Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Thomas Paine and the Bible, First Part

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an English-born American. As a youth he attended an English Grammar School (Thetford) for five years (1744-49) before he was apprenticed to his father as a corsetmaker at age thirteen. Later as a master corsetmaker he opened his own shop in Sandwich, Kent in England. He emigrated to America in 1774 at age thirty-seven, where he blossomed into a political activist, philosopher, political theorist, revolutionary, and Bible critic. He is best known for his political pamphlet (1776) Common Sense that had a profound influence on the common folk of the American colonies leading them to support the cause for independence from England.1

            He was born into a religious family (his father was Quaker and his mother, Anglican), but he himself in his maturity described himself as a Deist, which meant the following to Paine:

I believe in one God, and no more, and I hope for happiness beyond this life.

I believe in the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.2

The true deist has but one Deity; and his religion consists in contemplating, the power, wisdom, benignity of the Deity in his works [i.e., nature], and endeavoring to imitate him in every thing, moral, scientific, and mechanical.3

When we behold the mighty universe that surrounds us, and dart our contemplation into the eternity of space, filled with innumerable orbs revolving in eternal harmony, how paltry must the tales of the Old and New Testaments, profanely called the word of God, appear to thoughtful man.4

            Paine was severely critical of organized religion of any sort5 and particularly harsh in his condemnation of Christianity and “revealed religion”:

The Christian mythologists, calling themselves the Christian Church, have erected their fable, which for absurdity and extravagance is not exceeded by anything that is to be found in the mythology of the ancients.6

As to the Christian system of faith, it appears to me as a species of atheism; a sort of religious denial of God. It professes to believe in a man rather than in God. It is a compound made up chiefly of man-ism but with little deism, and is near to atheism as twilight is to darkness.7

[T]he church has set up a system of religion very contradictory to the character of the person whose name it bears. It has set up a religion of pomp and revenue in pretended imitation of a person whose life was humility and poverty.8

            He had no documented formal training in biblical criticism and did not know Latin or the biblical languages of Greek and Hebrew.9 Nevertheless he wrote several pamphlets critical of the Bible, which were collected to form the Age of Reason10 by applying what scholars have later come to know as “literary criticism” in analyzing the biblical texts. Basically his analysis relied on human reason and common sense in reading the texts. What is surprising is that he claimed to have written Part One of the Age of Reason without access to a written Bible at the time of writing but rather he was writing from memory.11

Paine was arrested in France on charges of treason and jailed in the French prison at Luxembourg on December 28, 1793.12 His release was secured by his friend James Monroe on November 4, 1794.13 Before he was arrested, he hurriedly finished Part One of the Age of Reason, and entrusted it to a friend, as he was on his way to prison.14 While he was in prison, Part One was translated into French and published without Paine having proofed it.15 Not knowing what might happen to him or the manuscript he had written, Paine says he committed it through his friend Joel Barlow “to the protection of the citizens of the United States.”16 Part Two of the Age of Reason was written in the home of James Monroe while he was recovering from his incarceration of nearly a year. Monroe found him in prison “more dead than alive from semi-starvation, cold, and an abscess. It was not supposed that he could survive.”17

After his release from prison, he acquired “a Bible and a Testament,” and commented “that I have found them to be much worse books than I had conceived. If I have erred in anything, in the former part of the Age of Reason, it has been by speaking better of some parts than they deserved.”18

Much of Paine’s critique of the Bible in the late 18th century surprisingly parallels many of the insights of contemporary critical biblical scholarship. Paine’s critique of the Bible and modern critical scholarship will be the subject of a second essay to follow.

Charles W. Hedrick
Professor Emeritus
Missouri State University

1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine

2Thomas Paine, Thomas Paine Collection. Common Sense, Rights of Man, Age of Reason, An Essay on Dream, Biblical Blasphemy, Examination of the Prophecies: Age of Reason (1793-94), 152. [No editor or publication information given.]

3Paine Collection, 173.

4Paine Collection, 233.

5Paine Collection, 152.

6Paine Collection, 156.

7Paine Collection, 167.

8Paine Collection, 162.

9Paine Collection, 169-70, 172.

10Age of Reason consists of two parts and a never published third part, consisting of several essays: an Essay on Dream, Biblical Blasphemy, Examination of the Prophecies, Appendix; and an essay entitled, My Private Thoughts on a Future State: Paine Collection. Table of Contents.

11Paine Collection, 183.

12Luxembourg Prison was formally a palace but turned into a prison during the French Revolution:  https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/thomas-paine-is-arrested-in-france#:~:text=Thomas%20Paine%20is%20arrested%20in%20France%20for%20treason.&text=Paine%20moved%20to%20Paris%20to,for%20crimes%20against%20the%20country.

13Paine Collection, 149.

14Paine Collection, 183.

15Paine Collection, 145, 183.

16Paine Collection, 183.

17Paine Collection, 149.

18Paine Collection, 184.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post Charlie. Let's reincarnate this fellow and run him for President.

Ed (Edward R. Smith)

Charles Hedrick said...

Thanks Ed,
Paine had a surprisingly well rounded knowledge of problems in the biblical literature.
Cordially,
Charlie

Jane Terry said...

And now I need to go back and read "Common Sense" again and, for the first time, read "Age of Reason." Thank you, Charlie, I look forward to the second essay on this topic!

Anonymous said...


What a great 18th century founding fathers education Charlie. I have never read any of Thomas Paine's writings. Certainly a brilliant mind with a compelling philosophy of life.

I wonder how one might effectively explain to an evangelical that they have the freedoms that they experience today because of men like Paine who referred to the divine word as "paltry tales of the Old and New Testaments."

Gene Stecher
Chambersburg, Pa.

Elizabeth said...

Good Evening Charlie,

Thank you so much for these Thomas Paine excerpts, I wonder how you came across them? Did you stumble upon them recently? I'm so glad you shared these snippets, I admit that I know little about Thomas Paine and haven't read Age of Reason since high school. (Probably didn't read it then either- If I did read it, I'm sure I didn't comprehend its meaning)

I loved what Gene said about evangelicals and I share the same question about the freedoms that they experience today... This excerpt you quoted really struck me: "When we behold the mighty universe that surrounds us, and dart our contemplation into the eternity of space, filled with innumerable orbs revolving in eternal harmony, how paltry must the tales of the Old and New Testaments, profanely called the word of God, appear to thoughtful man." Amazing how much those words resonate today. This was another resonant insight: "The Christian mythologists, calling themselves the Christian Church, have erected their fable, which for absurdity and extravagance is not exceeded by anything that is to be found in the mythology of the ancients." Dennis can probably attest to that, he knows more about the mythology of the ancients than anyone I've ever met.

I do have a question about Paine's referral to "atheism" in the Bible... Was he talking about Jesus? I've never looked at it as atheism. Do you understand what me meant by that?

Furthermore, isn't that why Jews don't worship Jesus? I look forward to your next edition and I'm still loving your wonderful book- you are prolific. Psalm 92 has a passage about "bearing fruit in old age." (not that you're old) Many thanks as always, Elizabeth
PS: That was a remarkable phrase of Paine's, "eternity of space." Kind of makes you stop and think a bit- my mind can't quite fathom that concept.

Elizabeth said...

Last sentence of second to last paragraph should read: "Do you understand what HE meant by that?"

Anonymous said...

Charlie,
“Paltry,” yet “absurd and extravagant” the tales & fables of the Christian scriptures reminded me of what a friend said to me a quarter of a century ago. To summarize, best as I can recall, she said it was ridiculous to believe that God’s son came to a backwater annexation of Rome to provide salvation to the entire world. The “law of common sense” can occasionally prevail. Paine probably wouldn’t mix well with conservative Christians today. I have a book that I haven’t yet read. It tells stories of Paine and his times as the author (an English scholar) searches for Paine’s bones.

Dennis Dean Carpenter
Dahlonega, Ga.

Charles Hedrick said...

Hi Elizabeth,
Paine is of the opinion that Christianity has three deities: God, his son who is the redeemer, and a holy Spirit. By introducing multiple divine entities between man and his creator. He regards that as a kind of atheism--that is not believing in the true Deity, which as he said is "a sort of religious denial of God."

Hedrick jr said...

Well, I guess I'll have to wait for your next post to find out why Payne has you interested!

Anonymous said...

Charlie, thanks for the blog. I wasn't that familiar with Paine. Reading “The Age of Reason” I am struck by the clarity of Tom and the strength of his arguments, which to me are for the most part, common sense. The way he tears apart analogies is great! I especially was pleasantly surprised by his thoughts about “the manufacturer of quibbles.”

At the same time, I am reading a book about Tom Paine, primarily his influence on the nineteenth century. The author tells the story of the mystery of the missing bones of Paine (as he retraces their steps, using them as a metaphor for his influence... Where are the “bones” (or ideas)? They are everywhere!
Dennis Dean Carpenter
Dahlonega, Ga.

Anonymous said...

Thought there might be some interest in a quick summary of an aspect of the work of another founding father, Thomas Jefferson:

(Opinion!) Jefferson's Bible is an important work both for what it shows of a pivotal Founding Father and lynch-pin president, and what it doesn't show. Jefferson was neither the passionate Christian that some try to paint him as, nor was he the foaming at the mouth Deist that others attempt to paint him as.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8508.The_Jefferson_Bible

Jefferson's first religious work, The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1804, but no copies exist today. The second, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1820 by cutting and pasting with a razor and glue numerous sections from the New Testament as extractions of the doctrine of Jesus. Jefferson's condensed composition excludes all miracles by Jesus and most mentions of the supernatural, including sections of the four gospels that contain the Resurrection.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible

The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, known as The Jefferson Bible was created in 1820. Jefferson was seventy-seven years old when he constructed his book by cutting excerpts of the New Testament Gospels from six printed volumes published in English, French, Latin and Greek.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jefferson-Bible

Jefferson Bible, an abridgment of the New Testament: Jefferson rearranged the text of the Gospels into an account of the life and ministry of Jesus that eschews mention of any supernatural or miraculous elements and stresses his moral teachings.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jefferson-Bible

The Jefferson Bible, which he called The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, was an 84-page work finished in 1820 that contained both the moral teachings of Jesus and those passages about Jesus’ life that Jefferson considered reasonable. He made it in four columns with Greek and Latin pasted on one side and French and English on the other.
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-jefferson-bible.html

Gene Stecher
Chambersburg

Charles Hedrick said...

Hi Gene, A great survey! Thank you!
Charlie

Elizabeth said...

Thank you Gene... I've seen his personal bible opened and viewed on the History Channel by a forensic specialist and it was fascinating to see his dissection of Jesus's words in the Gospels... I wish I could read the out of print 1804 work "The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth." It's a shame that no copies exist today. (at least that we know of) Do you consider Jefferson's scholarship and analysis to be on par with the Jesus Seminar, at least in spirit if not substance?

John Adams was not an "orthodox" Christian either... He was a Congregationalist. Didn't that denomination morph into what we call Unitarianism today?

Do either you or Charlie personally know any Unitarians? (I don't but I wish I did) Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

Elizabeth, having never read the Jefferson Bible I am not familiar with the details which were included and excluded by Jefferson. Historically, scholarship always relied upon brilliant individuals. The Jesus Seminar, I think, took a huge step forward by taking group votes on what material is most likely historical.

The Jesus Seminar most surely highly respected Jefferson's efforts, as they wrote the following at the beginning of The Five Gospels: What did Jesus Really Say: "This report is dedicated to Galileo Galilei who altered our view of the heavens forever, Thomas Jefferson who took scissors and paste to the gospels, David Friedrich Strauss who pioneered the quest of the historical Jesus."

I know that I've met Unitarians but never knew any of them very well.

Gene Stecher
Chambersburg, Pa.

Anonymous said...

Though TJ and Tom were friends and political allies (I have some copies of correspondence), I think the writing of the Jefferson Bible was inspired by the writings of Viscount Bolinbroke. It also was a promise he made to Benjamin Rush (partially fulfilled by his syllabus and Philosophy of Jesus). "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" (aka The Jefferson Bible) was also inspired by Joseph Priestly. (There is an excellent essay by FF Church at the beginning of my copy of the Jefferson Bible, Beacon Press, as well as a good one by J Pelikan at the end about TJ's contemporaries. On one pilgrimage to Monticello I picked up a copy.)When TJ became president, Paine, though he was suffering from a variety of health problems (arthritis, abscesses, strokes, gout), had a seat at Jefferson's dinner table.

The Unitarians I know here are a vibrant community of people who are the first to speak out on social injustice, racism and intolerance. They have been outspoken against the present intolerance against immigrants from Latin America, for instance. My mentor, trained by and with a doctorate in theology at an SBC seminary, in his later years, eschewed the Southern Baptists (the Georgia Baptists kicked his church out of their "convention") and was a regular speaker at Unitarian churches before his death.

Dennis Dean Carpenter
Dahlonega, Ga.

Charles Hedrick said...

Good Saturday Morning Elizabeth, Gene, and Dennis.
I have been a speaker at several of the Westar Institute's "Jesus Seminars on the Road" that took place in Unitarian Universalist congregations. Most recently I did a series of lectures at the UU Congregation in Springfield, Mo. I have found the folk in attendance generally to be a well-educated, intellectual, and highly intelligent bunch. They asked thoughtful and penetrating questions.
Cordially,
Charlie

Anonymous said...

I remember seeing you at the UU church in Brevard NC some years ago, Charlie. Meaningful and information filled JSOR! They had a series of JSOR's over several years. As a result the town has become a regular "day trip" for Anne and me.
Dennis Dean Carpenter
Dahlonega, Ga.

Anonymous said...

Founding Father agreement and disagreement!!!

John Adams, our 1st Vice-Pres and 2nd president, known for attending church, raised a Congregationalist, eventually becoming Unitarian, had the following to say about Paine's thinking:

"In 1796, Adams denounced Thomas Paine's deistic criticisms of Christianity in The Age of Reason, saying, "The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity, let the Blackguard Paine say what he will." (July 26. 1796. Tuesday. [from the Diary of John Adams]. Adams Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society. Retrieved September 29, 2018.)
See the Wikipedia article on Adams.

Given the circumstances of our present time, it's important to also know where Adams and Paine agreed: Adams was not a slave owner, and "on April 14th 1775, a month after publishing his scathing anti-slavery essay, and just five days before the Battle of Lexington, Paine and other Philadelphia liberals formed the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, America’s first abolitionist group."
https://alphahistory.com/americanrevolution/thomas-paine-calls-end-slavery-1775

Gene Stecher
Chambersburg, Pa.

Anonymous said...

Gene,
You just aimed several trajectories at each other that are remarkable. Tom Paine, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams. I’ll admit to not having much knowledge of John Adams, just that the worldview of human nature that influenced his belief in “privilege” over “common man,” is not one I share. Anyway, though he butted heads with Jefferson (and others) about politics, had it not been for three letters (in one week) he wrote to Jefferson imploring him to complete his promise to Benjamin Rush (who had died), “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” would probably not have been compiled. (TJ had begun clipping his sections out of the various texts when Joseph Priestly died, but lost interest by the time he received his last set of Testaments. The material just sat for some years.) It is interesting that Adams considered Paine a villain (blackguard), but convinced Jefferson to finish his biography and wisdom of Jesus. (When one looks at the table, one sees he relies primarily on the synoptics, but includes a few narratives from John (driving traders from the temple at the beginning of the ministry, the contested adulterous woman once in chapter eight, John 9.1-3, feast of the tabernacles, and a few other places where John and the synoptics cross paths).

I propose one factor in Adam’s disdain for Paine was that Paine, a sixth generation corset maker in his lineage, was not up to the genteel privileged class of Adams.
Dennis Dean Carpenter
Dahlonega, Ga.

Charles Hedrick said...

Good Morning Dennis,
I seem to recall that we met at one of those JSORs on the Road, but I don't think it was in Brevard. There were two that I participated in at Brevard in 2009 and 2010.
Charlie

Charles Hedrick said...

Gene and Dennis:
Between the two of you, you have evoked an interesting subject that might be turned into a book or at least a programmatic paper. What are you working on these days?
Cordially,
Charlie

Anonymous said...

Charlie, I was at both of those in Brevard, but you are correct about the original meeting. I met you I think in 1999 at a JSOR in Rock Hill, SC, where you and Roy Hoover spoke. I might have the year slightly wrong. It was on a college campus, as I recall. I subsequently became a JS associate.
Dennis Dean Carpenter
Dahlonega, Ga.