Mediumship has been known and recorded since ancient times. Hindus, Egyptians, Greeks, and Hebrews knew it. The more accessible records are found in Judaism, in the so-called Prophetism. All the Kings of Israel were counseled by Prophets when they themselves were not one of them. The Prophets, in addition to announcing the coming of Jesus for centuries, had a marked presence in the courts of Israel, whose kings received, through them, guidelines and even severe warnings from the Spiritual World. Kings, who were often arrogant because they did not like the warnings they received, sometimes ordered the severe punishment of the Prophets, as recorded by Paul: "They were stoned, sawed, tempted, slain by the sword; they walked covered by the skin of sheep and goats, helpless, in misery, and mistreated" (Heb 11:37).

The Old Testament records countless mediumistic phenomena, such as that which occurred before King Balthazar and his court assembled in the palace: "... the fingers of a man's hand, and they wrote in front of the candlestick on the wall of the royal palace; and the King saw the part of the hand which was writing". The message was written in an unknown language by all, including the magicians and soothsayers whom the King had sent for. So, Daniel is then called and he deciphers the message, boldly announcing the end of the reign of Balthazar, who died that same night. (Dan, Chapter 5).

In Chapter 3 of the First Book of Samuel, the latter, through his born mediumship, informs the priest Eli that he had fallen in disgrace before God for not properly educating his children. In this same book, in Chapter 28, there is the record of the visit that King Saul made to the Pythoness of Endor, according to the title given by the translator Joao Ferreira de Almeida. There are more modern translations in which the word "pythoness" has been replaced by medium, with one referring to a Spiritist medium (Whatchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, 1961). The inaccuracy of the expression is flagrant, because if there are mediums since always, Spiritism only exists from 1857 onwards, when Kardec made known the words Spiritism, Spiritist and Spiritist. It was he who used the Latin word medium, in its original form, to designate the intermediary, the Prophet, in the proper language of Spiritism. Based on this, one can evaluate the degree of ignorance, or the desire to confuse ... In the mentioned passage, the conversation of King Saul with the spirit Samuel is clear through that woman. At that time, the King was warned that if he entered the battle, he would die and his sons would die too. He, who was arrogant, and since he was seeking support and not counsel, went into battle with the Philistines and died, together with his sons, as had been foreseen by the Spirit who had warned him.

However, there are some passionate, who are systematic deniers, and are unable to reason, who said that King Saul was deceived by the Devil. Considering the facts, one might ask how good was that Devil that gave him some good advice and tried to save him from death…

There are also those who invoke the prohibition of consulting the dead contained in the book Deuteronomy, Chapter 18, referring to it as the Law of God. As you know, the Laws of God are those of the Ten Commandments. This prohibition is part of the disciplinary regulations of Moses, who intended, with this measure, to curb abuse of mediumistic exchange - with which Spiritism fully agrees - with the only difference that Spiritism does not forbid it, but only advises against it, because it forbids nothing... Mediumship, as learned in Spiritism, should be used for noble purposes, of general interest, and not for small talk.

It should be emphasized, however, that the very prohibition of Moses is a conclusive proof of the existence of the mediumistic phenomenon, for no one forbids what does not exist. Laws are always made a posteriori, that is, to regulate or forbid an existing activity. Why is there no law forbidding someone from flying over your neighbor's yard? The reason is simple: the use of individual flight equipment has not yet been generalized. But once the use of flight devices that allow individual flights becomes common to man, there will certainly be laws that will safeguard people's privacy by providing punishment to those who transgress them. The very existence of the law will be proof that, from a certain time onwards, man began to fly individually...

Who can say that the biblical Prophets were not mediums?  The word Prophet, in its origin, already indicates the condition of mediator, of intermediary. In its General Introduction to the Books of the Old and New Testaments, the edition of the Holy Bible of the Publishing House of the Americas (vol. 15) says that the men - who received the divine manifestations - were known as nebi-in (plural nabi), which means "He who speaks on behalf of someone." When the biblical texts began to be translated into Greek, the word nabi was translated by the term Prophetes.

The Greek term is formed by the prefix pro, which means instead of and phetes, which means speaker; therefore, meaning the one who speaks for someone, the one who speaks instead of someone.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica (original edition) says that the origin of the word nabi is unknown, but that its derivations mean "intense excitement", referring to an Assyrian word that means to fall into trance.

Some encyclopedias, such as the Britannica and the American, show the true meaning of the word: The Britannica says that the prophet in Classic Greek means " the one who, when speaking, does not do it by his own thoughts, but by an “external” revelation.” Plato quotes: "Those who simply interpret oracles should not be called Prophets, only those who speak in trance."

In the Funk & Wagnalls dictionary we read: "In the biblical context, prophesying is to pronounce religious truths under divine inspiration, not necessarily predicting future events, but admonishing, exhorting, comforting." (Apud "The Marks of the Christ", by Herminio Miranda). Exactly as Spiritism understands it: the biblical Prophets were mediums! And there were greater prophets, who became notable, leaving their names in History, and others of lesser expression, who became anonymous. The same occurs today regarding the mediums, whether they are Spiritists or not.

It is relevant to say that the Dictionary of the Bible, by John D. Davis, in its Family Spirit entry says: "Spirit of a deceased person whom mediums invoked for consultation, who seems to speak since Earth, or incarnate (sic) in the medium, male or female".

In the New Testament we find evidence that Prophetism had its activity encouraged. In the beginning of Christianity, the presence of mediumship was remarkable. It is noteworthy the naturalness with which the mediumistic phenomena are reported in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, surely the greatest authority in mediumistic affairs of his time, wrote the first book of mediums known, as mentioned by Herminio Miranda. The Apostle reveals a thorough knowledge of the phenomenon in his First Letter to the Corinthians in Chapters 12 and 14. Paul not only recognizes the mediumship practice as a useful activity, but also recommends its development, as the first verse of Chapter 14 reads: "Practice Charity, and zealously seek the spiritual gifts, but especially that of prophesying".

In Chapter 12, Paul refers to mediumship as follows: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for what is useful". He then goes on listing the various types of mediumship which John Ferreira de Almeida, in his translation of the Latin Vulgate (Vulgata Latina) into Portuguese, entitled On the Diversity of Spiritual Gifts: "For the Spirit gives to one the word of Wisdom, and to the other, the same Spirit gives the word of Knowledge”.

Paul goes on listing the gifts, speaking of the mediumship of healing, of physical effects, which he calls the operation of wonders. (Parapsychology says ectoplasm). He mentions the gift of discerning Spirits, which can be interpreted as the intuitive mediumship that must have the one who runs a mediumistic meeting, in order to know with what Spirit he is talking to through a medium.

He also refers to the ability to speak languages, a mediumship that Spiritism classifies as xenoglossia. But with the common sense we know he had, the Apostle of the Gentiles warns judiciously, in a demonstration that he understood mediumship as a useful, constructive, uplifting practice: "But if there is no interpreter, be silent in the church, and speak to yourself and with God". (I Cor. 14:28)

Paul understood the mediumistic exercise as an eminently practical activity, not letting himself be taken by mystical spells. It is within this perspective that he recommends: "And let two or three Prophets speak, and let others judge". (I Cor. 14:29) This passage is inserted in a text, which John Ferreira de Almeida in his translation entitled: A need for order in worship. This also proves that the translator understood that the psychic practice requires control and evaluation.

This need for analysis of communications is also emphasized by John (1 Jo 4:1) when he says, "Beloved ones, do not believe in every Spirit, but see if the Spirits are of God; for many false prophets have risen in the world".

These two passages, the first one of Paul, recommending that a judgment be made after two or three communications and the one of John, in order to verify the nature of the communicating Spirit, serve as an answer to those who say that it is the Devil, who always communicates. Therefore, if only evil-minded Spirits communicated, neither would have made any recommendation to verify and evaluate communications. They would simply have said that all communications should be refused because they are produced by evil Spirits, as so want those who stubbornly deny mediumship. 

While there are still those who deny mediumship, times are changing. After the long and good testimony of Francisco Candido Xavier, many thousands of people can see mediumship as a charitable and respectable activity, seeing in him a Prophet from the new times, a Christian prophet, who fit perfectly into the recommendation contained in the book Didaque, according to record in the "Prophet" entry of the Encyclopædia Britannica: "A Prophet - to be worthy of being followed and respected - must have undoubted compassion and a behavior worthy of the Lord".