Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church
| Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church | |
|---|---|
| የከምበሳን ኦርቶዶክስ ናዝራዊ ቤተ አሚታይያኒ | |
 The tau cross is the most common symbol of the Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church | |
| Classification | Sarpetic |
| Orientation | Miaphysitism |
| Scripture | Old and New Treasuries |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Governance | Episcopal triumviate |
| Archbishop of Bet Kebur | Jon Beriberē |
| Archbishop of Me'lewa | Yonatan Ch'ewi |
| Archbishop of Zema | Mīka'ēl Komit'at'ē |
| Region | Kembesa, East Scipia |
| Language | She'dje |
| Liturgy | Coptic |
| Headquarters | Yek’idisiti Šilasē Cathedral Azwa, Degama, Kembesa |
| Founder | Saint Kaleb Yohoni |
| Origin | 358 CE K'idanibesa, present-day Degama |
| Members | 26.3 million |
| Clergy |
|
| Hospitals | 22 |
| Primary schools | 678 |
| Secondary schools | 339 |
The Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church (Kembesan: Ye'kemibesani Oritodokisi Nazirawī Bēte Āmītayiyanī) is a Nazarist denomination and state religion in Kembesa. While officially bound within the borders of Kembesa, the Church is in communion with other Orthodox and Coptic denominations, including the Perateian Ecumenical Church. The Church also claims communion with the Holy See in Fabria, though this is disputed by the latter.
Within Kembesa, the Orthodox Nazarist Church exerts a great deal of authority, both officially and unofficially. According to tradition and codified in the 1948 Constitution, the Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church is the state religion of Kembesa and of all Kembesans. Local parishes may also directly influence the customary laws of their area, specifically moral and sumptuary laws. The Church also exerts unofficial influence in the governance of the state as one of the three archbishops is customarily appointed to an executive position in the monarch's cabinet.
Unlike most Nazarist denominations which operate with a single primate at the head, the three archbishops of Bet Kebur, Me'lewa, and Zema collectively govern the Church as a triumvirate. In practice, whichever archbishop is customarily appointed by the monarch benefits from informal deference within the Church hierarchy.
History
The Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church has a long institutional history, dating over a millennium and a half from its founding. Much of the Church's history is intertwined with the history of the state, though the power of the Church has fluctuated relative to that of the monarch through time. The Church has also had a major impact in determining Kembesa's relations with its largely heathen neighbours as well as other Nazarist denominations.
Origins
The Church was officially founded in 358 CE by Saint Kaleb Yohoni, who ruled what was then known as K'idanibesa as Kaleb I, the country's first Nazarist monarch. Much of Saint Kaleb's reign was preoccupied with the unification of Kembesa, conquering the kingdoms of Yebwi and M'bala from his base in present-day Degama before further expanding into the arid north. Saint Kaleb nominally led the early Church himself, appointing bishops and priests in newly conquered regions and overseeing the forcible conversion of many.
Saint Kaleb's successor, Kaleb II, oversaw the appointment of the first archbishops in the country, one for each of the three constituent regions, seated in Bet Kebur, Me'lewa, and Zema. The precise mechanism of the appointment of the archbishops is uncertain. It is possible that the administrative body of the Church proposed the three candidates, that each of the three candidates pursued their own elevation by political means, or that their appointments were ordained as the final commandments of Saint Kaleb. Subsequent appointments have been made through the Church's internal hierarchy, with some interventions on behalf of the monarch.
Following the reigns of the first Nazarist monarchs, the Church matured rapidly as an institution, developing its rites and traditions from foreign examples and conclaves, but also adapting liturgy to suit local customs. Primary influences on Kembesan traditions include the Perateian Ecumenical Church and Coptic Nazarism. Despite eccentricities, the Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church remained in communion with its foreign contemporaries.
For many, the Church was the major interface between noble and common life. Over subsequent centuries, the Church and the nobility fell into their respective roles. The church had de facto powers of governance at a local level by policing sumptuary and moral laws in addition to advising the rasochi (dukes) on spiritual matters in their estates. The monarch had little formal authority over the Church but had a divine mandate which superseded the temporal authority of the Church. In practice, the monarch held influence over the Church through his own spiritual advisor, though the balance of this relationship has varied through history.
Schism
The Siriwang eruption of 1353 CE led directly to the destruction of the Tahamaja Empire which had dominated the Ozeros for half a millennium. Regarded as heathens and rivals to the Kingdom of Kembesa, the monarch of the time, Gidon XII, is said to have called upon the heavens to create such a disaster. The eruption was then seen in Kembesa as a miracle, leading the episcopal triumvirate to beatify King Gidon XII and, upon the discovery of a second alleged miracle, canonize him as a living saint.
Neither the Holy See in Fabria nor the Perateian Ecumenical Church recognized the canonization of Saint Gidon. The former regarded it as a heretical power grab and, once the news had reach Fabria in 1354, Pope John IX excommunicated Gidon XII and the Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church as one of his final acts before passing away in September of the same year. The episcopal triumvirate refused to recognize the severing of communion between the two churches and ostensibly ignored John IX's ruling. Future generations of Kembesan primates would even go on to regard the papacy of John IX as annuled, ignoring other bulls issued during his tenure.
The effect of the schism on Kembesa-Latium relations was minor due in part to existing antagonism between the Fabrian Papacy and the Emperor at the time. Relations with the nearest fellow Nazarist stronghold in the region, Perateia were more strained by the Church's rogue actions. However, the Perateian Ecumenical and Kembesan Orthodox churches reconciled in the latter years of Saint Gidon's reign as the Kingdom of Kembesa became increasingly embattled with the invasion of Ihemod from the west.
Modern history
Relationships
The Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church officially has open relations with three major Nazarist churches: the Fabrian Catholic Church, the Perateian Ecumenical Church, and the Coptic Church. Other Sarpetic religions are typically regarded as heretical. Officially condemned faiths include the Aletheic Church, the Alban Laura, and the Docetic Academy. The Church disregards a number of Sarpetic or pseudo-Sarpetic faiths including Kirizyuntupao in addition to a number of smaller, regional faiths.
Since 1354 CE, the Fabrian See has considered the communion between the two Churches officially severed. However, the episcopal triumvirate of the Kembesan Church has continually disregarded the schism. Despite these differences, geopolitical and moral considerations have ensured the maintenance of some positive relations between the two organizations. At present, the topic of the schism is taboo in discussions between officials from each church. Within the Fabrian Church, the canonization of Gidon XII remains a point of concern and Church edicts do not contemplate Kembesa.
Distinctive traits
Structure
Legal status
The 1948 Constitution officially guarantees freedom of religion in Kembesa. Despite this, the Kembesan Orthodox Nazarist Church exerts customary control over the law and government of Kembesa. The customary roles include the administration of sumptuary and moral codes in addition to influencing on the executive functions of the government in an advisory capacity.
Kembesan statutory law, both pre-constitution and post-constitution, makes frequent reference to Nazarist faith. Notably, the 1855 Elect Edict of Evangelism effectively abolished slavery within Kembesa. The edict was based on religious law banning slavery of Nazarists and extended protections to non-Nazarists as potential future converts.
The structure of the Kembesan legal system has traditionally allowed the Church to enforce canon law and Church edicts on the general population. In the country's constitutional framework, this is enabled by a number of cut-outs and purposeful constitutional gaps, with the Church's continued administration occupying a legal grey area.