Open AccessThe Fear, Honor, and Love of God: Thomas Jefferson on Jews, Philosophers, and Jesus
Author(s) -
M. Andrew Holowchak
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
forum philosophicum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2353-7043
pISSN - 1426-1898
DOI - 10.35765/forphil.2013.1801.04
Subject(s) - honor , syllabus , judaism , hebrews , philosophy , morality , religious studies , theology , classics , art , sociology , epistemology , pedagogy , computer science , operating system
In a letter to Benjamin Rush, Jefferson includes a syllabus—a comparative account of the merits of Jewish morality, ancient philosophy, and the precepts of Jesus. Using the syllabus as a guide, this paper is a critical examination of the influence of ancient ethical and religious thinking on Jefferson’s ethical and religious thinking—viz., Jefferson’s views of the ethics and religion of the Hebrews, the ancient philosophers, and Jesus.