Church of Xathos: Difference between revisions
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The Church of Xaethos is a religion that grew out of early Alksearian religions. The first written records of the Holy Texts comes from early 1300s. Prior to the 1300s, the Priests and High Priests would retell the stories and The Church has held onto a lot of political freedom until extremists in the Church tried to create an insurrection against the re-established Kingdom of Eastern Alksearia in 1902. As a formal religion, the Church has existed since 1500. |
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=History= |
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=Hierarchy of the Church of Xathos= |
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The following list is a list of positions and ranks that form the Clergy of Xathos. The highest of these is the Archbishop and the lowest official rank is Pastor. The following list is the Canonical hierarchy. |
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=== Archbishop === |
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<br /> |
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The Archbishop is the head of the Church. They are the final authority on doctrine, Theology, and the government of Eternatus Island. The current Archbishop is [[Rhea III | Archbishop Rhea III]]. The position is elected from the Council of Elders upon the death or retirement of the previous Archbishop. While provisions exist for the retirement of an Archbishop, no Archbishop has retired from the office. |
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=== Bishop === |
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The Church was formally created in 1500 when the first Archbishop, St. Theodore Vaïno, reorganized the Church and formalized the teachings of the Tomes of Xaethos. The first thing he did was establish a formal hierarchy with an Archbishop as the leader, bishops as heads of a regional church, and priests as the leader of the local church. The second thing that happened in the formal founding was the establishment of a formal doctrine and a formal ritual. The Council of Bishops, at the time of the establishment, determined that anything that was outside of established teachings and doctrine would be heretical. Prior to the formal creation, Priests and High Priest would only follow one of the four Great Prophets and Great Saints, L'Oracle Silencieux, the Seer of Xaethos, The Disciple of Xaethos Pantocrator, and Le Devot D'Xaethos. When the Church was fully established and reformed in 1500, the Four Saints were put together into one full Tome of Xaethos. St. Theodore also changed the structure of the Church. He reformed the structure to be Priests, Bishops (changed from High Priests), and a council of High Bishops. These High Bishops would have a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_inter_pares Primus inter pares] among themselves, known as the Head Bishop. After St. Theodore reformed the religion into one established body, he stepped away so to let a new generation of Bishops serve. In 1502 however, he would be brought onto the Council of Bishops and given the title Archevêque en chef(translated into Staynish as "Head Archbishop), an honorary title that allowed St. Theodore to help establish and create a central authority and doctrine. In 1504, three months before the passing of St. Theodore, the Council of Bishops held the first Xaethoien Council. In this council, they established that the title Archevêque en chef would be changed to just Archevêque and established that the Archevêque would be over all Bishops. St. Theodore was elected as the first Archevêque and put into office April 3rd, 1504. Unfortunately, St. Theodore would pass away on May 2nd 1504 as the council was ready to adjourn. The council voted to elect St. Pierre of Novia to be the next Archevêque. The last thing the council did before it adjourned under the new leadership on May 18th was to vote to make St. Theodore Blessed. The vote passed by 170 to 5. He would attain sainthood on June 4th, 1504 after it was revealed that Theodore had a vision from Xaethos that explained to him how he should structure the formal Church. In 1508, St. Pierre of Novia would |
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=== Elder === |
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In 1602, under Archbishop Pierre VI, the title was changed from it's original name to Archbishop as the language of the region of Alksearia started to shift and change. In the early 1700s, the Church of Xaethos support the rise of the Grand Duchy of Eastern Alksearia and the Grand Duchy of Western Alksearia. In 1750, the Archbishop would hold a seat on the Regional Council of Alksearia. The Archbishop would start to favor the Grand Duke of Eastern Alksearia over the Grand Duke of Western Alksearia. As the regional council started to condense down into just the Grand Dukes, the Church would build it's Grand Temple in Urgia-Nova as a symbol of the official stance of the church. |
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=== Pastor === |
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In 1839, a group started to form within the Church of Xaethos known as Xaethos's Chosen. They started to spread a heretical version of the Tomes of Xaethos known as the True Tomes of Xaethos. These tomes, according to them, contain hidden knowledge that Xaethos Pantocrator never did return to the Good Place, but rather Xaethos Pantocrator left his vessel. These "2 other books" tell the story of the Spirit of the Pantocrator roaming around the old nations of Alksearia searching for a new vessel. The Pantocrator sends us settling on the Great Saint the Disciple of Xaethos Pantocrator. To Xaethos's Chosen, this means that there is a bloodline that is descendant of the Pantocrator. The schism grew larger and larger until in 1841, they declared that King Eldras III was the "Anti-Xaethos and the agent of and the spawn of [DEMON NAME GOES HERE]." This lead to a large group of noble rebelling and causing trouble for a rebellious nation to begin with. |
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=== Title Below Pastor === |
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==Doctrine and Teachings== |
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Titles below Pastor are not defined in the Official Doctrine of the Tomes, however, during the last 200 years, Archbishops have granted Vicairs the power to appoint lay people to positions below Pastor without formally ordaining them. This practice was commonly done during the 1800s before the Council of Elders changed the Doctrines to allow married individuals to serve as Pastors. |
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According the The Doctrine of the Church of Xaethos, there is no iconography of Xaethos the Creator. The first iconography was of Xaethos Pantocrator, a vessel on Urth that Xaethos was said to inhibit. In one of the books of the Tome of Xaethos, Xaethos Pantocrator was said to have been assumed into The Good Place both body and soul There are four other Great Prophets and Great Saints, L'Oracle Silencieux, The Seer of Xaethos, The Disciple of Xaethos Pantocrator, and Le Devot d'Xaethos, who are typically also depicted alongside Xaethos Pantocrator. |
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=== Archaic Titles === |
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The following list are titles that show up within older versions of the Doctrine of the Tomes, but are no longer used in the modern Church |
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* Head Bishop - old name for Archbishop. |
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* Head Elder - old name for Arch Elder. |
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* Bishop-in-waiting - old third in command title before the Archbishop was an elected position. The last time the title was used was 1634 before the assassination of Archbishop Michael VI by the hands of his Bishop-in-waiting. |
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* Head Shaman - pre-reformation title for Elder |
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* Elder Pastor - pre-reformation title used to describe a Pastor who had been ordained for nearly 30 years, but had never obtained the title Shaman. Was last used ceremoniously to honor Pastor Hector Toriun after his impressive 70 year career as a Pastor before dying in 1989. |
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=Branches of Church of Xathos= |
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==Alkari Church== |
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The Tomes of Xaethos are broken down into 4 collections written by the 4 Great Prophets and Great Saints. The Collection of L'Orcale Silencieux is the largest collection at 10 books in total, The Collection of The Seer has a total of 4 books of wisdom and is the shortest collection, The Collection of the Disciple of Xaethos Pantocrator has a total of 6 books, and The Collection of Le Devot d'Xaethos has a collection of 8 books, ending with the Prophecy of Xaethos. |
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Le Main branch of Xathosi. Directly lead by the Archbishop in Eternatus, Eternatus Island, Alksearia. |
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==Ursine Church== |
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In 1988, the Ursine Church split from the Central Church over disagreements over the Archbishopric. In a controversial move, the College of Elders voted to deny the writ of nomination from King Eldras V, allowing the College to elect a member themselves. Two candidates eventually came to be: the now-Archbishop Rhea III and High Elder Vorg’rath Tel’kum. After an unprecedented 10 rounds of voting, Archbishop Rhea was named the new Archbishop. The Balistrian Church took offense as High Elder Tel’kum had been around for longer, and had served on the previous Archbishop’s council. The Ursine Church declared itself sovereign from the Alkari Church, and instituted their own Archbishop. The Ursine Church only has a following within Balistria, however, recent tensions between Balistria and Alksearia have resulted in the Ursine Church starting to decline. |
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In late 2019, the Ursine College of Bishops voted on a resolution to bring themselves back into full communion with the Alkari Church. The vote failed 88-89, with the Archbishop casting his first vote within the college. A similar resolution was brought up in August 2020, however, the resolution was never brought for a full vote as the College was placed on an indefinite hiatus due to recent political events in Balistria. The Ursine Church is expected to return to session on January 1st, 2021, but may come back earlier. |
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== Theology == |
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-Xathos, also denoted at the Pantocrator, is the Creator |
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-There are a minor deities referred to as the Spirits, and are stylized as Saints. |
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-Small centers of worships are referred to as "Temples" and a seat of an Elder is a Cathedral. The Seat of the Archbishop is in an Arch Cathedral. |
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-Temples are named after their Patron Spirit. Cathedrals are styled after Xathos or their various natures. |
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-The Alkari Communion is the main Communion for the Church of Xathos. |
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Latest revision as of 00:39, 12 December 2023
| This page (or section) is a work in progress by its author(s) and should not be considered final. |
History
Hierarchy of the Church of Xathos
The following list is a list of positions and ranks that form the Clergy of Xathos. The highest of these is the Archbishop and the lowest official rank is Pastor. The following list is the Canonical hierarchy.
Archbishop
The Archbishop is the head of the Church. They are the final authority on doctrine, Theology, and the government of Eternatus Island. The current Archbishop is Archbishop Rhea III. The position is elected from the Council of Elders upon the death or retirement of the previous Archbishop. While provisions exist for the retirement of an Archbishop, no Archbishop has retired from the office.
Bishop
Elder
Pastor
Title Below Pastor
Titles below Pastor are not defined in the Official Doctrine of the Tomes, however, during the last 200 years, Archbishops have granted Vicairs the power to appoint lay people to positions below Pastor without formally ordaining them. This practice was commonly done during the 1800s before the Council of Elders changed the Doctrines to allow married individuals to serve as Pastors.
Archaic Titles
The following list are titles that show up within older versions of the Doctrine of the Tomes, but are no longer used in the modern Church
- Head Bishop - old name for Archbishop.
- Head Elder - old name for Arch Elder.
- Bishop-in-waiting - old third in command title before the Archbishop was an elected position. The last time the title was used was 1634 before the assassination of Archbishop Michael VI by the hands of his Bishop-in-waiting.
- Head Shaman - pre-reformation title for Elder
- Elder Pastor - pre-reformation title used to describe a Pastor who had been ordained for nearly 30 years, but had never obtained the title Shaman. Was last used ceremoniously to honor Pastor Hector Toriun after his impressive 70 year career as a Pastor before dying in 1989.
Branches of Church of Xathos
Alkari Church
Le Main branch of Xathosi. Directly lead by the Archbishop in Eternatus, Eternatus Island, Alksearia.
Ursine Church
In 1988, the Ursine Church split from the Central Church over disagreements over the Archbishopric. In a controversial move, the College of Elders voted to deny the writ of nomination from King Eldras V, allowing the College to elect a member themselves. Two candidates eventually came to be: the now-Archbishop Rhea III and High Elder Vorg’rath Tel’kum. After an unprecedented 10 rounds of voting, Archbishop Rhea was named the new Archbishop. The Balistrian Church took offense as High Elder Tel’kum had been around for longer, and had served on the previous Archbishop’s council. The Ursine Church declared itself sovereign from the Alkari Church, and instituted their own Archbishop. The Ursine Church only has a following within Balistria, however, recent tensions between Balistria and Alksearia have resulted in the Ursine Church starting to decline.
In late 2019, the Ursine College of Bishops voted on a resolution to bring themselves back into full communion with the Alkari Church. The vote failed 88-89, with the Archbishop casting his first vote within the college. A similar resolution was brought up in August 2020, however, the resolution was never brought for a full vote as the College was placed on an indefinite hiatus due to recent political events in Balistria. The Ursine Church is expected to return to session on January 1st, 2021, but may come back earlier.
Theology
-Xathos, also denoted at the Pantocrator, is the Creator
-There are a minor deities referred to as the Spirits, and are stylized as Saints.
-Small centers of worships are referred to as "Temples" and a seat of an Elder is a Cathedral. The Seat of the Archbishop is in an Arch Cathedral.
-Temples are named after their Patron Spirit. Cathedrals are styled after Xathos or their various natures.
-The Alkari Communion is the main Communion for the Church of Xathos.