The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 6 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 6 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
artificial vestments in which they have been muffled by priests, who
have travestied them into various forms, as instruments of riches and
power to themselves. We must dismiss the Platonists and Plotinists, the
Stagyrites and Gamalielites, the Eclectics, the Gnostics and Scholastics,
their essences and emanations, their Logos and Demiurgos, Æons and
Dæmons, male and female, with a long train of &c. &c. &c., or, shall
I say at once, of nonsense. We must reduce our volume to the simple
evangelists, select, even from them, the very words only of Jesus, paring
off the amphiboligisms into which they have been led, by forgetting
often, or not understanding, what had fallen from him, by giving their
own misconceptions as his dicta, and expressing unintelligibly for
others what they had not understood themselves. There will be found
remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever
been offered to man. I have performed this operation for my own use,
by cutting verse by verse out of the printed book, and arranging the
matter which is evidently his, and which is as easily distinguishable
as diamonds in a dunghill. The result is an octavo of forty-six pages,
of pure and unsophisticated doctrines, such as were professed and
acted on by the _unlettered_ Apostles, the Apostolic Fathers, and the
Christians of the first century. Their Platonising successors, indeed,
in after times, in order to legitimate the corruptions which they had
incorporated into the doctrines of Jesus, found it necessary to disavow
the primitive Christians, who had taken their principles from the mouth
of Jesus himself, of his Apostles, and the Fathers cotemporary with them.
They excommunicated their followers as heretics, branding them with the
opprobrious name of Ebionites or Beggars.
For a comparison of the Grecian philosophy with that of Jesus, materials
might be largely drawn from the same source. Enfield gives a history and
detailed account of the opinions and principles of the different sects.
These relate to the Gods, their natures, grades, places and powers;
the demi-Gods and Dæmons, and their agency with man; the universe, its
structure, extent and duration; the origin of things from the elements of
fire, water, air and earth; the human soul, its essence and derivation;
the _summum bonum_ and _finis bonorum_; with a thousand idle dreams and
fancies on these and other subjects, the knowledge of which is withheld
from man; leaving but a short chapter for his moral duties, and the
principal section of that given to what he owes himself, to precepts
for rendering him impassible, and unassailable by the evils of life,
and for preserving his mind in a state of constant serenity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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