Paul and Stephen’s input and how the book was assigned by Emmanuel

In addition to being the main biography of the convert from Damascus and also a fundamental historical record of early Christianity¹, the account in Paul and Stephen contains, in detail, the appreciation that the apostle of the Gentiles gave to women in Christian communities, something that Holzner (2008, p. 199-201) and Wright (2018, p. 101-102) pointed out in opposition to the machismo widely attributed to him. It should be said that the Polish university professor and Jesuit priest Norbert Baumert (1932-2019) also addressed the issue of women in Paul's missionary journey through extensive research published in Germany in 1992 on Pauline epistles, including mistakes in their translation (Baumert, 1999). In addition to highlighting female dignity, the book –apsychographic by Chico Xavier also brings in a note the most succinct and clear definition about something very important in the Bible and in the worldwide Christian segment:

No one should ignore the fact that the Holy Spirit designates the legion of sanctified spirits in light and love, who have cooperated with Christ since the earliest times of mankind.

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2013, p. 7)

I believe that the present reflection on the veracity of the report in such a book also fits, in some way, as to the similar works of Emmanuel, also called by the FEB and the spiritist movement "historical novels". In this sense, let us see what its author says in the three introductory texts of them, respectively: Cinquenta anos depois (Fifty years later) (2004) [1940]; Renunciam (They resign) (2015) [1944] ²; and Ave Cristo (2015) [1953].

If you read the simple pages of ‘Two thousand years ago’ it is possible that you will look here for the continuation of the intense struggles experienced by its real characters in the arena of Earth’s redemptive struggles. It is for this reason that I feel obliged to explain something to you, regarding the unfolding of this new story [emphasis added].

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2004, p. 7)

For sincere souls, who are still solved in the bonds of discouragement and disappointment, the story of Alcyone [my emphasis] is a comforting balm”.

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2015, p. 8)

Aligning, therefore, the reminiscences of this book, we do not propose to romance, to make fiction literature, but to bring to our companions of redivivious Christianity, in the spiritist field, a brief page of the sublime history of the pioneers of the faith [emphasis added]

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2015, p. 8)

It can be seen that in the introduction of the three works, the spiritual author uses the word history, instead of romance, this being categorical and explicit in the last one, published in 1953. Finally, we must see how he referred specifically to Paul and Stephen. The first time, on February 18, 1941, in a psychographed message by Chico Xavier during a domestic meeting at the home of his boss, Romulo Joviano, at Fazenda Modelo - place where the work was transcribed to paper for eight months - Emmanuel uses the referenced term.

May Jesus reward everyone for their cooperation in the humble effort in the story [my emphasis] of the great apostle of the Gentiles.

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2014, p. 153)

However, four months later and exactly thirteen days before signing the introductory text of Paul and Stephen, Chico Xavier's mentor did not use the word history to refer to the work:

The finishing touches to the book of Paul of Tarsus romanticized biography can be concluded in a few days.

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2014, p. 159)

The use of the expression “romanticized biography”³ does not refer to a fictitious biography, but to something written with literary beauty, which does not mean written with omission or smoothing out, sometimes violent, facts. And this is explained, once again, by Emmanuel himself, also in the introductory text of the work:

We will clarify, further, that it is not our purpose to raise only a romanticized biography (...) The contribution of Stephen and other characters of this real story [my emphasis] confirms the necessity and universality of the law of cooperation.

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2013, p. 7; 9)

Due to the spiritual writings reproduced above and because of everything that has already been said in this short article, I argue that such works should be reclassified by the FEB no longer as "historical novels", but as historical books by Emmanuel, which they really are. I also believe that a glossary at the end of each of them, containing the meaning of the words absent from our daily lives in this phase of the 21st century would help a lot to spread its important reading in the less intellectualized segments, in other words, it would make them more popular. And I am very hopeful that Paul and Stephen will become a beautiful Spiritist film.

Conclusion

Objectively exposed in this simple text were the reasons why we can recognize the veracity of the story narrated in the book Paul and Stephen. In addition to doing this based on them, it is a matter of considering - without any trace of idolatry - the missionary testimony of Chico Xavier together with Emmanuel and guided by him in his psychographic works and in life practice. There are several videos available on Youtube of public lectures mentioning the fact that the protagonists of the story narrated in the book have became visible to the medium, very moved in tears, when the psychographic of the book is finished, to thank the loyalty with which it had been transcribed.

At that time, an undertaking that had started with a meeting in the spiritual world to deal with the elaboration of this literary work, supervised by Paul of Tarsus himself, as reported by Arnaldo Rocha, who was a close friend of Chico Xavier, and told directly to me by the medium Wagner Gomes da Paixao, also from the state of Minas Gerais. In turn, another friend of Chico, in addition to the editor of part of his books and also a native of Minas Gerais, Geraldo Lemos Neto, complements in this sense by stating that Emmanuel was a kind of “medium of the history of Paul and Stephen through those who lived this story”⁴. He supports this statement in a message from Emmanuel psychographed at the home of Romulo Joviano on 06/25/1941:

Paul's biography has brought many kind and precious memories of former comrades in struggle. If it were to record all the requests of friends of the great apostle, it would be difficult for the book to come to an end. They are Colossian merchants, owners of Laudiceia, former workers from Thessalonica, figures from all over Asia, former children of the captivity and patriciate of Rome, who bring me subsidies to illuminate the picture in which the unforgettable apostle lived. But the relationship becomes impractical, however, whatever I can bring you pleasantly I will not fail to do so.

Xavier; Emmanuel, 2014, p. 155)

Finally, to say the purpose through this text,⁵ it is worth recalling the reason why Emmanuel dictated the book to Chico Xavier:

Our best and most sincere wish is to remember the harsh struggles and harsh testimonies of an extraordinary heart, which arose from human struggles to follow in the Master's footsteps, in an unremitting effort. Today's weakened Churches and the false desires of believers, in the different sectors of Christianity, justify our intentions [emphasis added, remembering that “churches”, of course, means Christian communities in general, including spiritist communities].

(Xavier; Emmanuel, 2014, p. 7)

The author seems to have intended with his work, to blow the embers of real fraternal love in the spiritist houses so that they seek, truly, to be inspired in the authentic Christian communities, according to the record in Acts of the Apostles (2: 44-47), in the description from Casa do Caminho until the arrest of Stephen, as well as from the community led by Barnabas and Paulo in Antioch and also, I would say, from the Italian medieval Porciuncula, led by Francis of Assis. And to close this simple article in favor of recognizing the veracity of the story narrated by Emmanuel, I leave here part of the final words of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the work by recommending Paul of Tarsus (Xavier; Emmanuel, 2013, p. 378) to send letters to the communities formed by him: "You will be able to solve the problem by writing to all the brothers in my name; those of good will be able to understand".

Bibliographic referencies:

BAUMERT, Norbert. Mulher e homem em Paul (Man and Woman in Paul). Sao Paulo, Loyola, 1999.

HOLZNER, Josef. Paul of Tarsus. 2^nd edition. Sao Paulo, Quadrante, 2008.

XAVIER, Francisco Candido. Paul and Stephen. By the Spirit of Emmanuel. 45^th edition. Brasilia, FEB, 2013.

_______. Cinquenta anos depois (Fifty years later). 32^nd edition. Rio de Janeiro. FEB, 2004.

_______. Surrender. 36^th edition. Brasilia. FEB, 2015.

_______. Ave Cristo!. 24^th edition. Brasilia. FEB, 2015.

_______. Deus conosco (God with us). 4^th edition. Belo Horizonte. Vinha de Luz (Light Vine), 2014.

WRIGHT, Nicholas Thomas. Paulo: uma biografia.(Paul: a biography) Rio de Janeiro, Thomas Nelson Brasil, 2018.

¹ Emmanuel chose the term nascent Christianity instead of primitive Christianity. This makes us think, since ‘primitive’ refers to ‘backward’, and the prominent pioneer Christian communities are, in fact, a reference for contemporary ones.

² This book was object of investigation, as for the historical veracity, of the chemist and spiritist researcher, with a doctorate in the environmental area, Gilmar Trivelato, with videos about him on YouTube.

³ Something that also appears in the introduction of the book and that perhaps contributed to FEB to classify it as a historical novel, just as it had done with the previous two.

⁴ Link-1  Accessed on: 03/27/2021.

⁵ Remembering the law of cooperation - mentioned by Emmanuel in his work, as seen above - I want to thank the people who spoke to me, at some point, or sent their contributions to the elaboration of this modest article: Aila Pinheiro Andrade, Almir Del Prette, Altino Mageste, Cesar Perri, Flavio Mussa Tavares, Geraldo Lemos, Gilmar Trivelato, Júlio Corradi, Tales Argolo, Wagner Paixão and my wife Margareth Cecoti de Souza.

André Ricardo de Souza is PhD in Sociology at the University of Sao Paulo, Associate Professor II at the Department of Sociology at the Federal University of Sao Carlos and organizer of the books: Spirituality and Spiritism: Reflections beyond religiosity (Porto de Ideias, 2017) and Identity and assistance dimensions of Spiritism (Appris, 2020). He is a member of the Sao Paulo Spiritist Heart of Jesus group from São Paulo.