Religious Liberty: The Congruence of Thomas Jefferson and Moses Mendelssohn.

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  • Author(s): Konvitz, Milton R.
  • Source:
    Jewish Social Studies. Spring87, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p115-124. 10p.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      FREEDOM of religion; STATESMEN; MENDELSSOHN, Moses, 1729-1786; JEFFERSON, Thomas, 1743-1826; CIVIL rights; CIVIL religion; RELIGION & state; RELIGION; LIBERTY
    • Abstract:
      The article suggests a congruence between American statesman Thomas Jefferson and "Jerusalem" author Moses Mendelssohn through their common advocacy of religious liberty. Furthermore, it explores the distinguished career of Jefferson and his Statute for Religious Freedom as well as the eloquent plea for intellectual liberty and religious freedom as reflected in Mendelssohn's "Jerusalem." The article is a tribute to Jefferson and Mendelssohn for establishing the link between religion and liberty and their belief in inherent and inalienable human rights which affirmed that essential liberty is not a civil liberty but one that transcends any civil or social order and a liberty that is absolute.