© 2024 Gaétan G. Charland
© 2024 Urantia Association of Quebec
Gaetan Charland
Boucherville
TESTIMONY OF JACQUES WEISS on IFTUB
Among those studying the typescript of the Urantia Papers between 1935 and 1955 was one Miss Caroline Brown, a well-informed spiritualist with whom I had extensive conversations in New York during the winter of 1947-48. At that time Miss Brown never alluded to the existence of the Papers.
In the early 1950s this group received a heavenly message that due to advances in planetary communications, the number of potential readers had become sufficient to justify publication of the Pamphlets in English, with an initial print run of 10,000 copies, and that a translator into another language would be found to make it a truly worldwide work.
During the Christmas period of 1955, as soon as the papers appeared in English under the title of “The Urantia Book,” Miss Brown sent me a copy and suggested that the message of the publication might be intended for me.
It took me the first months of 1956 to read the book.
Like many French people, I was looking for a philosophy that could unite science and religion. After thirty years of searching, I found it in The Urantia Book. Aware of the difficulty of translating the book into French and publishing it, I nevertheless decided to consider myself, from that moment on, as being on a mission.
UBF JACQUES WEISS to CAROLINE BROWN
Paris, France, October 22, 1956
Dear Caroline,
During the summer I found some time to begin reading The Urantia Book which you so kindly sent me last Christmas. I found it difficult to understand starting at the beginning, because of the great number of unfamiliar names corresponding to worlds, or places, or orders of beings with which I am not familiar and whose meaning is not made very clear—Nebadon, Ovarington [sic], Havona, Jerusem, Edentia, Norlatiadek, Salvington, Cherubim, Seraphim, Melchizedeks, Midwayers, Adjusters of
Thought, Planetary Receivers, Local Universe, Universe, Universe of Universes, and so on. . . .
So I began seriously with Part IV, the life of Jesus on earth. Then I continued with Part III, the history of Urantia, of which I have read more than half. After that I intend to read Part II and Part I. In that order, I understand well all that is meant, and it has been a tremendous illumination to me. I am truly amazed at this work, which answers everything in such an authoritative and logical manner.
I would appreciate receiving another copy for [my daughter] Claire, who has immersed herself with great interest in the life of Jesus. But if a new edition with an Index were in preparation, I would prefer to wait, and then have two copies of this new edition, for which I would naturally be prepared to pay.
You have probably noticed that this book is almost perfect from the technical point of view of printing and correction. Yes, I have read it so carefully that I have with my semi-professional eye — noticed three small printing errors. The publishers may be interested in knowing about them for future reprints.
- Page 840, end of the penultimate paragraph: she was caught off guard instead of being caught off guard.
- Page 1018, penultimate line: considerable instead of considerably
- Page 1192, penultimate paragraph, line 3: her trust instead of his trust
This will show you how interested and grateful I was for the good thought that went into your gesture when you sent me this gift. We will certainly have other things to say about it in the future. Do you consider it a Holy Scripture? . . .
With the best regards from the whole family, please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my best feelings,
Very sincerely,
J. Weiss
P.S. I noticed that the doctrine of transmigration is denied (as I think it should be), but reincarnation is not mentioned. Yet I regard it as a fact of experience, knowing the previous incarnations of more than a score of men and women.
UBF MARIAN ROWLEY to JACQUES WEISS
Chicago, November 13, 1956
Dear Mr. Weiss,
Miss Brown sent me your letter of October 22, knowing that we would be interested in your comments on The Urantia Book, and indeed we are. We are delighted that you like it so much.
We will not send another book until we find exactly what you want. You mention a new edition with an index. I expect there will be no new edition for several years. The index, which is now in preparation, is taking much longer than we had anticipated. But when it is finished (probably sometime next year) it will be published in a separate volume and will be very comprehensive, rather like a concordance. We will let you know when it is ready.
Under these conditions, we were not sure if you wanted one or two books. The price of the book is . We are a small organization and do not have a credit account. We therefore appreciate you sending us your check when you order the book.
Sincerely,
Marian Rowley
UBF JACQUES WEISS at THE URANTIA BROTHERHOOD
Paris, France, mid-November 1956
Dear Gentlemen,
I thank you for your letter of November 13 and regret not having known of your existence in 1954 when I spent several days in Chicago as a guest of your government on an economic mission. It would have been nice to establish direct contact.
As things stand, I would ask you to send me two copies of The Urantia Book. I enclose a check for $20, as you request.
As for the index, which will be of great value to serious readers, and still more to willing teachers of these capital lessons, please let me know when it is ready. I feel that you intend to compose it with the same extraordinary care as the Book itself. It is therefore evident that you need a great deal of time. I await the result with impatience.
In the meantime, I want to check the reaction of other readers besides me. What do you think of a translation into French or other languages? Having done a translation into French myself, I know that it would require several years of work by a group of three to five translators, and tens of thousands of dollars. But when the wind of the spirit blows, you never know what will happen.
Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my distinguished sentiments,
J. Weiss
UBF MARIAN ROWLEY to JACQUES WEISS
Chicago, November 30, 1956
Dear Mr. Weiss, Thank you for your check for $20 for the two books. They were sent to you a few days ago. I will put your name on the list of people who will be notified when the index is ready. I was interested in your comment on the translation. We hope that the book will be translated into many languages, and it is difficult to guess which will be the first. French would certainly be one of the first. We have no money for translations at present, but as the Book becomes better known, we hope that money will be available. Another important point is that the translators must have a very good understanding of the Book in order to convey its true spirit.
Please let us know if we can help you in any way.
Sincerely,
Marian Rowley
Secretary General
UBF MARIAN ROWLEY to JACQUES WEISS
Chicago, January 7, 1957
Dear Mr. Weiss,
Thank you for your letter of December 26. I am glad you received the two books so quickly.
Your suggestion regarding the index and the addition of a glossary is very interesting, and your comments on the French edition of the book are very instructive. Since the index and the question of translation directly concern the Urantia Foundation, I am forwarding your letter to them for their attention.
In answer to your question, we printed 10,000 copies of the Book in the first edition. And I must tell you that the printing was not done by any “occult support.” A number of people interested in the publication of the book contributed money over a period of years. And although the donations were relatively small, they were enough to make plates and print 10,000 books.
We are delighted that you are interested in this project. Please let us know if we can help in any way.
Sincerely,
Marian Rowley
Secretary General
BH JACQUES WEISS to the URANTIA BROTHERHOOD
Paris, France, May 31, 1957
Dear Gentlemen,
On January 7, 1957, your Secretary General replied to my letter of December 26, 1956, discussing the possibility of translating and publishing The Urantia Book in French, and commenting on the Index. She said that she had delivered my letter to the Urantia Foundation. She ended her letter with the following sentence: “Please let us know if we can assist you in any way.”
Naturally, help would be in letting me know the answers and reactions of Urantia Foundation to the questions posed.
Furthermore, a passage in the Book seems to indicate that a soul never incarnates again on Urantia. I refer here to page 1811, nine lines below, where it is written: “The Master had difficulty in making men believe that their souls had not had previous existences.”
Also page 436, paragraph 2: “A mortal never returns to his native planet during the dispensation of his temporal existence.” This would be misunderstood here, as experiments show that reincarnations exist on our planet. It is therefore appropriate to give an interpretation in order to clear up any potential misunderstanding.
I will now go a little further. After careful study with qualified friends, we have come to the conclusion that the translation of your book into French is desirable, possible and worthy of being undertaken. The effort is enormous and we have no illusions about it. Something like three years of work and several thousand dollars for the translation alone, about the same time to find the right number of readers (the two periods overlapping in part), plus then the cost of publishing the book in four to six volumes, at intervals of about six months. Add the work on the index and the glossary.
Apart from myself and my group, I do not see anyone in France who could consider such an effort. I therefore formally ask you by this letter if you would agree to assign me the French copyright for a period of seven to ten years, this right being cancelled at the end of the period if I am not able to present you with at least a good typewritten translation.
While waiting for your response, I remain
Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my distinguished greetings,
J. Weiss
UBH MARIAN ROWLEY to JACQUES WEISS
Chicago, June 5, 1957
Dear Mr. Weiss,
Thank you for your letter of May 31 concerning an interpretation on the question of reincarnation and also requesting French copyright for the translation.
I am delivering your letter to Urantia Foundation and you will no doubt hear from them in the near future.
Sincerely,
Marian Rowley
UBH EMMA L. CHRISTENSEN to JACQUES WEISS
Chicago, June 12, 1957
Dear Mr. Weiss,
In response to your letter of May 31, you can be sure that Urantia Foundation is very interested in seeing The Urantia Book translated into modern languages.
In planning translation there are two important factors: first, finance and enterprise; and second, the organization of a group of competent translators. I am sure that the trustees of Urantia Foundation will always be ready to cooperate with any enterprise that promises the accomplishment of these objectives.
The Foundation, I am sure, would not be disposed to manipulate in any way the copyright of The Urantia Book and it would not be necessary to make arrangements for translation. The Foundation will always hold all copyright.
The Foundation will hold its quarterly meeting in the next two months and your letter will then be formally presented to them.
With regard to reincarnation, we note your reference to paragraph 2 on page 436. Yes, that seems to be the teaching of The Urantia Book. Mortals, when they leave this planet, enter upon a progressive career. That is, they do not return in the course of a dispensation to their planet of origin. Every change of personality is progressive. There is only one case of reincarnation in the whole universe. You will find the reference to it on page 528, and it concerns the spornagia, a type of celestial animal.
Sincerely,
E.L. Christensen
UBH WILLIAM. Mr. HALES to [ATTY.] EDWARD BAKER
Chicago, April 22, 1958
Dear Ed,
Since the publication of The Urantia Book, Jacques Weiss of Paris, France, has been in communication with the Urantia Brotherhood and Foundation.
- I have attached Thermofax copies of the following correspondence:
- Letter from Jacques Weiss dated May 31, 1957 to the Urantia Brotherhood.
- Letter from the Secretary General of Urantia Brotherhood dated June 5, 1957 to Jacques Weiss
- Emma L. Christensen, Secretary, Urantia Foundation letter of June 12, 1957 to Jacques Weiss
- Emma L. Christensen, Secretary, Urantia Foundation letter of November 5, 1957 to Jacques Weiss
- Letter from Jacques Weiss dated November 13, 1957 to the Urantia Foundation
I have delayed presenting this material to you in order to have your suggestion on how to respond to this latest letter, dated November 13, from Jacques Weiss, so as not to legally obligate ourselves or give any indication of the possibility of entering into a contract with him in the future, in any area whatsoever.
I have included the correspondence immediately preceding this November letter to give you a little more background information.
We are not in a position to know what the future actions and plans will be for translations of the Urantia Book, whether in France or elsewhere. Mr. Weiss is a very interested party because of his interest in the text, as you can see. We are simply not prepared to move forward on the lines which he is very keen to do; however, we wish to give him the courtesy of responding to his letter and maintaining his interest in our long-range plans when we are in a position to develop them.
Could you please share with me your thoughts on how to respond to this letter?
Sincerely
William M. Hales
President, Urantia Foundation
UBF JACQUES WEISS at THE URANTIA BROTHERHOOD
Paris, April 30, 1958
Dear Gentlemen,
I received with great pleasure your quarterly newsletters for the last quarter of 1957 and the first of 1958.
You ask me to communicate to you any interesting news. One of them is that I am practically in the process of building a semi-spontaneous, but not yet formal study group in Paris around the French translation of the Urantia Book.
Last week I personally completed the translation of the entire first part by hand. Half of it has already been corrected and typed. I am now starting the second part.
I had engaged a translator for the third part, but her first sixty pages did not allow her to continue. I also have another translator who has started work on the fourth part. She is so deeply interested that she will bring this part to completion in due course, if her fragile health permits.
Although this may be very anticipatory, I am studying the possibilities of publication in France in a few years. I noticed that in the very large American market, it took you several years to sell less than 3000 copies, which does not exclude a brighter future. But what about the narrower market of French reading students, whose purchasing power is financially limited? This is a problem that would probably only be solved by dividing the book into three and lowering the purchase price accordingly.
However, that is not today’s issue, and any comments from you on the remainder of this letter would be welcome.
Sincerely,
J. Weiss
(Editor’s note: The rest of this correspondence will be in the next issue of Réflectivité.)