The Revue
Spirite of
1863
Part 14
We continue in
this issue the
study of
the Revue
Spirite corresponding
to the year of
1863. The
condensed text
of the mentioned
volume will
hereby be
presented in
sixteen parts,
based on the
translation of
Julio Abreu
Filho and
published by
EDICEL.
Issues for discussion
A. Is evocation important for Spirits to communicate?
B. What does Kardec say about the Mosaic banning the
evocation of the dead?
C. Is the longevity of the Patriarchs a fact or a
figure?
Text for reading
132. Commenting on the two episodes, Kardec recalls that
Mr. Sanson had also communicated in the burial chamber
before his burial, but that the act of descending into
the grave in the Costeau case was not a necessary
condition for a successful contact with the Spirit of
the deceased. (Page 302)
133. The Revue refers to the conclusion of a
retreat at Cempuis by Mr. Prevost, a member of the
Society of Paris, who gave a new proof of his detachment
and his dedication to the needy, donating part of his
fortune to the care of the brothers in need. (Pages
302-306)
134. Two expressive facts reported by the “Patrie”
of April 1863 and the “Opinion du Midi” of July
are copied by the Revue: (1) A gentleman was
walking down a street when a family was being evicted
for non-payment of rents. Seeing the despair of the
husband and the weeping of the woman and her two
children, the man approached and, aware of the amount
owed, he gave them enough cash to pay off the debt, then
disappearing. II) A violent fire consumed almost
entirely the shop and the workshops of Mr. Marteau, a
carpenter in Nimes. An anonymous donor, pitying the pain
of the carpenter, sent him - without identifying
himself - three carts loaded with wood of various
qualities and working tools. "Facts like the above," asserts
Kardec ", prove that virtue is not wholly banished
from the Earth, as certain pessimists may think”. (Pages
306-308)
135. In publishing a communication given spontaneously
by the Spirit of Francois Franckowski, Kardec says that
it is a mistake to think that Spirits come only if they
are evoked, for many appear spontaneously. (Pages 308 to
310)
136. Kardec states that some members of the Church rely
on Moses' banning to outlaw communications with the
Spirits. This banning and its consequences are analyzed
by the Encoder, who first warns that there are two
distinct parts of the Mosaic Law: the Law of God,
promulgated at Mount Sinai, and the civil or
disciplinary law, appropriate to the customs and
character of the people. Jesus, in a deep way, modified
the civil law dictated by Moses, but nowhere in the
Gospel did he mention the banning to evoke the dead.
(Pages 310 to 313)
137. Following that, the Revue transcribes a
message received in Bordeaux by Mme. Collignon, in which
Semeon (Spirit) explains why Moses forbade evocations
and lists some examples of modifications introduced by
Jesus in the Mosaic rules. (Pages 313 to 315)
138. Speaking of the false devotees, Delphine de
Girardin (Spirit) affirms that false devotees are to
religion what is, for society, falsely honest women.
(Page 315)
139. Lamennais teaches that the longevity of the
Patriarchs is a moral figure and not a reality. The
cherubim of the Bible also had six wings and the God of
the Jews bathed in blood! This shows that it is
necessary to extract from the Scriptures the pure
teaching, not taking to the letter what is but allegory.
(Pages 316 and 317)
140. In a message given in Thionville, a familiar Spirit
says that the Law of Progress rules everything in the
Universe and that it is due to this law that man should,
like everything on our globe, go through all the stages
that separate him from perfection. Thus, it is up to
each person to abbreviate the tests he must undergo, and
there is a sure way to make a well-deserved punishment
lighter: a sincere repentance and prayer said with
fervor. (Pages 318 and 319)
141. Examining the theme pantheism, Lazarus says that it
is the first step of paganism to the law of love,
revealed and preached by Jesus. Pantheism has two faces,
under which it is convenient to study it - and this is
what Lazarus does. (Editor’s Note: Kardec deals with
the subject in "The Book of the Spirits" and says that
the Spirits reject this doctrine). (Pages 319 and 320)(Continues
on the next issue)
Answers to the proposed issues
A. Is evocation important for Spirits to communicate?
No. It is a mistake to think that Spirits only come if
they are evoked, for - says Kardec - many appear
spontaneously. (Revue Spirite of 1863, pages 308
to 310)
B. What does Kardec say about the Mosaic banning the
evocation of the dead?
Kardec recalls in this regard that there are two
distinct parts of the Mosaic Law: the Law of God,
promulgated at Mount Sinai, and the civil or
disciplinary law, appropriate to the customs and
character of the people. Jesus modified the civil law
dictated by Moses in a deep way, but nowhere in the
Gospel did He mention the prohibition to evoke the dead.
(Ibid, pages 310-313).
C. Is the longevity of the Patriarchs a fact or a
figure?
The longevity of the Patriarchs - says Lamennais - is a
moral figure and not a reality. The cherubim of the
Bible also had six wings and the God of the Jews bathed
in blood! This shows that it is necessary to extract
from the Scriptures the pure teaching, not taking to the
letter what is but allegory. (Ibid,
pages 316 and 317).
Translation:
Eleni Frangatos - eleni.moreira@uol.com.br
|