Apostolic Church of Themiclesia

Apostolic Church of Themiclesia
Classification	Oriental Rite
Scripture	Bible (1470 translation)
Governance	Episcopal polity
Metropolitan Bishop	TBD
Language	Kyrian, Shinasthana
Liturgy	Oriental Rite
Origin	Late 1300s
Separations	Reformed (1670)
Members	492,400 (2019)
Church buildings	2,584
Hospitals	65
Secondary schools	14
Tax status	Taxable as non-profit
Tertiary institutions	2

The Apostolic Church of Themiclesia (震旦祝術, der-tan-twa-luts; lit. "Path of Themiclesian Rite") is an autonomous Christian church founded in the mid-14th century. It follows a rite that is most closely associated with Beniran but relatively distant to Sylvan, Kyrian, and Letnian Orthodox Rites.  The church's theology is derived from that of several Benirani sects that did not find favour in Vinya or Casaterra, which may have motivated its spread abroad. In Themiclesia, the church sometimes enjoyed royal patronage but at other times was subject to restriction.

It faced stern competition from missionaries of the Sylvan Church starting in the 16th century and those of the Anglican Church in the 17th. However, it was recognized as the most senior Christian denomination in Themiclesia on account of antiquity in 1712 by Emperor Gwits-men. The Church has lost followers to both other strands of Christianity and its internal schism in 1670 with the Reformed Church, which believed that monotheism was required by the Bible. In 2019, the Church has 492,400 registered members who make an annual donation, but regular churchgoers are thought to be fewer.

The Church is led by the Perpetual Sin Synod (辛亙會) since 1501, which ordains its own members and decides doctrinal, ecclesiastical, and pastoral questions. The Archbishop of Kien-k'ang is the senior bishop and automatic president of the Council, but his vote on the Council is equal to all other members.

History

Early success

The theologians Androcles of Andhanapratha and Sukhanura of Gasthana shipwrecked on the Themiclesian coast around 530, having been bound for Maverica. There, they were invited to the court of King Ngjon of Rjang and preached to him. Ngjon reportedly asked, "Is your god the god of your clan (乃室示) or of your city-state (乃邦示)?" Sukhanura replied, "He is the god of as many man that walks in your royal realm and any other realm, of kings and of paupers, and of men and of women." Ngjon then asked, "What do his worshippers obtain from him?" Androcles answers, "Our god redresses pains and sufferings. He gives the ill health, the hungry satisfaction, and the dying life." Ngjon was astounded by broad promises about the new god and ordered the Chief Justice to allocate premises and building materials that the theologians may "construct their temple, house their god, and perform worship" (作宗家厥示用祀).

In the funeral of King Ngjon in 540, Androcles and Sukhanura were commanded to read their god's spells during the Final Night of the pjuk ceremony (part of the royal funerary rites), joining the renowned 1,800 Buddhist clerics and 1,800 cult priests performing the same, to ward off decay from the king's body. It is unclear how the courtiers reacted to their spells. The two theologians agreed with the Chief Cleric (a Buddhist official at court) that half of the king's 20,000 slaves, who had toiled for years to construct his mausoleum, should be freed in memory of the king. Some became early converts in Themiclesia; the theologians told them, "serve your god like you have served your king." ′Jogh, the slave who accepted Ancrocles' order to fetch converts, was canonized as saint after his death.

Threats and tolerance

Androcles' and Sukhanura's early success met a setback when conservative courtiers deposed Ngjon's successor in 542 and installed Emperor Wŏn of Chŏllo as the new sovereign in 543. Because the theologians supported the wrong faction at court, they were severed from the new monarch's patronage. Maverican hostility to the weakened Themiclesian state only further caused doubt as to both the theologians' and the Buddhist clerics' allegiances, as it was clear they came from Maverica. The exiled Menghean emperor, crowned as Emepror Ngjon in 543, patronized the State Cult to emphasize his supremacy at the expense of both the Buddhists and Christians. Ngjon ordered that the Buddhists and Christians must sacrifice and read prayers to their gods for his benefit or be banished as polluting cults. In response, the dying Androcles and Sukhanura authored the Book of Doctrines (諸教) in 545 that officially declared:

我一以皇帝室顯有茲震旦列邦，皇帝首厥室，徹祭于祀惟邦政群祀不以灋皇帝尊。

It is our dogma that the house of Emperor is the legitimate royal house of Themiclesia, and the Emperor is the legitimate head of the House, and no sacrifice or ceremony for our god will ever diniminish the supremacy of the throne in all its politics and worships in Themiclesia.

Perhaps in response to good behaviour, the new ruler in 570 decreed toleration for both Buddhists and Christians, who were prohibited from 543 to convert buildings as houses of worship. This was not a significant problem for Buddhists, since there were already dozens of monasteries and convents, but there was a single church in Themiclesia founded by the two theologians. The first Christian patriarch of Themiclesia, declared with royal patronage in 572, inserted a new prayer into the liturgy to give thanks for the patronage and tolerance of the Themiclesian ruler, ostensibly as part of a policy to avoid conflicts.

For most of the 6th and 7th centuries, the number of followers is largely unknown, as they very rarely appear on official histories. However, in 701, the Church was apparently popular enough to warrant political intervention in the selection of its leaders.

Doctrine

The doctrine of the Church is set forth by first high priest that landed in Themiclesia as follows:

Female ordination

Since 1951, the Church has ordained female priests.

Secular authority

The Book of Doctrines state that God has appointed kings over the people that wields certain powers for good government, and it is a sin for the Church's followers to disobey laws created by Themiclesia's legitimate monarch, unless he has made it impossible continue the sacraments (禋).  The Old Testament, particularly Exodus 10:28, is emphasized for this reason, teaching that those who disobey their king will die, even if they professed faith in God and the king was a heathen. The Book of Doctrines provides that consequences for misrule can only come from God, and that any challenge by subjects towards their kings is treason.

Abortion

The Church is officially agnostic on the subject of abortions, except when a pregnant mother's life is threatened by the pregnancy, in which case it is "lawful and holy" to terminate the pregnancy.

Mosaic law

The Church professes that the laws of Moses were given by God to the holy people, and different laws have been given to Themiclesia and that Themiclesians become holy via the observance of the Ecumenal sacraments and thus eligible for salvation offered to the the holy people through the messiah Jesus Christ. Homosexuality, a common controversy amongst Themiclesian Christians, is thus not considered an sinful under CoT doctrine. However, the Church does maintain that Mosaic law continues to be applicable to the holy people, as this is their covenant with the demiurge god.

Views of other religion

The Church of Themiclesia views its doctrine as a derivative of that of the holy nation, made available to Themiclesians via the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, it is agnostic about the existence of other gods. In the Dogma of 1670, the Bishop of Kien-k'ang stated that, "our god the creator revealed himself to us through his son Christ, but we know he has revealed himself to the other nations in other names and persons; nor do we know how or if other gods have revealed themselves to their followers. It is the holy tradition that our god is the one who have made the world, have made mankind, and have given Jesus Christ for the salvation of the holy people and all that is holy according to the Gospel; it is not the holy tradition that no other god exists."

Over the issue of monotheism, the Reformed Church broke off in 1670, believing that the Old Testament denied the existence of different deities. The Old Church, on the other hand, provided that the Old Testament explicitly confirmed the existence of other gods and did not dispute their worship by the other nations. Furthermore, the bishops of the period believed that the so-called "idols" may also be manifestations of God to other nations, and it would be a sin instead to disrupt their worship.

Scripture

The Church of Themiclesia accepts the Old Testament and New Testament in their original languages to be valid theological documents that describe the origin of their religion. Translations are considered to be of secondary authority.

The current Church does not hold the Old Testament, particularly the Book of Genesis, to be a literal record of events. The point was made in 909 that the first verses of Genesis describes events prior to the creation of natural timepieces (i.e. the Sun and Moon) and thus the ability to describe events in terms of days, so the nature of Genesis is a record of the myths of the holy people, at the time these documents were written, and not of a description of events they or any human witnessed or experienced. Most of the events described in the Old Testament are thought to be allegorical or mythical by successive Themiclesian theologians.  

The church makes the distinction between the Gospel (嘉) and Scripture (經書), believing the Bible is able to convey the Gospel but is not the Gospel itself. They state in the Book of Doctrines that the Gospel is the belief of the Messiah and his mission to deliver the holy people from earthly pain and suffering and is ineffable in nature. Scholars have argued that this strict separation of Gospel and Scripture was necessitated by the difficulty to narrate the Scripture to a people that are culturally unknown to the setting in which it was written.

Sacraments

Ordinary Service

The ACT in its Book of Regulations requires a bishop or priest to be the official celebrant of the Ordinary Service, which is conducted with a unique version of the Oriental Rite. In common with many other traditions, it divides the service into two parts, the learning (覺, gruks) and sacrifice (事, dzreqs). The learning, at which all are welcome, "including all believers, atheists, and heretics alike" in the words of Archbishop Lyem (1911), focuses on the propagation and reinforcement of religious doctrine, by means of communal prayers, scriptural readings, and a homily delivered by the officiating priest. The sacrifice is organized as a spiritual recreation of the events of the Last Supper.

Government

The ACT is geographically organized into 4 ecclesiastical provinces, 32 dioceses and 4 archdioceses, and 2,930 parishes. Each ecclesiastical province is led by an archbishop, who is also the bishop of the local diocese. Dioceses which are not the archdiocese within each province is led by a bishop. Owing to the archbishop's leadership, their diocese is named an archdiocese, but for all intents and purposes they are similar to each other. Each diocese is composed of a number of parishes.  

• Archdiocese of Kien-k'ang
• Archdiocese of

Customs

The standard position for the congregation during service is standing, but it is not considered an offence to sit down occasionally. Prayers are generally said while kneeling. The congregation, as a rule, kneels after Epiclesis occurs, whereby the deity is believed to be physically present in the house of worship; kneeling continues until communion, which is distributed by the priest to the congregation at their places, rather than at the altar.

Language

The language of the early church was Kyrian, such as the practice of Maverican churches, but many terms have subsequently been translated into Maverican and Shinasthana. Today, services are offered in both Kyrian and Shinasthana, with Maverican service falling out of use in the 16th century.

Architecture

Main article: Christianity in Themiclesia § Church architecture

Status

State recognition

The Church of Themiclesia has in multiple occasions been recognized as the "official" Christian church in Themiclesia. This was not an issue in its early history, as the sole church in Themiclesia, but became contentious in the 14th century with the arrival of Sylvan priests. In 1671, when the Reformed Church split, the more powerful Old Church asked the royal court to declare it the legitimate authority over all "spiritual questions of the holy and mystical faith", while the more ambitious Reformed Church asked for establishment as state religion. Unsurprisingly, the government authorized the Old Church's request, in view of its implied ability to control the Reformed Church, which had just proved its intractability. This continued until 1773, when it became policy to be neutral in religious matters.

High church

The CoT is acknowldged for the wealth of its rituals and considered a "high church" domestically. This is not only due to its former status as recognized church in Themiclesia but also to occasion patronage from prominent aristocrats, a handful of whom have been its members for generations. This is also reflected in the degree in which it recognizes the secular authority, requiring mandatory prayers for the benefit of the sovereign and government and providing special balconies for distinguished personages in attendance of its services. The White Cathedral of Kien-k'ang (建康白大廷) even has a silver bell used in service, a replica of the bell used by the Emperor to announce his arrival. Many of its rituals further incorporate traditional Themiclesian gestures, such as the prodh-kji-l′ju bow (prostrating of the head to the ground) required at the start of the Eucharist.  

For this reason, the CoT has frequently come under attack by factions influenced by the Reformation in Casaterra, which had spread via Ostlandic colonists to Maverica in the 1600s. A prominent critic writing in 1710 called the CoT "idolatrous, heretical, and barbarous" but was unable to provoke a response by the CoT. In the 19th century, the CoT reached the pinnacle of popularity amongst the gentry and aristocracy, boasting 19 peers and 53 MPs in its membership; it was also in this period its coffers swelled to its maximum and enabled a church-building frenzy across Themiclesia.

Military

For many centuries, the militaries of the empire did not permit open devotions to "religions" like Buddhism or Christianity, the state believing that religious duties conflicted with military objects on both a strategic and personal level. However, at least in the context of funerals for those who died on campaign, the government has exhorted civil servants to "deal with proper rites" their remains, in which the State Cult is implied. In obedience to their rites, Themiclesian Christians prayed seven times a day, and weekly services required elaborate fixtures, ceremonies, and a priesthood. These were considered repugnant to military life, and it is provided in an edict of 1405 that any man with devotions to Christianity may not use his religion as an excuse from military duties. The Colonial Army even provided that Christians may not enlist, though this may have arisen more out of a concern for subversion from other brands of Christianity.

In the 19th century, these regulations began to relax due to the liberalizing policy of the reformed government, which showed some influence from the theory that religion accompanied productive lifestyles. In the Navy, First Admiral Hup in 1852 agreed to allow Christian sailors to pray together in the cabin at the traditional times provided their officers do not require then them, under the supervision of an accredited priest who visits the ship at his own expense and does not attempt to convert other sailors. The right to private worship extended to other regiments, sometimes intermittently, during the next half-century. The early Air Force prohibits worship during the working day, which is defined normally as dawn to dusk. Many units reported that public worship would create unnecessary curiosity in religion. Some historians believe that "while there is no uniform policy across the forces, religion in general is tolerated but confined in the 19th century."

In 1909, Parliament prohibited all forms of worship that intrude upon the "necessary activities" of any military unit and provided that necessary activities are those that must be carried out by the irreligious when the religious are at their devotions. This rule was enacted on the grounds of fairness towards the irreligious, who should not thus be saddled with the duties that the religious cannot discharge by reason of their faiths. However, at the same time, the War Secretary and Navy Secretaries were permitted to retain religious officials for the purpose of "giving reassurance and spiritual assistance" to officers and men who require it from their religious leaders. The Christian serviceperson was thus allowed to consult the priest of his service if he felt some part of his military duties conflicted with his beliefs. Until 1960, all priests-resident with the armed forces were part of the Church of Themiclesia.

See also

• Themiclesia
• Religion in Themiclesia