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Tyreseian Coptic Church
The Most Holy Coptic Church of the Nazarenes | |
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Classification | Non-Nicaean |
Orientation | Miaphysitism |
Polity | Presbyterian |
Leaders | Presbyter Princeps Zephyrinus Victor I Rector Princeps Paul XXIII |
Founder | Saint Paul (traditional) Saint Alban of Vigueria (traditional) Saint Euphrosynos of Adrianople |
Origin | 1st century Tyreseia |
Members | 18 million (official records) |
The Tyreseian Coptic Church or Nazarene Copts, officially the Most Holy Coptic Church of the Nazarenes or simply Coptic Nazarism is a Sarpetic religion, operating as a distant offshoot of the Alban church. The faith is named after the now-abandoned Hellenic settlement of Kóptos; this town is taught by Church tradition to be its birthplace following the arrival of Saint Euphrosynos of Adrianople. Working from a Gnostic interpretation of the Two Treasures, Euphrosynos preached a wholly dualistic vision of Yeshua and of the Godhead that quickly took root in the communities of modern-day Tyreseia and other fringes of the Alban world. Diverging from St. Alban's vision of a purely monastic polity, Euphrosynos created a largely presbyterian structure that survives nearly unchanged to this day.
Still a largely Gnostic faith, the Coptic Church adopted elements of esoterism and mysticism over the centuries as part of a central belief that active pursuit of knowledge, especially through invention and exploration of the cosmos, brings the faithful closer to the Unbegotten and hastens the onset of the End Times. Despite this, Coptic monastic orders and societies exist, though they are not as numerous or as prominent as they were in their heyday.
At present, the vast majority of Copts live in Tyreseia, though smaller communities exist across the Periclean basin and elsewhere.
Principal Beliefs
The Coptic church believes in a proto-heavenly realm known as the Pleroma, ruled over by a supreme being known variously as the Monad, Godhead, God, or YHWH. The Pleroma, or fullness, serves as the realm of the Monad, as well as of various lesser spiritual entities known as Aeons and Archons. In the beginning, the Monad created these Archons, including Sophia and the Demiurge. In breaking with Alban teachings, Coptic traditions maintain these two as lovers or perhaps even spouses, though modern teachings leave this issue deliberately vague. Regardless, it is taught that the Demiurge and Sophia jointly created all of the physical Creation, with the Demiurge, sometimes ignorant of the Monad and sometimes in defiance of him, creating all that is evil and decadent in the world. Sophia, meanwhile, created all that could be spiritual in the world, creating paths to salvation through all that can be considered good. She had to hide these ideas and concepts behind esoteric rites and knowledge, however, due to her lesser power compared to the Demiurge and out of fear of his power. Some of these truths were left to humanity through the ages in the process described in the Old Testament, but this eventually proved insufficient to save the souls of the trapped from the Demiurge's corruption.
Later, as humanity continued its fall into wickedness, Sophia and the Monad conspired against the Demiurge and sent the Aeon known on earth as Yeshua-Amitai to Earth to spread new doctrines of salvation to the people.
History
Founding stuff
By the time of the Xth century, the Coptic Church had solidified its position in a post-Latin Periclean region, with the Presbyter Princeps establishing a primary see in the city of Tyria while the Rector Princeps established administrative headquarters in the city of Gadir. With the collapse of the hostile, Fabrian Catholic-leaning Latin Empire, the Coptic Church was suddenly free to grow and expand.
Organization
Interfaith Relations
Bactria
Kingdom of Bactria Βάχλο (Bactrian) | |
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Capital | Eucratideia |
Religion | Manichaeism |
Demonym(s) | Bactrian |
Government | Unitary constitutional monarchy under a de facto military dictatorship |
• King | Antimachus IV Soter |
• President of His Majesty's Most Holy Council of Rule | General Diodotos Basileios |
Legislature | Boule (unicameral) |
Establishment | |
• Arrival of the Hellenes | 200s BCE |
Currency | Bactrian drachma (BCD) |
Time zone | UTC+7? (Western Ochran Time) |
Date format | dd/mm/yyyy (CE) |
Driving side | right |
Internet TLD | .bc |