Church of Ebrary

Reformed Apostolic Orthodox Church of Ebrary
Cathedral de Ceres
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Ebraricist
Theology	Reformed Orthodox
Polity	Episcopal
Governor-Primate	Marco Justio
Language	Ebrarese
Headquarters	Cathedral de Ceres, Ceres, Ebrary
Origin	698 (autocephaly declared)
Separated from	Orthodox communion (1502)
Absorbed	Free Reformed Church of Ebrary (1940)
Separations	Parishism (1500s) Free Reformed Church of Ebrary (1895) Orthodox Aroman Church in Ebrary (1939) Ebrarian Orthodox Catholic Church (1940)
Other name(s)	Church of Ebrary Ebraricist Church

The Church of Ebrary (Ebrarese: ), also commonly called the Ebraricist Church (Ebrarese: Ecclesia Ebraricista) with members of the church generally denoted as Ebraricists (Ebrarese: Ebraricistas), is a Reformed Orthodox Christian church which is the state church and national church of Ebrary. As Ebrary's longest-lasting functioning institution, it has played an important role in the history and development of the Ebrarian nation. The bishop of Ceres is the most senior cleric, supreme governor, and chief pastor of the church. It traces its origins to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Aroman-speaking colonies of Ebrary in the 5th-century. The church is headquartered in the historic Cathedral of Ceres in the Ebrarian capital of Ceres and officially calls itself the Reformed Apostolic Orthodox Church of Ebrary, a name which it adopted after the Ebrarian Reformation.

Due to its history, the Ebraricist Church views itself as respecting unbroken apostolic succession from the apostles. The church considers itself as Reformed, Apostolic, and Orthodox. In 1939, the Adherentes Antiquate factions of the Church of Ebrary split and formed the Orthodox Aroman Church in Ebrary and the Ebrarian Orthodox Catholic Church. The Church of Ebrary is not in communion with any of the mainstream Orthodox churches.

History

Pre-Reformation

Christianity arrived in Ebrary in the 5th century, during which time Ebrary was colonized by Aromans. The first church was built in Ceres under the orders of Marcus Ebraius, namesake of Ebrary.

Before the Ebrarian Reformation, the Ebrarian church was headed solely by the Bishop of Ceres while in communion with other Orthodox Christian churches. In the late 600s, the Bishop of Ceres successfully established the autocephalous Orthodox church in Ebrary in response to the triumph of iconoclasm in the Aroman Empire. The Ebrarian church maintained the usage of icons and broke communion with the Enlightened Aroman Church, but did not acknowledge the primacy of Pope Calrissius who was driven from Arome to Salvia. Due to this history, iconoclasm never took hold in Ebrary to any notable degree until the Ebrarian Reformation.

After the formation of the Vorstish Kingdom of Ebrary in 780, the state and church became more heavily intertwined. The kings of Ebrary and Vorstland were crowned by the Bishop of Ceres until Ebrary gained independence and rule by a native dynasty in 1099. Thenceforth, the Orthodox church in Vorstland declared itself to be an autocephalous Orthodox church in its own right and independent of the Ebrarian church. This Vorstish Orthodox Church was not recognized by the Bishop of Ceres until 1204, causing a schism and lack of communion between the two churches up until that date despite broad doctrinal and liturgical agreement.

In 1502, King Charles 'the Greedy' declared himself head of the church in Ebrary in order to expropriate church lands and wealth for the use of the Ebrarian state. d himself head of the church in Ebrary in order to expropriate church lands and wealth for the use of the Ebrarian state. Charles removed from office Carolo Justo, the Bishop of Ceres and head of the Ebrarian Church. In his place Charles unilaterally appointed Cosmo Guerra as Bishop of Ceres, a close supporter of the king and staunch adherent to an anthropomorphic view of God. The highly irregular nature of the new bishop's appointment and his open support of heresy caused a break in communion with other autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches. Discontentment with the state of the church ultimately led the priest August Roel to publish his "Proposal for Amending the Church" in Miron in 1513, which led to the Ebrarian Reformation.

Ebrarian Reformation

Main article: Ebrarian Reformation

The Ebrarian Reformation itself is said to have lasted from 1513 to 1567 or 1578 (variously dated as ending either with the appointment of Eduardo Puteos as Bishop of Ceres or the closing of the last monasteries). The church, stripped of much of its wealth and power and operating under a series of incompetent monarchs, styled itself "Orthodox and Catholic under Monarchical rule". Various acts of vandalism occurred performed by iconoclasts in many Ebrarian cathedrals and churches of the era. Church attendance dramatically lowered as a large number of Ebrarians began following the teachings of the Ebrarian reformers. The Church in this era, no longer considered Orthodox but not yet Reformed, is termed by Church historians as the "Dark Era of the Ebrarian Church". Secular historians have termed this era with the more neutral term "Transitionary Period".

Jon Gallesa, an early associate of August Roel and parish priest in Laverna Province, was an important early reformer in the Ebrarian Church. Gallesa wrote multiple theological works supporting the theology of the Reformation and gained a following among the lower nobility and other priests sympathetic to the Reformation. However, Roel and Gallesa had a falling out after 1518 when Roel established the first independent Parishist church. Gallesa himself supported reform within the Ebrarian Church, and was burned at the stake for his beliefs by the Church establishment in 1526. However, Gallesa's teachings went on to significantly impact Eduardo Puteos who became Bishop of Ceres in 1567.

However, in 1567 the Vorstish King Gustav II took the throne and instituted a number of reforms to the church, installing new bishops, and bringing the church more theologically aligned with the new view. This effectively ended any pretense of the Church of Ebrary being an Orthodox church, although a large faction sympathetic to the old ways continued to exist in the church until the 20th century.

First era as a national church

Ebraricist Reformation

The Ebraricist Reformation immediately succeeded the Ebrarian Reformation, seeing the fragmented and weakened Church of Ebrary be reformed into a theologically coherent and politically potent state church. The Ebraricist Reformation is viewed by the Church of Ebrary as the fulfillment of the Reformation in Ebrary. With the installation of Eduardo Puteos as Bishop of Ceres by King Gustav II in 1568, the Ebrarian Church finally was under the control of a Reformation-minded primate. With the support of the King, Bishop Puteos instituted reforms to scale back the corruption which had plagued the Church of Ebrary, and elevated Protestant-oriented theologians to positions of leadership. Between 1572 - 1578 the monasteries, convents, and holy orders, already weakened significantly, were disbanded and their wealth and lands appropriated by either the diocesian bishops or the crown.

19th-century Ebraricism

In 1895, the Free Reformed Church of Ebrary broke away from the Church of Ebrary due to theology and liturgy which were felt by those leaving to not adhere to Protestant beliefs.

Disestablishment, reorganization, and merger

The Church of Ebrary was disestablished in 1935 after the Ebrarian Revolution established a liberal democracy. In 1939, the iconoclastic Adherentes Antiquate faction (Persistas) of the Church of Ebrary split and formed the Orthodox Aroman Church in Ebrary in order to join the Aroman Church. In early 1940, the iconodulist Adherentes Antiquate (Eccetistas) split to form the Ebrarian Orthodox Catholic Church. In late 1940, the Free Reformed Church merged back with the Church of Ebrary.

Second Kingdom of Ebrary

The Church of Ebrary was again granted official status, as the "predominant religion", by the Constitution of the 2nd Kingdom of Ebrary. Unlike previous eras, full freedom of religion was granted to all Ebrarians with the status of the Church being relegated to largely ceremonial roles. Dissatisfaction with this arrangement grew within conservative factions of the Church, which had supported the reestablishment of the monarchy and expected the new monarch to return Ebrary more closely to the pre-Republican status quo.

Since the Ebrarian Revolution

The Ebrarian Revolution was led by Ebraricist priests, particularly Sovereign Protector Daniel Lucas, and has supported the government since the revolution. The Constitution of Ebrary guaranteed the church is able to appoint members in both the Senate and the High Ecumenical Council and reinstituted it as the official and national church of Ebrary. The church also recieves a great deal of funding from the government's church tax, and has generally supported the political status quo.

Organization

The Ebraricist Church adheres to an episcopal polity, with an ordained hierarchy of bishops, priests and deacons. The Bishop of Ceres heads the entirety of the church, with subordinate bishops heading each diocese which correspond roughly to the provinces of Ebrary.

Male graduates of church seminaries are ordained as deacons, then eventually as priests. It is permitted for deacons to marry after their ordination, but not priests or bishops. Priests, however, may be married before their ordination as priests. Unmarried priests who have taken an optional vow of celibacy may be eligible for appointment as bishops and other higher church offices. Women may take vows as a ministrant (servant) for their local church, but they are not ordained. Due to the influences of the Ebrarian Reformation, monastic or holy orders do not exist in the Ebraricist Church.

Governor-Primate

Supreme authority over the Ebraricist Church is vested in the Bishop of Ceres, whose official offices include both Governor of the Lord's Church in Ebrary and Bishop of Ceres. Since the disestablishment of the church, the Bishop of Ceres and the church's governor have been the same individual (previously, the Ebrarian monarch held the office of Governor). As Governor, the Bishop of Ceres appoints subordinate bishops and other church officials and is in charge of the financial and other temporal holdings of the church. As bishop, the Bishop of Ceres influences church theology, liturgy, and worship. The Bishop of Ceres is considered the President of the State Synod, a body created by the most recent Ebrarian Constitution which exercises legislative, judicial, and religious powers.

Selection of a new bishop

Historically, the Ebrarian monarch appointed a new bishop of Ceres on the death, resignation, or removal of a prevous bishop. Due to the lack of a separate individual as Governor of the Church of Ebrary and Bishop of Ceres, the current Bishop maintains a council known as a "Regency Council" who serve to select a new bishop when needed. This Regency Council exercises the powers of the Governor of the church concerning removing and replacing the Bishop of Ceres. The Regency Council generally comprises the heads of dioceses, as well as other prominent priests and theologians in the Ebraricist church.

Official titles of the Governor-Primate

While commonly referred to by the term Governor-Primate, the official list of titles of the Bishop of Ceres is:

Bishop of Ceres, Governor of the Lord's Church in Ebrary, Patriarch and Primate of All Ebrary, Preserver of the Ebrarian Reformation, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Ceresian Province, President of the State Synod.

Hierarchical and grographic structure

Ecclesiastically, the Church of Ebrary is organized in a hierarchical structure with the lowest level of organization being a single church (known as a parish) headed by a priest. All parishes in a geographical area usually belong to a particular diocese, although special dioceses may have parishes in multiple or overlapping geographical areas. A diocese is governed by a bishop. The diocese of Ceres is notable as being under the direct control of the Bishop of Ceres (head of the Church of Ebrary).

Holy Synod

The Ebrarian Holy Synod is a council of all diocesian bishops in the church of Ebrary, presided over by the Bishop of Ceres. The Holy Synod generally meets twice per year and may overrule decisions made by the Bishop of Ceres. The Holy Synod may also make decisions of its own accord. The Holy Synod may also reject or approve a new Bishop of Ceres nominated by the Regency Council. The Holy Synod has its origins in the pre-Reformation era.

Regency Council

The Regency Council is a subset of the Holy Synod which convenes the seven most senior diocesian bishops to nominate a new Bishop of Ceres, which then must be approved by the Holy Synod. The Regency Council has its origins in the era after the Ebrarian Reformation when the monarch was the governor of the Church and could nominate a new Bishop. After the disestablishment of the Church with the close of the Ebrarian Civil War, the monarch was no longer able to select a new Bishop of Ceres. So, the concept of a Regency Council (holding power in lieu of the monarch) to exercise this power was established.

State Synod

The State Synod was formed after the Ebrarian Revolution per the new Ebrarian Constitution, composed of 12 Ebrarian bishops which serve for one term on a rotating basis as well as the President of the State Synod. The State Synod is headed by the Bishop of Ceres whom serves as President of the Synod. The church is funded by the national church tax, with funds distributed to each diocese based on the number of regularly attending church members.

The State Synod has governing authority and serves official judicial and legislative functions per the Ebrarian Constitution. Membership in the State Synod is held by those bishops which head one of the 12 major diocese as outlined in the Ebrarian Constitution.

President of the State Synod

The office of President of the State Synod is held by the Bishop of Ceres. The President serves as moderator of the State Synod in all its functions, as well as the executive head of the Synodical Offices.

Judicial functions

The State Synod governs the Religious Court system and also convenes as the court of final appeal for all cases in the system. The State Synod also appoints members of the lower Religious Courts and regulates said membership.

Legislative functions

The State Synod acts as the sole legislative body on matters of marriage, divorce, burials, inheritance, sexual relations, and the sabbath (blue laws). These laws are known as Synodical Edicts and are passed by a simple majority. Members of the State Synod are not permitted to caucus or affiliate based on political party membership. Synodical Edicts may be overturned by the Supreme Court of Ebrary if they are found to be legislating out of the State Synod's legislative jurisdiction, but the Supreme Court may not otherwise alter or overturn law within such jurisdiction.

Religious functions

The State Synod is granted specific powers including domestic and international missionary work funded by the church tax, certain charitable activities, and publishing of religious pamphlets and books, Bibles, and other educational materials. The State Synod is also tasked with the distribution of funds from the government's church tax to the various dioceses of the Ebraricists Church as well as to Christian minority groups such as the Parishists and Lamenters.

Synodical Offices

The Permanent Offices of the State Synod and under the direct executive control of the President of State Synod. The offices are;

• Office of Missionary Activity
  • Domestic Missionary Board
  • Worldwide Missionary Board
• Office of Finance
• Office of Charitable Activities
• Office of Publishing

Self-governing branches of Ebraricism

• Reformed Apostolic Orthodox Archdiocese of Insmerda
• Reformed Apostolic Orthodox Archdiocese of Argis Outside Ebrary
• Reformed Orthodox Church in Aromania and the Occident
• Reformed Orthodox and Ebraricist Church in Great Anglia (de facto autocephalous)
• Reformed Orthodox Church in Aurelia and Marenesia

Doctrine and practice

Two Ebraricist ministers wearing traditional vestments

The canon law of the Ebraricist Church identifies the Christian Bible as the source of its beliefs. Doctrine also derived from the writings of the Church Fathers and early leaders of the church in Ebrary and ecumenical councils, as long as these do not conflict with scripture. The doctrine of the Ebraricist Church is formulated in the Ebrarian Book of Devotion and Main Articles of Faith. Not actually adopted until 1950, the Main Articles of Faith serve as the Ebraricist confession of faith.

While embracing a reformed doctrine, the Ebraricist Church maintains certain traditions from the Orthodox church. The decisions of the early ecumenical councils are accepted, with belief in the trinity, resurrection, and incarnation being central.

The Church of Ebrary currently has three major factions of thought, which have coexisted for many centuries. The three strains of thought in the Church are the evangelical, traditionalist, and moderate factions.

Terminology

The term Ebraricist refers to a member of the Church of Ebrary or may also refer to a member of a church in full communion with this church. This denomination was historically the state church, with the full name of the Reformed Apostolic Orthodox Church of Ebrary. The Ebraricist movement has historically been a blend of Reformation views and Orthodox views, giving rise to the description of the Church's theology as "Reformed Orthodox". The term Reformed Orthodox has also been used at times to refer to churches in the same tradition as the Church of Ebrary which have not used the Ebraricist name, particularly among groups which have split from Ebraricism. These denominations still maintain the Reformed Orthodox theology and liturgy while not being part of the Ebraricist Church.

The second largest Reformed Orthodox denomination in Ebrary was the Free Reformed Orthodox Church, which explicitly described itself as a Reformed Orthodox church. This church eventually merged back with the Church of Ebrary.

"Orthodox, Apostolic, and Reformed"

The Ebraricist Church describes itself concurrently as Orthodox, Apostolic, and reformed.

• Orthodox, in that the church adheres to Christian orthodoxy (correct doctrine) while also considering itself as being part of the Orthodox tradition despite no longer being in communion with other Orthodox churches.
• Apostolic, in that it traces direct succession of clergy back to the apostles.
• Reformed, in that the Ebrarian Reformation altered the church's theology to be Protestant in orientation.

Scripture and tradition

Ecclesiology

The Ebraricists affirm belief in "the one true Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Universal Church" established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles, viewing their Church as constituting a branch of this true church. The Church of Ebrary claims to have carefully preserved Orthodox traditions in balance with Reformation doctrine. Ebraricist Christians regard the Christian Bible as a collection of inspired texts which are the primary source of religious knowledge; but the choices made in the compilation of the New Testament as having come from comparison with already firmly established faith.

Biblical authority and canon

Ebraricists are adherents of the doctrine of prima scriptura, where the Bible is considered the primary or first authority concerning divine revelation. The Church of Ebrary also continues to adhere to ancient Orthodox church traditions and teachings of the Church Fathers, unless these are considered contrary to scripture. Ebraricists believe that Holy tradition, the Holy Spirit, and reason may be appealed to as secondary sources of knowledge from God. However, they tend to reject charismatic gifts.

From the Ebraricist viewpoint, the New Testament and Tradition both are derived from the teachings of Christ as handed down by the early Church, with the Bible being the primary source of religious truths. Like the Orthodox, the Church of Ebrary believe that certain sections of Scripture, while containing moral lessons and complex truth, do not necessarily have to be interpreted literally. Ebraricists rely upon the writings of the Holy Fathers and the Ebrarian Reformers to provide a an accurate guide to the interpretation of Scripture. The Ebraricist canon is inherited from the Orthodox canon, being identical to that held by the various Orthodox churches. This is in contrast to the Protestant or Catholic canon which may differ in number of books.

The Reformed Orthodox Main Articles of Faith are considered an accurate formulation of the truths already inherent in the Bible and in sacred Tradition. The articles set forth, with references to the Bible and the writings of the Ebrarian Reformers and Church Fathers, set forth what the Reformed Orthodox believe in a series of statements.

Trinity and Christology

Ebrarcisits, like most Christians, are trinitarians who have a monotheistic view of God. God is triune but also one; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is composed of three distinct persons with one essence. They believe Christ is both fully God and fully human, and that he is the foretold Messiah of the Jews.

Justification and salvation

Ebraricists adhere to the doctrine of justification by faith alone and salvation by grace alone. Furthermore, Ebraricists identify with the idea of a covenant of grace, whereby those who have faith in God are granted eternal life by Him. They believe this has been the primary way God has interacted with humanity since the Fall of Man through the Old and New Testaments and into the current day. The Mosaic coventant is interpreted to be part of this covenant, rather than separate from the coventant of grace.

Predestination

The Ebraricists adhere to predestination and unconditional election, believing that whether or not a person will recieve salvation has already been predetermined by God.

Sacraments

Ebraricists believe in the sacraments of baptism, chrismation, the Eucharist, confession, anointing of the sick, and marriage. The Ebraricist Church does not believe that infants should be baptized, and only a person of sufficient age and maturity to accept Christ may be baptized. Chrismation and baptism are distinct sacraments in Ebraricist theology, although both take place concurrently. Ebraricists see the Eucharist as having the real spiritual presence of Christ, as opposed to the traditional Orthodox view.

Liturgy

The Ebraricist Church has adopted multiple forms of the Ebraricist liturgy (Ebraricist Rite) which blends Protestant and Orthodox liturgical practices, allowing for multiple modes of worship to coexist. There are currently three accepted forms of liturgy or worship in the church:

• King Gustav Prayer Book (1585): Currently the normative liturgy of the Ebraricist Church. This liturgical guide was a blend of Orthodox-style liturgy practiced by the church before this point and newer Protestant modes of worship. While Gustav II aligned the Church of Ebrary theologically with Protestantism, it was not until his successor Gustav III took power as Governor of the church that this prayer book was written and adopted.
• Special Prayer Book (1942): This prayer book was adopted as an adaptation of the liturgy of the Free Reformed Church, which was absorbed by the Ebraricist Church in 1940. This form of worship is currently in use in many congregations which were part of the Free Reformed Church, but it is prohibited from adoption in any new congregations.
• Simplified Prayer Guide (1975): This prayer book outlines a simplified and more flexible adaptation of the Ebraricist liturgy originating in the King Gustav Prayer Book. Meant to be a more "contemporary" version of the liturgy of the Ebraricist Church, it has been adopted by congregations which view the worship in the 1585 prayer book as too limiting or outdated. Currently, any priest may choose whether to adhere to the 1585 prayer book or the new 1975 guide.

Iconography

The Church of Ebrary allows both aniconism and iconodulism to coexist in its organization, while the church stands against explicit iconoclasm (destruction of icons). The bishop of a diocese is the sole authority to decide whether the usage of icons will be permitted in his diocese. A priest or bishop must not forbid communion to any baptized person in the church due to their position on icons, and this extends to those baptized in other churches the church is in communion with. The bishop and his diocese must must decide the locations and churches where icons are permitted. These regulations were formulated in the 18th century to unite the anti-icon and pro-icon factions of the Ebraricist community, and both factions have continued to exist with little incident since then. Currently, the Bishop of Ceres permits iconography in the Cathedral de Ceres, the headquarters of the Ebraricist Church. Iconodulism is most common in western and central Ebrary while aniconism predominates in eastern Ebrary.