The centenary of Gossner ́s emblem book The heart of men in the context of the religio cordis brasiliensis or “cordial” reli- gion: continuity, variation and social relevance

Since colonial times emblems are used in Brazil as an important religious language. Among their diversity, the language of the “religio cordis” is outstanding and even gained a kind of sociological equivalent, called “cordial man” (Sérgio Buarque de Holanda). Alternative Protestant forms (G. de Montenay; D. Cramer) or Protestant adaptations of Catholic works have shown in Brazil no effect among Protestants. This changed, in 1914, with the translation from German of J. E. Gossner ́s book “The heart of man” (1812). A. Jensen, Danish-born Presbyterian, attracted Calvinist readers referring to John Calvin ́s religio cordis, integrated a nada obstat for the Catholic audients, and changed se sequence of the engravings based on the motif of the narrow and wide path. Methodists, promoted already in 1916 this version and published themselves 20 editions of it up to 1980. In 1932 followed a German version, edited by F. W. Brepohl in a Publishing House which promoted the positions of the German Christians. From the fifties onwards All Nations Gospel Publishers distributed their version principally among Pentecostals. This text was also edited by a Baptist Publishing House since 1998. The conference documents the evolution of the emblems and the texts, discusses the implicit message of these editions concerning modern society and stresses its proximity to the classic catholic, colonial and ultramontanous “religio cordis brasiliensis”.