THESIS: On the value of written doctrine

[Laeonathan 5891]

 

Written by Acolyte Oliver Peter de Sarkozy, 272 S.A.

 

☩

To this day, the True Faith lacks a written True Dogma outside of the Holy Scrolls. While many of the dangers of this may seem obvious, I wish to highlight them so that the urgency of this matter is fully understood.

 

For this purpose, I must sadly bore you with past Elven cultures and the late Aegisian Elven Faith. Most notably those of Haelun’or, Celia’nor, and the aforementioned Aspectist Faith. All three, though heavily contradicting one another, are nonetheless of Elven origin.

 

It appears that the very nature of the elf leads him to assume that there is no need for any written record. As a result, they scarcely write anything down. What, then, do we truly know of the history of Haelun’or, the oldest state still, at least in some form, in existence? Barely anything has been recorded [1] beyond a few occasional historical events, and even these are incomplete and barely comprehensible.

 

The same can be said of Celia’nor. Aside from a single incomplete book [2], roughly the length of one volume of the famed Interregnum [3], The Historia Pertinaxi [4], or The Decline and Fall of the Holy Orenian Empire [5], nothing can be found.

 

So too does this pattern persist with the Aspectist Faith. For many centuries, this faith was not codified in any form. Only recently, in historical terms, has a proper and comprehensive book been published [6]. This was only about a Century Ago. Yet this Aspectist Faith was once dominant across the entirety of Elvendom. Over the centuries, however, due to the lack of a written doctrine, it has declined further and further. Remember that the aforementioned Haelunorians and Celianorians originated just as much from these original aspectist tribes, and have abandoned and abandoned their worship of Aspectism long before the latter of both has even been formed. Only a small fraction of the elves worship these Aspects to this day.

 

And it is precisely for this reason that I burdened you with Elven history: the True Faith risks the very same fate if we do not act.

 

To this day, the True Faith lacks a proper written doctrine that explains the teachings of our elders and ensures their preservation. What will happen when those who knew Harentzdek are dead? Will word of mouth truly be sufficient to uphold his Prophetic Teachings? We may possess our Holy Scrolls, but they are of little use if they are not understood correctly. And even a correct understanding of the Holy Scrolls is itself of no use if this understanding is not passed on to the next generation. For this reason, it must be written down.

 

”Lo, in the name of the Lord GOD the Most Merciful,
Singular, and Omnipotent, listen and attend
with pious heed to this inspired text.”

(Scroll of Gospel, Book of Provenance, Verse 1)

 

Thus, the Scrolls themselves highlight the value of written teaching. For why else would they be written down? As we can see, the Scroll of Gospel places this meaning in its very first verse: they are written so that we may know.

 

 

“Lo and attend, for I am the Lord GOD, and I am in the foremost part of heaven.
Though the spring flower withers and the fruit of the tree falls to the ground,
My Word lasts into the eve of the world, and the fruit of virtue cannot rot.”

(Scroll of Virtue, Canticle of Faith, Verse 1-2)

 

While it may appear to be solely a Holy Truth that the Word of GOD will last into the eve of the world, there is something the common translation overlooks. In common speech, we usually deal in direct imperatives and indicatives; yet Flexio recognizes expressions that exist between these forms, encompassing aspects of both. Thus, the final sentence of the second verse is not merely a statement, but also a call to action: Make GOD’s Word last into the eve of the world. This is His charge to us.

 

A charge we had most likely failed in the past, as, according to the research of the Elven Priests of the True Faith, even the elves once worshipped the GOD almighty. This was in the earliest days of Malin’or, before the Aspectist poisoned the minds of the Elves. The grace of God, however, was that the Aspectist failed to codify and solidify their faith, weakening it. And even the Temple fell to the Sigismundites - whether their teachings were burned or just never written down, we cannot tell. But one thing is certain: if they had survived or been written at all, this heresy would not have lasted for so long.

 

GOD BLESS YOU, DEAR READER.

 

[1] Tradition and Silver

[2] History of Celia’nor

[3] The Interregnum

[4] History Pertinaxi

[5] Decline and Fall of the Orenian Empire

[6] On Aspectism

 

[Nectorist 12871]

It must not be mistakenly-believed that all societies outside of humanity, or more appropriately, the lands of the Faith, lack the means or the will to wield the pen as easily as they do the spoken word. The wise-woman, Sonna Vulnrith (@Junoix) has extensively-documented the core tenants, practices, and beliefs of the 'Wild Faith', which I, merely a layman in my studies of the Wood Elves, believe is some element of Aspectism. Few within the Church can claim the match the breadth of documentation that she, and presumably a committee of disciples, for it is a great undertaking for a single soul alone, has provided for those who wish to learn about the 'Wild Faith'.

 

What distinguishes our faith from that of Sonna Vulnrith's is that she is among the few to understand that religion is not the product of rote memorization, of ceremonies and practices that are done emptily, made real by the inadvertent recollection the body has for tasks it performs repeatedly, but is instead a corpus of history and of people, whose collective efforts have, over the course of centuries, if not longer, been undertaken in the effort to answer the questions God has asked us, orient our lives around what He would find most satisfactory, and shape our societies according to the virtues which He has imparted with us. It would be illogical to expect everyone to undertake the priest's vocation, but those who do are called to reach a greater understanding of the principles of the Faith through the thesis. The conversation made by this intellectual landscape allows us to challenge old norms which may not align with the Holy Scrolls as previously thought, establish new ones that reconcile tradition with societal change, and find answers to the questions that we seek. Without an unceasing dialogue among its adherents, faith will be reduced to an old custom, still present in body but lost in heart..

 

HIS HOLINESS, CAIUS II

 

High Priest of the Temple of the True Faith, Successor of Clement and Evaristus, High Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Servant of the Servants of Heaven, Servant of the Holy Flame, Apostle of Saint Lucien, Envoy of Aeldin, High Servant to the Prophet’s Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of GOD