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Thomas Jefferson Bible Views ThomasJefferson ThomasJefferson(April13,1743-July4,1826)isknowntheworldoverasthe principalauthor,in1776atage33,oftheDeclarationofIndependence;asauthor oftheBillforEstablishingReligiousFreedominstitutingseparationofchurchand stateinVirginia,passedin1786;andasthirdpresidentoftheUnitedStates,1801- 09.AspresidentJeffersoncommissionedtheLewisandClarkexpedition,launched in1803,tomapthevast,unknownterritorynorthwestofSt.Louis;andhenegotiatedand persuadedCongresstofundtheLouisianaPurchasein1803,greatlyincreasingthesizeof theU.S.Healsoprotectedcrucialtradeinterestsofhisyoungnationbymakingwarwith theBarbaryStates,1801-05. Jeffersonheldmanyotherpublicoffices.HewasadelegatetotheHouseofBurgessesin colonialVirginia,1769-76;GovernorofVirginiaduringtheWarforIndependence, 1779-81;forfiveyearsU.S.MinistertoFrance,1785-89,whereheobservedevents leadingtotheFrenchRevolution;thefirstSecretaryofStateunderGeorgeWashington, 1790-93;andVicePresidentunder JohnAdams ,1797-1801. TherangeofJefferson'sgenius—hisinterests,abilitiesandaccomplishments—wouldbe extraordinaryinanyage.Heisfamousforhisgarden,forthepreciseobservationshe madeofhisvariedplantsandforhisinventionswhichincludedthedumb-waiteranda machinethatduplicatedhandwriting.Afterhisretirementfrompolitics,hedevotedmuch timeandenergytofoundingtheUniversityofVirginia,openedtostudentsin1825.A capablearchitect,hedesignedhisplantationhome,Monticello,andtheearlybuildingsof theUniversityofVirginia.Onlyonebookofhisauthorship, NotesonVirginia ,was publishedinhislifetime.Publicationofhislettersalone,however,nottomentionhis statepapers,nowfillmanyvolumes.Hewasthroughouthislonglifeanavidstudentof manyfields.LateinhislifeCongresspurchasedhislibrary,atthattimethelargestinthe country,makingitthecorecollectionofthenewLibraryofCongress.Congress publishedposthumously,in1904,hiscollationofextractsfromtheGospels,nowknown asthe"JeffersonBible." Jefferson'spubliclifewasnotwithoutturmoil,failureandscandal,norwashisprivate lifewithouttragedyandtrouble.Hisbelovedwifediedatayoungage.Fiveofhissix childrendiedprematurely,fourininfancy.Inallhisadultlifehewasneverfreefromthe burdenofseriouslythreateningindebtedness. ThecharacterofJefferson'sreligionisoneofthemostinterestingaspectsofhis intriguinglife.Certainevangelicals,whowerealsohispoliticalopponents,triedvery hardtomakeJefferson'sreligionafactorinelections.Theyfilledthepresswith scurrilousattacksonhis"deistical"beliefs.Hemadeithissteadfastpolicyneverto respondtoanyoftheseattacksor,indeed,tomakeanypublicstatementatallconcerning hisfaith.Ironically,inspiteoftheattacks,evangelicalsflockedtosupportJefferson becausetheyfavoredtheendoftaxsupportforestablishedchurches—whichmeant freedomfortheirindependentchurches—aspassionatelyasdidhe.Todayreligious conservativesportrayJeffersonasasympatheticfigure,unawareofhisreligiousbeliefs, hisunderstandingofreligiousfreedomorhiscriticismsofevangelicalreligiosity. ThesefactsaboutJefferson'sreligionareknown.HewasraisedasanAnglicanand alwaysmaintainedsomeaffiliationwiththeAnglicanChurch.Hewasalsoknownto contributefinancially,infairproportion,toeverydenominationinhistown.Whilea studentatWilliamandMaryCollege,hebegantoreadtheScottishmoralphilosophers andotherauthorswhohadmadethemselvesstudentsofchurchhistory.Thesescholars openedthedoorforJefferson'sinformedcriticismofprevailingreligiousinstitutionsand beliefs.ButitwastheworldrenownedEnglishUnitarianministerandscientist,Joseph Priestley,whohadthemostprofoundimpactonhisthought.AccordingtoPriestley's CorruptionsofChristianity ,publishedin1782,andmanyotherofhisbooks,the teachingsofJesusandhishumancharacterwereobscuredandobfuscatedintheearly Christiancenturies.AstheChurchFathersadaptedChristianitytoMediterranean- primarilyGreek-formsofthought,theycontriveddoctrinesaltogetherforeigntoBiblical thought,suchasthedoctrineoftheTrinity.Jeffersonassumedthatathoroughlyreformed Christianfaith,truetoJesus'teaching,wouldbepurgedofallGreekinfluenceand doctrinalabsurdity. JeffersonneverjoinedaUnitarianchurch.HedidattendUnitarianserviceswhilevisiting withJosephPriestleyafterhisimmigrationtoPennsylvaniaandspokehighlyofthose services.HecorrespondedonreligiousmatterswithnumerousUnitarians,amongthem JaredSparks(Unitarianminister,historianandpresidentofHarvard),ThomasCooper, BenjaminWaterhouseandJohnAdams.Hewasperhapsmostopenconcerninghisown beliefsinhislongexchangeofletterswithJohnAdamsduringtheirlateyears,1812-26. ItisprobablysafetosaythatJeffersonfirstacquiredfromJosephPriestleyfeaturesofhis worldviewandfaithwhichhefoundconfirmedtohissatisfactionbyfurtherthoughtand studyfortherestofhislife.TheseincludedawitheringascornforPlatonicandallforms ofNeoplatonicmetaphysics;afierceloathingofall"priestcraft"whosepractitionershe heldguiltyofdeliberatelyperpetratingranksuperstitionforcenturies,thusmaintaining theirownpower;asereneconvictionthatJesus'moralteachingwasentirelycompatible withnaturallawasitmaybeinferredfromthesciences;andaunitarianviewofJesus. Thesefeaturesareallwellattestedinhisvoluminousprivatecorrespondence. Jefferson'searliestwritingsonreligionexhibitanaturaltheology,aheavyrelianceon reason,andthebeliefthatmoralitycomesnotfromspecialrevelationbutfromcareful attentiontotheinwardmoralsense.InalettertohisnephewPeterCarrin1787,Jefferson advised,"Fixreasonfirmlyinherseat,andcalltohertribunaleveryfact,everyopinion. Questionwithboldnesseventheexistenceofagod." HeconsideredJesustheteacherofasublimeandflawlessethic.Writingin1803tothe Universalistphysician BenjaminRush ,Jeffersonwrote,"Tothecorruptionsof Christianity,Iamindeedopposed;butnottothegenuinepreceptsofJesushimself.Iam aChristian,intheonlysenseinwhichhewishedanyonetobe;sincerelyattachedtohis doctrines,inpreferencetoallothers;ascribingtohimselfeveryhumanexcellence,and believingheneverclaimedanyother." JeffersonfoundtheUnitarianunderstandingofJesuscompatiblewithhisown.In1822he predictedthat"thereisnotayoungmannowlivingintheUSwhowillnotdiean Unitarian."JeffersonrequestedthataUnitarianministerbedispatchedtohisareaof Virginia."MissionariesfromCambridge[thatis:HarvardDivinitySchool]wouldsoon begreetedwithmorewelcome,thanfromthetritheisticalschoolofAndover."Jefferson's christologyisapparentintheseandsimilarletters,andalsoinoneofhismostfamous writings,the"JeffersonBible." OfimmenseappealistheimageofPresidentJefferson,uplateatnightinhisstudyatthe WhiteHouse,usingarazortocutoutlargesegmentsofthefourGospelsandpastingthe partshedecidedtokeepontothepagesofablankbook,purchasedtoreceivethem.This originalprojectof1804,whichhetitled"ThePhilosophyofJesus,"herefinedandgreatly expandedinhislateryears.Thefinalproduct,completedin1820,hecalledthe"Lifeand MoralsofJesusofNazareth,"whichwastheversionCongresspublished.Jefferson's "LifeandMorals"arguesnotheology.ItissimplyhiseditedversionoftheGospels.He literallycutoutthevirginbirth,miraclestories,claimstoJesus'divinityandthe resurrection.SomescholarsbelievehefirstassembledhiscollageofJesus'teachingsfor hisowndevotionaluse.Alatereferencetothe"Indians"whocouldbenefitfromreading it,waslikelydirectedatthosepublicfigures,oftenChristianministers,whohadviciously attackedhisreligiousbeliefswithoutintheleastunderstandingthemor—asJefferson believed—Jesus. ThomasJefferson'sgeniusiseverywhereapparentinhisthirstforandhiscomprehension ofthebestenlightenedphilosophy,history,science,politicaltheory,agricultureand religionofhisage.Tragically,hefailedutterlytoengage,inanysubstantivelypractical waywhatsoever,themassiverealitiesofAmericanracialoppressionandinjustice. Jefferson'swritingsdisplaydeepreservationsaswellasmoralanguishconcerningNegro slavery;yetheneverfreedhisownslaves.Muchattention,inJefferson'stimeandin ours,hasfocusedonhisallegedsexualrelationswithhismixed-raceslave,Sally Hemings,thelightskinnedhalf-sisterofhiswife.ThereisnowcompellingDNA evidencethatJeffersonwasthefatherofatleastoneofHemings'children.Hedidfree twoofHemings'childreninhiswillandHemingswasgivenherfreedomshortly thereafter.ButmillionsofAfricanAmericanshavehadtosuffermanymoredecadesof crueleconomicslavery,evenafterlegalslaverywasendedinthe1860s,becauseofthe common,absurdnotion,whichThomasJeffersonsharedandonlymildlyquestioned,that the"dark"raceswereinferiortothe"white."Moreover,Jefferson'spresidentialremoval policiesprovedhorriblydestructivetoNativeAmericans.TheysetthepatternfortheBill forIndianRemoval,signedbyPresidentJacksonin1830,whosecruelenforcement resultedintheTrailofTearsof1838-39andotheratrocities.Jefferson'sprophetic advancementofhumanlibertyisdeeplytaintedbyhisshamefullegacyinmattersofrace. TheLibraryofCongressholdsthelargestcollectionofJeffersonmanuscripts.Also,theUniversityof VirginiaSpecialCollectionsLibraryhasasizablecollection,theprizeofwhichisJefferson'sarchitectural drawings.TheexhaustivecollectionofJefferson'swritings,JulianBoyd,ed., ThePapersofThomas Jefferson (1950-),hasreached27volumesbuthasonlycoveredJefferson'swritingsupto1793.Twoother multi-volumecollectionsarenotable:PaulLeicesterFord,ed., TheWorksofThomasJefferson (1904-05) andAlbertElleryBergh,ed., TheWritingsofThomasJefferson (1903-04.)Asinglevolumework,Merrill Peterson,ed., ThomasJefferson:Writings (1984)isabrilliantcompilationthatcontainsmostofJefferson's noteworthytexts.Thedefinitiveeditionofthe"JeffersonBible"is Jefferson'sExtractsfromtheGospels , DickinsonAdams,ed.(1983)whichfeaturesanexcellentintroductionbyEugeneSheridanandauseful 100-pageappendixofJefferson'slettersonreligion. TheJeffersonBible (1989)containscommentariesby F.ForresterChurchandJaroslavPelikan. Jeffersonwrotethebeginningofanautobiographyin1821,coveringtheyears1743-90.DumasMalone's six-volume JeffersonandHisTimes (1948-81)istheclassicJeffersonbiography.JosephJ.Ellis,
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