Sarpetic religions
The Sarpetic Religions are a groups of religions centered around the worship of the Monotheist God of Yeshwa-Amitai, a Samaritan preacher active in modern day Sydalon during the early 1rst century CE and who was crucified by the Latin authorities and the Samaritan High Priest on Mount Ebal near Sydalon City. Its life and teachings serve as the core of all Sarpetic Religions' doctrines. They all share the belief that Yeshwa-Amitai was the Anointed One (Messiah) and the Redeemer (Taheb).
Sarpetic faiths began as a network of Samaritan sects with more or less ties to one another known as the Original Sarpetism. it was an extremely heterogenous movement which nonetheless managed to spread throughout the Latin Empire, despite initial persecution, and thus throughout the Periclean world, East Scipia, and West Ochran.
Sarpetic Religions remain very diverse in beliefs, doctrines, and organisation. Since the proclamation of the Fabrian Catholic Church as the state religion of the Latin Empire in 372 CE, it has become customary to divide the Sarpetic faiths between the Christian branch and the Nazarene branch. Sarpetic religions maintaining the denomination of Christian include the Fabrian Church alongside the Mesogeian Apostolic Church, the Perateian Ecumenical Church, the Honorian Catholic Church, as well as the galaxy of Protestant faiths. On the other hand, Nazarism include faiths who never accepted the doctrinal canons of the Fabrian Church and these include the Aletheic Church, Alban Nazarism,Tyreseian Coptic Church, and Docetic Nazarism. A number of other religions claim ties to both branches such as the Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church which, despite being often categorized as "Nazarist", also claim to be in communion with the Fabrian Holy See and the Perateian Ecumenical Church.
Etymology
The expression of Sarpetic Religion is mostly used in a scholastic, descriptive manner. It is so named after the birthplace of Yeshwa-Amitai: the city of Sarpeta in Sydalon.
The etymology of Christianism is simple enough and well documented. "Christ" is the greek translation of the hebraic Messiah and early non-Samaritan communities began referring to themselves as "Followers of the Christ" which evolved from there into Χρῑστῐᾱνισμός: "Khrīstiānismós".
Nazarism has a more obscure origin. A common folk etymology is that it comes from ne·tser (נֵ֫צֶר, n-ts-r), meaning 'branch', 'flower', or 'offshoot'. The term could have then been used either as an exonym or endonym to denote the Nazarists as belonging to an 'offshoot' of the original Samaritan religion. Alternatively, the name might have been used as a title to Amitai to refer to his supposed royal lineage dating back to Yishai. 'Nazar' would then mean "Successor", "Inheritor" of the ancient kings. Both Nazareans and Christians would then have a similar meaning of 'Followers of Yeshwa-Amitai'.