An excerpt from Thomas Jefferson’s letter to William Short, 4 August 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; 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. 

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