aug 4, 1820 - "Moses had bound the Jews to many idle ceremonies, mummeries & observances of no effect towards producing the social utilities which constitute the essence of virtue. Jesus exposed their futility & insignificance. the one instilled into his people the most anti-social spirit towards other nations... -Thomas Jefferson to William Short, 4 August 1820

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There are, I acknowledge, passages not free from objection, which we may with probability ascribe to Jesus himself; but claiming indulgence for the circumstances under which he acted. his object was the reformation of some articles in the religion of the Jews, as taught by Moses. that Seer 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 either not believed in a future state of existence, or had not thought it essential to be explicitly taught to his people. Jesus inculcated that doctrine with emphasis and precision. Moses had bound the Jews to many idle ceremonies, mummeries & observances of no effect towards producing the social utilities which constitute the essence of virtue. Jesus exposed their futility & insignificance. the one instilled into his people the most anti-social spirit towards other nations; the other preached philanthropy & universal charity and benevolence. the office of reformer of the superstitions of a nation is ever dangerous. Jesus had to walk on the perilous confines of reason and religion: and a step to right or left might place him within the gripe of the priests of the superstition, a bloodthirsty race, as cruel and remorseless as the being whom they represented as the family god of Abraham, of Isaac & of Jacob, and the local god of Israel. they were constantly laying snares too to entangle him in the web of the law. he was justifiable therefore in avoiding these by evasions, by sophisms, by misconstructions and misapplications of scraps of the prophets, and in defending himself with these their own weapons as sufficient, ad homines, at least. that Jesus did not mean to impose himself on mankind as the son of god physically speaking I have been convinced by the writings of men more learned than myself in that lore. but that he might conscientiously believe himself inspired from above, is very possible. the whole religion of the Jews, inculcated on him from his infancy, was founded in the belief of divine inspiration. the fumes of the most disordered imaginations were recorded in their religious code, as special communications of the deity; and as it could not but happen that, in the course of ages, events would now and then turn up to which some of these vague rhapsodies might be accomodated by the aid of allegories, figures, types, and other tricks upon words, they have not only preserved their credit with the Jews of all subsequent times, but are the foundation of much of the religions of those who have schismatised from them...

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