# Editor's Introduction explained — The Age of Reason

> Chapter companion for The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.

## What happens

Moncure Daniel Conway's introduction provides historical context for Paine's 'The Age of Reason', discussing the circumstances of its composition, Paine's early intentions to write on religion, his astronomical interests, and the textual history of the work. Conway highlights Paine's deist upbringing among Quakers, the persecution of the book, and its lasting significance in theistic thought, particularly Paine's shift from Newtonian deism to a moral foundation for belief in God.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deism and Natural Theology

Paine's theism is described as a birthright; his early work is an amplification of Newtonian Deism based on planetary motion, while later work bases belief in God on the moral nature of man.

### Critique of Biblical Inerrancy

Conway discusses textual errors in the Bible, such as the interpolation of the three heavenly witnesses (1 John 5:7), and Paine's argument that manuscript copying leads to inaccuracies.

### Morality and Humanity

Paine's later work exalts the moral nature of man as the foundation of theistic religion, humanizing religion and subverting last-century deism.

### Intellectual Freedom and Skepticism

Paine renounced a priori philosophizing, rested everything on evidence, and founded the Huxleyan school; his work represents the turning-point of the historical freethinking movement.

## Character check-ins

### Thomas Paine

Author of The Age of Reason; wrote Part I while in prison; a devoted student of astronomy; raised among Quakers; intended to publish his religious views since 1776.

### Jesus Christ

Paine's tribute to Jesus included words rendered by Lanthenas as 'trop peu imité, trop oublié, trop meconnu'; Paine attempted to recover the human Jesus.

### Samuel Adams

Paine told Samuel Adams of his long-held intention to publish his thoughts upon religion.

### John Adams

Paine made a similar remark to John Adams in 1776; Adams, a Unitarian, asked Paine if he believed in the inspiration of the Old Testament.

### François Lanthenas

Translated Paine's work; noted for extreme fidelity; his translation preserved Paine's estimate of Jesus and the erratum about six planets.

### Herschel

Discoverer of Uranus in 1781; Paine's omission of Uranus suggests the astronomical part was written before 1781.

### Dr. Priestley

Answered Paine's work; made three alterations in quoting less than a page from The Age of Reason and raised an editorial footnote into the text.

### Benjamin Franklin

Collaborator of Paine; mentioned as one of the educated men who estimated Paine's ability.

## Key lines

> The addition of these words to Paine's tribute makes it the more notable that almost the only recognition of the human character and life of Jesus by any theological writer of that generation came from one long branded as an infidel.

Paine's tribute to Jesus is remarkable because he was the only theologian of his time to acknowledge Jesus's humanity, despite being labeled an infidel.

_Conway highlights Paine's unique appreciation of Jesus's human character._

> This exaltation of the moral nature of man to be the foundation of theistic religion, though now familiar, was a hundred years ago a new affirmation; it has led on a conception of deity subversive of last-century deism, it has steadily humanized religion, and its ultimate philosophical and ethical results have not yet been reached.

Paine's idea that morality is the basis for belief in God was revolutionary in the 1790s and has since transformed religion by making it more humane.

_Conway emphasizes the innovative and lasting impact of Paine's moral theism._

> Nothing appears to me more striking, as an illustration of the far-reaching effects of traditional prejudice, than the errors into which some of our ablest contemporary scholars have fallen by reason of their not having studied Paine.

Conway finds it remarkable that even great scholars make mistakes because they ignore Paine's work due to prejudice.

_Conway criticizes scholars like Huxley for not engaging with Paine's ideas._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se/chapters/editor-s-introduction
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se/chapters