Allan Kardec-THE Spirit's Book_ The Principles of Spiritist Doctrine (1989)

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THE SPIRITS’ BOOK
Spirit and Matter
21. Has matter existed from all eternity, like God, or has it been created at some definite
period of time?
"God only knows. There is, nevertheless, one point which your reason should suffice to show
you, viz., that God, the prototype of love and beneficence, can never have been inactive.
However far off in the past you may imagine the beginning of His action, can you suppose
Him to have been for a single moment inactive?"
22. Matter is generally defined as being "that which has extension," "that which can make an
impression upon our senses," "that which possesses impenetrability." Are these definitions
correct?
"From your point of view they are correct, because you can only define in accordance with
what you know. But matter exists in states which are unknown to you. it may be, for instance,
so ethereal and subtle as to make no impression upon your senses; and yet it is still matter,
although it would not be such for you."
- What definition can you give of matter?
"Matter is the element which enchains spirit, the instrument which serves it, and upon which,
at the same time, it exerts its action."
From this point of view it may be said that matter is the agent, the intermediary, through which, and
upon which, spirit acts.
23. What is spirit?
"The intelligent principle of the universe."
- What is the essential nature of spirit?
"It is not possible to explain the nature of spirit in your language. For you it is not a thing,
because it is not palpable; but for us it is a thing."
24. Is spirit synonymous with intelligence?
"Intelligence is an essential attribute of spirit, but both merge in a unitary principle, so that,
for you, they may be said to be the same thing."
25. Is spirit independent of matter, or is it only one of the pro properties of matter, as colours
are a property of light, and as sound is a property of the air?