The Gospel According to Spiritism
Encyclopedia
The Gospel According to Spiritism (L'Évangile Selon le Spiritisme in French), by Allan Kardec
is a book published in 1864 that relates the teachings of Jesus
to Kardecist Spiritism
, the moral and religious philosophy that Kardec had been publishing. It is intended to demonstrate that Spiritism clarifies and extends the most important teachings of Jesus. It is one of the five fundamental works of Kardecist Spiritism
.
The book attracted a lot of reaction from the Catholic Church and was indexed
(added to the 'List of Prohibited Books'). The first edition had been titled Imitation de l'Évangile (An Imitation of the Gospels), but the third, and definitive edition (1865) had the book renamed and profusely corrected (mostly typos or supposed mistakes in channeling), edited and expanded.
Kardec was a devoted Catholic and a dedicated teacher (disciple of Pestalozzi
before his contact with Spiritism). He looked forward to basing his teachings in solid biblical
knowledge, as well as the messages he received from his guiding spirits. Therefore, the first part of the Gospel According to Spiritism is dedicated to a series of observations and clarifications intended to situate its arguments and doctrine
so that those more familiar with exegesis
would find their way throughout it more easily.
s of the Gospels were imperfect and were effectively unintelligible without proper relation to scholarly research about the culture and the customs of the peoples of the Middle-East (a rather advanced teaching for his time). As the entirety of the message of Christ
cannot be easily grasped from the existing texts about his life, Kardec argues that instead of handpicking the details, we should pay more attention to his teachings and more significant deeds. This is what he tries to do in this book.
The second item argues that Spiritism
is based on the highest and truer Christian
morality: that it descends directly from the key teaching of Jesus
. Kardec also argues that what makes the spiritist doctrine reliable is that it is not self-contradictory: the elevated spirits, channeled by medium
s of goodwill all gave the same message and this message is logically consistent both internally and with what Christ taught.
The third part is a rough guide to the Gospels, explaining the meaning of foreign concepts and new words only found there.
The fourth part explains that even before Christ theories similar to Spiritism could be found in the Greek philosophy
, notably in Socrates
and Plato
(Spiritists have both philosophers in high esteem and consider them as precursors of Christ).
.
The last chapter is a collection of prayers channeled by elevated spirits, intended as examples of how we are supposed to pray.
Allan Kardec
Allan Kardec is the pen name of the French teacher and educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail . He is known today as the systematizer of Spiritism for which he laid the foundation with the five books of the Spiritist Codification.-Early life:Rivail was born in Lyon in 1804...
is a book published in 1864 that relates the teachings of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
to Kardecist Spiritism
Spiritism
Spiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
, the moral and religious philosophy that Kardec had been publishing. It is intended to demonstrate that Spiritism clarifies and extends the most important teachings of Jesus. It is one of the five fundamental works of Kardecist Spiritism
Spiritism
Spiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
.
The book attracted a lot of reaction from the Catholic Church and was indexed
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church. A first version was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559, and a revised and somewhat relaxed form was authorized at the Council of Trent...
(added to the 'List of Prohibited Books'). The first edition had been titled Imitation de l'Évangile (An Imitation of the Gospels), but the third, and definitive edition (1865) had the book renamed and profusely corrected (mostly typos or supposed mistakes in channeling), edited and expanded.
Contents
The book, the best documented and the most organised of the five fundamental works of Kardecist Spiritism, contains one introductory part and 28 chapters. The first 27 are each dedicated to dissecting one particular verse of the Gospels and the last one is a collection of prayers inspired by elevated spirits.Kardec was a devoted Catholic and a dedicated teacher (disciple of Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi may refer to:* Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi * Hans A. Pestalozzi Schools with that name:* Colegio Pestalozzi, Argentina* Pestalozzi-Gymnasium Biberach, Germany* Kinderdorf Pestalozzi, Switzerland...
before his contact with Spiritism). He looked forward to basing his teachings in solid biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
knowledge, as well as the messages he received from his guiding spirits. Therefore, the first part of the Gospel According to Spiritism is dedicated to a series of observations and clarifications intended to situate its arguments and doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
so that those more familiar with exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
would find their way throughout it more easily.
Introduction
The first item of the introduction argues that the currently existing translationTranslation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
s of the Gospels were imperfect and were effectively unintelligible without proper relation to scholarly research about the culture and the customs of the peoples of the Middle-East (a rather advanced teaching for his time). As the entirety of the message of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
cannot be easily grasped from the existing texts about his life, Kardec argues that instead of handpicking the details, we should pay more attention to his teachings and more significant deeds. This is what he tries to do in this book.
The second item argues that Spiritism
Spiritism
Spiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
is based on the highest and truer Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
morality: that it descends directly from the key teaching of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Kardec also argues that what makes the spiritist doctrine reliable is that it is not self-contradictory: the elevated spirits, channeled by medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
s of goodwill all gave the same message and this message is logically consistent both internally and with what Christ taught.
The third part is a rough guide to the Gospels, explaining the meaning of foreign concepts and new words only found there.
The fourth part explains that even before Christ theories similar to Spiritism could be found in the Greek philosophy
Greek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BCE and continued through the Hellenistic period, at which point Ancient Greece was incorporated in the Roman Empire...
, notably in Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
and Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
(Spiritists have both philosophers in high esteem and consider them as precursors of Christ).
Chapters
These observations are followed by 27 doctrinal chapters which are comments on quotes of ChristJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.
The last chapter is a collection of prayers channeled by elevated spirits, intended as examples of how we are supposed to pray.
Doctrinal Principles
The key aspects of the Gospel According to Spiritism are:- The revelationRevelationIn religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing, through active or passive communication with a supernatural or a divine entity...
of GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is continuous because mankind is slowly evolving to a higher level, making it necessary to perfect the doctrine. The first revelation was through MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, the second through ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
(modern Spiritists argue that it was previously tried in GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with SocratesSocratesSocrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
but failed), and the third one was from God himself through his messengers (SpiritismSpiritismSpiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
). - Spirits are immortal and live several lives (reincarnationReincarnationReincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
s) to perfect their moral and their intelligence until they are able to be in the presence of God. - Every revelation elaborates on the previous, instead of revoking it.
- Morality is mostly based on love (spiritual love, that is, not carnal love) for everyone and anyone.
- Love must be put to practice.
- Charity (the practice of love) must not seek retribution.
- Religion must be free.
- MarriageMarriageMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
is not indissoluble, if there is no agreement anymore, this proves that God never united the couple. - Outside charity there is no salvation.
- Everyone will eventually be saved, though it may take an unimaginably long time for some (see universal reconciliationUniversal reconciliationIn Christian theology, universal reconciliation is the doctrine that all sinful and alienated human souls—because of divine love and mercy—will ultimately be reconciled to God.Universal salvation may be related to the perception of a problem of Hell, standing opposed to ideas...
).
External links
- The Gospel According to Spiritism by Allan Kardec
- Spiritist Gospel by Fausto Machado