Sotirianity

An artist's depiction of the Crucifixion of Jesus, a major event in Sotirianity. The Cross became an important symbol of Sotirianity.

Sotirianity is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus, who is considered the Son of God and as Sotiras. It is the most practiced religion in the world with over 1.5 billion adherents, known as Sotirians, comprising over 30% of the world's population. Its beliefs and practice varies considerably between its many different denominations, but most generally hold that Sotirias preached, was executed on a cross, and rose from the dead to redeem mankind from transgressions merited through original sin.

Sotirianity emerged from Atudism during and after the life of Jesus, around two millennia ago, in modern day Tsabara in the Solarian Empire. In the first century, conflict between Jesus's principal followers, the twelve apostles, and his self-proclaimed son Ezekiel resulted in the split of early Sotirian communities, which came known as the Great Schism. Thus from Sotirian the apostolic church and the Brethren Church, which existed in Bahia and in isolated communities before being largely repressed in the fourth century. The church of the apostles, continued through their sucessors known as bishops, was persecuted throughout the Solarian Empire, yet grew and spread in spite of persecution until they eventually became the state religion of the late Empire. Other groups during this time also claimed to be Sotirian in origin, such as the Eclectism, also existed, but were considered as heresy by many bishops. In the following centuries, major controversies over the nature of Sotirias would cause conflict in the Church, leading to several ecumenical councils of bishops from all over Sotirianity, which led to the development of conciliar Creeds, or statements of belief, which would prove definitive in the solidification of mainline Sotirian dogma. Disputes over spiritual authority and theological and liturgical practice between the Churches in Eastern Euclea and Western Euclea began to develop and manifest themselves throughout the later centuries. In the fourteenth century, the division became entrenched during the Iconoclast Crisis, which saw the Episemialist Church seperate from the Solarian Catholic Church in the Lesser Schism in 1385. In the sixteenth century, the Amendist Reaction would see Solarian Sotirianity divided once more, causing bloodshood and political conflict throughout northern Euclea, with Amendism become a prominent branch of Sotirianity. Sotirianity would spread to much of the rest of the world during the rise of colonialism, where it was introduced by Euclean colonisers to native or slave populations, and has also spread through missionary work. In the modern era, other branches of Sotirianity or syncretic religions with Sotirian elements arose, such as Sapientianism.

Sotirianity was a major source of cultural and intellecutal development in Euclea and around the world, being instrumental in the development of philosophy, education, art, music, architecture, and health care. It continues to remain a prominent religion in many nations and is growing in certain geographic areas of Bahia and Coius, although its influence has been readily declining in traditionally Sotirian Euclea. The four largest branches of Sotirianity are Solarian Catholicism, followed by Episemialism, then Amendism, and lastly the Brethren Church.

Etymology

"Sotirianity" is based on the word "Sotiras", which is the epithet attached to Jesus, coming from the Ancient Piraean σωτήρ ("soter") and meaning "saviour", in recognition of the belief that Jesus Sotiras redeemed humanity by his death.

History

Sotirianity was and is.

Early Sotirianity and the Great Schism

 • Most Sotirians hold historically that Sotirias preached, suffered, died, rose again, ascended.
 • After the ascension, conflict between the twelve Apostles and Ezekiel.

The Twelve Apostles

Of Sotirias' followers, the principal there were a group of twelve Apostles, also called the "Twelve", who were tasked with spreading the Gospel to all nations. Traditional branches of Sotirianity hold them to be the authorities of the early Church from which Bishops and priests are descended from, forming a continuity with the earliest Church called Apostolic sucsession. Peter was held to be their principal leader, but it is disputed whehter or not his successors deserve more than mere symbolic pride of place. After the Amednist reaction, Amendist scholars tend to lessen their distinction from the other elders of the early Church, and downplay the authority of Peter's successors. One of the original twelve, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Sotirias and committed suicide, but was soon replaced in his office by Matthias. In addition to the Twelve, a thirteenth apostle, Paul, was an important missionary in the early Church who was the first apostle to really journey to Euclea, branching out from the Atudite community towards the other. Much of the details surrounding the early church are hard to verify historically, so much of the details about the apostles outside of the Holy Scriptures falls to sacred tradition, recorded in the table below.

Image	Apostle	Apostolic Sees	Notes
	Simon Peter	Solaria	Brother of Andrew. Considered the leader of the Apostles and the head of the early Church; traditionally said to have been martyred head downwards in Solaria in the between 64-68.
	James the Great	Adunis, Santiago Réquiescia	Son of Zebedee, brother of John, leader of the Church in Adunis. Martyred by decapitation as is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. According to tradition, his remains are buried in Paretia at the city of Santiago Réquiescia, Vicisa.
	John	!Ephesus?, Istros	Son of Zebedee, brother of James. Traditionally held to be the writer of the Gospel of John, three Epistles and the Book of Revelation. Preached in Piraea before being exiled from the Empire to the city of Istros. The only Apostle traditionally held not to suffer martyrdom, on account of his presence during the Crucifixion of Jesus.
	Andrew	Arciluco	Brother of Peter, also called the First-Called, traditionally held to have preached in Piraea and Amathia. Held to have been martyred on a crux decussata.
	Philip	?	Evangelized all throughout the cities of modern Tsabara, and later martyred by crucifixion.
	Bartholomew	Qufeira? Balad Kafin?	Traditionally identified as Nathaniel in the Fourth Gospel. Evangelized and in northern Zorasan, was martyred by being flayed alive.
	Matthew	?	A former tax collector, held to be the writer of the Gospel of Matthew, which was targeted to the Atudite community he was preaching. Later journeyed to Etruria and was martyred by decapitation.
	Thomas	?	Travelled to Satria and founded Sotirian communities there.
	James the Less	?	Evangelized and martyred in Paretia by being beaten to death.
	Jude Thaddeus	?	Evangelized in modern Nise and Sohar. Beheaded with an axe.
	Simon	?	Evangelized in modern Behera. Martyred by being being sawn in half.
	Matthias	?	Selected by the Apostles to fill the place of Judas Iscariot. Evangelized in modern Gaullica, later martyred in Estmere.
	Paul	Solaria, Montecara, many others	Not one of the original Twelve, he first persecuted Sotirians before later converting and becoming one. The first apostle to leave Coius to preach to the Euclean portions of the Solarian Empire, he was an instrumental figure in the early Church and an important writer of most of the books in the New Testaments. He came and preached to many of the cities throughout Piraea, Etruria, Emessa and even Montecara, establishing many Churches on multiple journeys. Was later taken to Solaria and martyred in close proximity with Peter.

Denominations

There are many varieties of Sotirianity, typically divided organisationally, and each claiming to be the true successor to the original church established to uphold Sotirianity. One of the oldest, and the largest, is the Solarian Catholic Church, led by the Pope. Other main divisions of the religion include the Episemialist Church, which does not have a central authority like Catholicism, thus being divided into Patriarchates, foremost among which is the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Arciluco. Amendism is a name for those churches which seceded from the Catholics in the mid second millennium CE, seeking to amend their doctrine and practices; there are many Amendist churches of wide variance, including the Church of Azmara and the Church of Caldia. There is also the Brethren Church, mainly active in Satucin.