President Thomas Jefferson consistently rates as one of the more popular of the United States presidents, and is certainly one of the most well-known. Though being the true icon of Democratic-Republicanism he chose to omit his tenure as President of the United States on his tomb. Instead it is inscribed as, “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of American Independence Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom And Father of the University of Virginia.”

Even as an icon of a deeply religious country, President Jefferson’s religious views are complicated and vexing at times. Jefferson was a Deist like his predecessor Washington, He believed (if that can even be argued he believed in such) that God created the world yet did not interfere in human affairs. Yet even with that mindset he found the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth compelling and intriguing. So much so that he translated his own version of the New Testament. He removed all miracles and the resurrection of Jesus—but he nonetheless felt there were portions of the text that needed to be consumed.