Jesus was in fact a great man, and founded a system of morals superior to all others (Syllabus, par. 17). These three documents essentially offer a snapshot of Thomas Jefferson’s Deist views on religion, at both a personal and public level.
In his essay, “Revolution by Other Means: Jefferson, the Jefferson Bible, and Jesus”, Tim H. Blessing analyzes the creation and content of the Jefferson Bible and proposes several challenges to the traditional modern view of Thomas Jefferson’s theology. As was mentioned before, Jefferson is well known for being a prime example of a late enlightenment Deist. Blessing describes the popular view of Jefferson as "a person whose religious views were based on extremely rational approaches to religion - a sort of religion with all the energy of the mystical and the unknown drained away and only philosophy and reason left" (34). Thomas Jefferson no doubt fit such a description in his approach on religion. On the other hand, this outlook, as Blessing argues, offers only a limited understanding of Jefferson’s faith and understanding of God and Jesus. He argues that Jefferson’s Bible “was not the simple product of a deist eliminating whatever seemed mystical , but the outpouring of something far stronger - An almost fanatical dedication to the 'pure doctrines' of Jesus of Nazareth" (38). While Blessing centers the foundation of his argument upon the Jefferson Bible, a close examination of Jefferson’s letter also supports the idea that Jefferson was not a deist focused solely on eliminating everything mystical; rather, he saw himself as Christian striving towards the unadulterated teachings and doctrines of Jesus.
The clearest example of Jefferson’s dedication to the true teachings of Jesus is seen in a plain statement of faith in his letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush. "I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all other; ascribing himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other" (Letter to Benjamin Rush). This proclamation coincides quite well with Blessings assertion of a faith that was deeper than simple demystification; Jefferson did not hold Jesus to a divine status, but he did elevate Jesus to be one of the most excellent and wise humans to speak on God and morals. He even describes the system of morals taught by Jesus as “the most perfect and sublime that has ever been taught by man” (Syllabus, par. 14). Jefferson truly believed in many of the foundational tenants of the Christian faith. Statements such as this illustrate that he was primarily concerned with identifying and following closely the doctrines of Jesus. Anything added by men – whether it was through the unintentional error of his early “unlettered” followers (Syllabus par. 10) or by intentional sophistication and perversion by later Christians (par. 13) – was incorrectly ascribed to Jesus and must be deleted. His deist disposition clearly guided him in demystifying Jesus, but his faith went deeper than that. His primary focus was a zealous devotion to the moral system taught by the most-wise human figure in history.
Another commonly held belief that Blessing combats in his essay is the notion that Jefferson saw every aspect of Christianity as needing to be demystified and rationalized. Through examination of the Jefferson Bible, he suggests that Jefferson did in fact believe in several spiritual or potentially “mystical” figures. In his Bible, Jefferson purposefully included selections from Matthew 13, which make reference to the devil, angels, the apocalypse and other spiritual figures (Blessing 33-34). In other words, Blessing argues that Jefferson kept, and strongly believed in, much of the Christian spiritual framework (35). While there are not many explicit examples found in these letters and statutes, there are still phrases and certain uses of language that demonstrate Jefferson’s attachment to the spiritual framework of Christianity. The opening lines of his statute concerning religious freedoms are one such instance. He states “"Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens... tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind..." (Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, par. 1). These descriptions of God as “Almighty,” “Holy author,” and “Lord” are used quite commonly in Christianity and carry obvious spiritual connotations with them. Professing God to be almighty and holy is an apparent acceptance of the spiritual characteristics of God. That Jefferson would use such language (in a government document no less) supports Blessings claim that Thomas Jefferson still clung to the spiritual framework.
Jefferson was clearly a deist who placed rationality and reason at the forefront of his beliefs. Nonetheless, his writings demonstrate that he firmly believed in God the creator on a spiritual level. In addition, he was obsessively devoted to the system of morals taught by Jesus. He attributed no divine or mystical qualities to Jesus, because he believed that Jesus never ascribed to himself such attributes. Even though he rejected a “mystified Jesus,” Jefferson still held strongly to the spiritual structure of the Christian faith. Thus, caution must always be exercised when using the term “Deist” to define a person’s beliefs. As in the case of Thomas Jefferson, his theology most certainly went deeper than a belief system where the mystical and unknown are simply drained away, leaving only reason and philosophy to remain.
Thomas Jefferson was one of the most outspoken commentators on the subject of religious freedom amongst the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an extremely active writer throughout his life, and much of these writings focus on the subject of religion and its relationship to the realm of civil life and liberties. One of the greatest accomplishments that he wished to be remembered by was his drafting of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedoms. In this document, he argues that all men should be free to express their religious ideals and opinions through argument and rational discourse, and that this freedom should in no way diminish or enhance a person’s civil capacities (Statute, par. 2). In addition to his commentary on religion’s connection to the civic world, Jefferson wrote several letters detailing his personal views on Christianity and other religions. Jefferson has been widely defined as Deist; he believed in the one creator God and placed a high importance on the ability of human reason and rationality in discovering the truths about natural religion. In his letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Jefferson combats attacking claims of anti-Christianity and asserts that he himself is a Christian. In the Syllabus he attaches to the letter to Rush, Jefferson expands upon several of his religious views. The main argument of his syllabus is that Jesus was in fact a great man, and founded a system of morals superior to all others (Syllabus, par. 17). These three documents essentially offer a snapshot of Thomas Jefferson’s Deist views on religion, at both a personal and public level.
In his essay, “Revolution by Other Means: Jefferson, the Jefferson Bible, and Jesus”, Tim H. Blessing analyzes the creation and content of the Jefferson Bible and proposes several challenges to the traditional modern view of Thomas Jefferson’s theology. As was mentioned before, Jefferson is well known for being a prime example of a late enlightenment Deist. Blessing describes the popular view of Jefferson as "a person whose religious views were based on extremely rational approaches to religion - a sort of religion with all the energy of the mystical and the unknown drained away and only philosophy and reason left" (34). Thomas Jefferson no doubt fit such a description in his approach on religion. On the other hand, this outlook, as Blessing argues, offers only a limited understanding of Jefferson’s faith and understanding of God and Jesus. He argues that Jefferson’s Bible “was not the simple product of a deist eliminating whatever seemed mystical , but the outpouring of something far stronger - An almost fanatical dedication to the 'pure doctrines' of Jesus of Nazareth" (38). While Blessing centers the foundation of his argument upon the Jefferson Bible, a close examination of Jefferson’s letter also supports the idea that Jefferson was not a deist focused solely on eliminating everything mystical; rather, he saw himself as Christian striving towards the unadulterated teachings and doctrines of Jesus.
The clearest example of Jefferson’s dedication to the true teachings of Jesus is seen in a plain statement of faith in his letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush. "I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all other; ascribing himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other" (Letter to Benjamin Rush). This proclamation coincides quite well with Blessings assertion of a faith that was deeper than simple demystification; Jefferson did not hold Jesus to a divine status, but he did elevate Jesus to be one of the most excellent and wise humans to speak on God and morals. He even describes the system of morals taught by Jesus as “the most perfect and sublime that has ever been taught by man” (Syllabus, par. 14). Jefferson truly believed in many of the foundational tenants of the Christian faith. Statements such as this illustrate that he was primarily concerned with identifying and following closely the doctrines of Jesus. Anything added by men – whether it was through the unintentional error of his early “unlettered” followers (Syllabus par. 10) or by intentional sophistication and perversion by later Christians (par. 13) – was incorrectly ascribed to Jesus and must be deleted. His deist disposition clearly guided him in demystifying Jesus, but his faith went deeper than that. His primary focus was a zealous devotion to the moral system taught by the most-wise human figure in history.
Another commonly held belief that Blessing combats in his essay is the notion that Jefferson saw every aspect of Christianity as needing to be demystified and rationalized. Through examination of the Jefferson Bible, he suggests that Jefferson did in fact believe in several spiritual or potentially “mystical” figures. In his Bible, Jefferson purposefully included selections from Matthew 13, which make reference to the devil, angels, the apocalypse and other spiritual figures (Blessing 33-34). In other words, Blessing argues that Jefferson kept, and strongly believed in, much of the Christian spiritual framework (35). While there are not many explicit examples found in these letters and statutes, there are still phrases and certain uses of language that demonstrate Jefferson’s attachment to the spiritual framework of Christianity. The opening lines of his statute concerning religious freedoms are one such instance. He states “"Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens... tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind..." (Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom, par. 1). These descriptions of God as “Almighty,” “Holy author,” and “Lord” are used quite commonly in Christianity and carry obvious spiritual connotations with them. Professing God to be almighty and holy is an apparent acceptance of the spiritual characteristics of God. That Jefferson would use such language (in a government document no less) supports Blessings claim that Thomas Jefferson still clung to the spiritual framework.
Jefferson was clearly a deist who placed rationality and reason at the forefront of his beliefs. Nonetheless, his writings demonstrate that he firmly believed in God the creator on a spiritual level. In addition, he was obsessively devoted to the system of morals taught by Jesus. He attributed no divine or mystical qualities to Jesus, because he believed that Jesus never ascribed to himself such attributes. Even though he rejected a “mystified Jesus,” Jefferson still held strongly to the spiritual structure of the Christian faith. Thus, caution must always be exercised when using the term “Deist” to define a person’s beliefs. As in the case of Thomas Jefferson, his theology most certainly went deeper than a belief system where the mystical and unknown are simply drained away, leaving only reason and philosophy to remain.