It is clear that during the era of Thomas Jefferson, metaphors from classic works were employed as a coded or metaphorical way to communicate one’s philosophies and beliefs to others without the utterance of a single word. These concepts are laid bare by period authors such as Emanuel Swedenborg and later by the mysterious writer known only as “Fulcanelli.” Swedenborg refers specifically to the use of metaphor suggested by Greek mythology and its application to contemporary political and intelligence gathering uses during the era just after the life of Thomas Jefferson.

Magdalene Penitent by Ribera. 

Thomas Jefferson was obviously involved in and very talented at the use of intelligence-gathering techniques, and his armory of skills in this realm likely included the implementation and manipulation of occult themes and philosophies. We have already examined the possibilities of how University of Virginia student associate of Jefferson, Edgar Allan Poe, may have propagated the use of techniques that may have even been taught to him in part by Jefferson when he was a student at the University of Virginia. At that time it may be of interest to note that Poe’s roommate was the cousin of Robert E. Lee, Zacheus Lee. The possibility of how Jefferson even used his architectural designs to communicate these ideas via pertinent directions suggested by the structure. In the case of many other examples of architecture, there may be elements of each structure including statuary and decorative aspects that may communicate classic themes that may even in turn be interpreted in biblical or secret society terms.

One classic example of how a classic Greek and Roman myth may be applied to a biblical or secret society theme is the use of Medusa’s head as a metaphor. It is easy to speculate that if a person displays the value of a severed head in a classical motif this could be a reference to John The Baptist as valued by the Knights of St. John and The Knights Templar for instance. Later in Virginia, the severed head motif may have also gained a Cavalier association as a reference and value of King Charles I who was dethroned and lost his head in part because of his Catholic faith.

Thomas Jefferson owned several pieces of artwork that displayed this very concept. As we may see he also owned several other items of art that may belie his true philosophies in an interpretive manner. An examination of the list below may compel one towards a great deal of speculation as to the beliefs of the President given the artwork that he seemed to value. It is clear that his values of Christ, John the Baptist, and even Mary Magdalene were important to him.
The most controversial pieces that Jefferson owned were copies of classic originals that he obtained during his time in France as minister and later Secretary of State. The Ribera work “A Magdalen Pertinent,” a bust of John the Baptist, and a copy of Herodiade bearing the head of St. John on a platter, may be pointed to as showing some of Jefferson’s secret values. The fact that he owned these works does not display the degree to which he held and applied these beliefs in his everyday life but does display enough of a value that he would have cared to obtain copies of these paintings displaying these themes.

Before we make our final analysis as to whether Thomas Jefferson was a follower of Mary Magdalene and John the Baptist, let us also examine the iconography of Jesus Christ displayed in Jefferson’s collection. These works include a bust of Christ clothed in Byzantine royal Purple robes just as we see on his mosaic at Basilica San Vitale in Ravenna Italy. An unknown artist displaying Jesus arguing with the doctors while dressed in royal garb repeats this royal theme in an additional piece. A copy of Valintin’s painting showing Jesus driving the moneychangers from the Temple is present. Jesus in the Praetorium displays him stripped of his royal accouterment and now wearing a crown of thorns prior to the Crucifixion.

If we were to interpret the themes of these paintings as being representative of the spiritual beliefs of Thomas Jefferson then what conclusions could we come to? The theme of each piece seems to represent Jesus as a royal figure who fell from grace after upsetting the bankers. These paintings are sending us a message that Jefferson believed Christ was of Royal Byzantine blood and had somehow fallen into disfavor by the status quo of his age. Is this somehow actually true? There are many hints and metaphors that Byzantine Rulers, The Merovingian Dynasty, and Charlemagne may have all believed that Constantine himself was of the same line as Christ thus identifying Jesus as Royalty. It is possible that when viewed in metaphor this series of paintings is telling us what the President truly believed.

Jefferson’s value of Constantine may have been displayed in this design of three octagonal structures at Poplar Forest, Monticello, and Barboursville Mansion. His art collection also included a piece that referred directly to the name applied to Constantine’s Palace in Constantinople. All Byzantine rulers following Justinian II would use an octagonal portion of the Daphne Palace as their personal domain. The palace itself refers to the myth of Daphne and how she was turned into a laurel tree just as Apollo was preparing to rape her. The value of Daphne extends to the royal overtones of the meaning of the Laurel tree and its use as crowns for victors in sporting and martial activities. Given Jefferson’s penchant for octagonal structures and classic themes that convey a message, it is then no surprise that he owned a copy of The Rape of Daphne by an unknown artist that displays the moment Daphne was turned into a laurel tree.

All of Jefferson’s artwork seems to conform to many of the theories and values that I have speculated he held prior to examining his taste in art. This story was told by his architecture and is now backed up via a metaphorical interpretation of the artwork that he valued and owned at Monticello. Many of the classic themes include references to severed heads thus again hinting at the value of Arcadia and the Pole Star as valued at many of the octagonal towers that were built in this tradition. Here again, a value of Charles I or the “Cavaliers” on the part of Thomas Jefferson involved the use of many of the same metaphors and mythological references that would later help to solve this mystery via their inclusion at Rennes-le-Chateau, the Shepherd’s Monument of Shugborough, and Admiral Anson’s Moor Park estate.

Both Shugborough and Moor Park included reproductions of the octagonal Tower of the Winds in Athens just like the Powder Magazine in Colonial Williamsburg that likely served as the source for Jefferson’s initiation into these mysteries. Here laid bare in Jefferson’s artwork are his thoughts on Christianity and his Jacobite sympathies. Also obvious is a distinct rejection of the status quo and the Catholic Church, if not organized religion as a whole. At the same time, this philosophy used many of the same symbols valued by the Catholic Church that would later come to be associated with Freemasonry such as the All-Seeing Eye, Phoenix, Auspice of Mary symbol, and the Chi Rho.

This would be one interpretation. Also inferred along with this alternate view of Christ would be representations of John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene. All of the symbols associated with these themes are present on the Archer Reliquary from Jamestown, the logo of the College of William and Mary, the Kensington Rune, The Rennes-le-Chateau Mystery, and Chateau Abbadia of Antoine d’Abbadie in Hendaye France. These are all places discussed in detail as having been associated with people very similar to Thomas Jefferson in character, intellect, status, and education.

All of these assumptions may be bolstered by Jefferson’s book entitled “The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.” This work is often mistitled “The Jefferson Bible.” This book is a compilation by Jefferson of all the admirable deeds of Christ that did not involve any miracles. Many conservative Christians point to the existence of this book as a sign that Jefferson was indeed a devout Christian. In many ways, the book does point to Jefferson’s Christian values which seem to be firmly seated in a practical if not somewhat gnostic view of Jesus Christ as a man with a powerful legacy who had set out to create a version of his faith that was more pure and not interfered with by the political mores of royalty and society of the day. Jefferson’s authorship of this book supports the view in metaphor that is communicated by the artwork that he owned.

It is also clear that Jefferson’s beliefs would have excluded him from the belief that Christ rose from the tomb after three days. This event and many others were not included in his version of the Bible and did not include difficult-to-believe stories of miracles as a kind of machine aux deus. It appears that Jefferson may have gained an appreciation for the concept of a bloodline of Jesus having continued in Europe. Also displayed is the value of John the Baptist as a teacher of Christ and Mary Magdalene who may have propagated the actual blood of Jesus via their children. All of this, in turn, would be later applied in metaphor to the Cavalier culture of early Virginia that displayed a distinct value and allegiance to both Kings Charles who were in opposition to the Parliament and later Hanoverian Monarchs of England. The roots of how the Jacobite movement created the United States of America are plainly evident in the art collection of the Third President. Here also displayed is a rationale as to why the symbols of “AVM,” or the Auspice of Mary, may have been valued and secretly applied to Mary Magdalene. Jefferson’s art collection is conspicuously void of any reference to Our Lady also known as Mary Mother of Christ.

The theme of the severed head is stressed in several different pieces including a rendering of David holding the head of Goliath. This repeats the suggestion of the severed head in the Poussin Painting rendering at Shugborough and the representation of the beheaded Argus included at Anson’s additional estate Moor Park. Again the theme of Arcadia both references the Pole Star and the suggestion of a value of individuals whose actions and beliefs resulted in their heads being severed from their bodies. This traditional value begins with John the Baptist and continues during the eras surrounding Jefferson in the form of Charles I, Mary Queen of Scots, Charles’ bastard son James Scott, and others.

The rebels and alternate thinkers were commonly beheaded or burned at the stake during this era and many of the metaphors valued by those who followed their philosophy included depictions of the severed head in one form or another. This icon may have taken the form of Medusa or Argus in any “secret” representations of this concept. Two arrays of artwork valued by Admiral Anson include depictions of Argus (Moor Park) and The Triumphal Arch of Shugborough Hall.

It may be that the Poussin imagery of the Shepherd’s Monument is referring to the severed head of Charles I which may be what is inside the reliquary depicted atop the tomb in the rendering of “The Shepherds of Arcadia” that is included on the Shepherd’s Monument. The only variation from the Poussin work at the Shepherd monument is the inclusion of a strange small casket representative of a reliquary that may hold the head of Charles I or May Queen of Scots. A more remote possibility is that it contains the head of Charles’ son James Scott.

Author/researcher Cort Lindahl and his artist/author wife Diane St. George make their home in beautiful Northern California.