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