Difference between revisions of "Hierocracy"

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|universe=[[Cosmere]]
|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
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{{quote
|The church tried to seize control. The priests tried to conquer the world—for its own good, they claimed.
As the Hierocracy grew larger, it became increasingly difficult to hold the theocracy together.{{book ref|sa3|19}} Before it could spread to western Roshar, the Hierocracy became embroiled in the War of Loss, a conflict spearheaded by the man later known as the [[Sunmaker]].{{book ref|sa1|18}} The Sunmaker united together the ten princedoms of Alethkar for the first time since the fall of [[Alethela]] into one nation.{{book ref|sa1|24}} It is unknown if any other factions joined them, but working together the Alethi forces fought the Hierocracy in truly epic battles, whose like has not been seen on Roshar since then.{{book ref|sa1|52}} The Sunmaker managed to cast down the Hierocracy,{{book ref|sa1|18}} which had been weakened by its size.{{book ref|sa3|19}} Its fall led to much chaos and destruction, many eastern cities were sacked and destroyed, with the notable exception of [[Kholinar]].{{book ref|sa2|1|12}}
 
The Sunmaker himself interrogated the remaining priests and went through their correspondences.{{book ref|sa1|18}} He claimed that he had found no proof of any of the visions that they had claimed to be receiving from the Almighty, stating that it had been a massive fraud on the part of the Church. The central leadership of the Vorin Church was destroyed.{{book ref|sa1|36}} From that point forward, Vorinism continued inon as a decentralized religion, with each devotary working mostly independently, sometimes clandestinely competing with the others for followers.{{book ref|sa1|33}}
 
=== Legacy ===
The revisions of history perpetuated by the Church are still difficult to avoid, especially for those that study pre-Hierocracy history or the [[Knights Radiant]].{{book ref|sa2|3}} Some ancient texts were highly revised to remove perceived contradictions, making it difficult to differentiate fact from fiction. This alteration is one of Brightlady [[Jasnah Kholin]]'s frustrations with Vorinism and a major component to her interest in the city of Urithiru, where she hoped to find original ancient texts, unaltered by the ardentia.{{book ref|sa2|6}}
 
Despite much of the ill-will towards the Hierocracy, there are still those that wish for a return to the days when the Vorin Church was the absolute power. The [[Sons of Honor]] are one such group that seeks to return power and authority to the church by returning the [[Voidbringer]]s, which they hope will trigger a [[Desolation]] and cause the [[Herald]]s to return to Roshar as well.{{book ref|sa2|88}} Other ardents, such as the zealot [[Pai]], wonder why the Heralds did not return to denounce the Hierocracy if it was a force of evil.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}} She attempted to refound the Hierocracy in 1173,{{book ref|sa3|84}} but was executed for speaking against the Alethi monarchy.{{book ref|sa2|i|12}}
 
== System of Rule ==
{{quote
|They were taught to follow the priests. Not the Almighty or the Heralds, but the priests.
| Kadash {{book ref|twoksa1|18}}
}}
During the Hierocracy, the ardentia assumed near -absolute control of eastern Roshar.{{book ref|sa2|3}} The ultimate authority of the Hierocracy was the ardents themselves, rather than the Heralds or the Almighty, and the ardents used mysticism as one of their greatest tools.{{book ref|sa1|18}} Claiming their right to rule came from the Almighty,{{book ref|sa3|34}} ardents controlled what people learned, what religious paths they followed, and the overall doctrine, claiming that the common people could not understand theology. They justified this with visions and prophecies from the Almighty that they claimed to see. This flew in the face of traditional Vorin doctrine, which held that trying to divine the future was evil, and a part of the heart of [[Voidbinding]].
 
The Church derived much of its power by controlling knowledge.{{book ref|sa2|3}} They promoted beliefs that they knew were fabrications or lies to further their goals. The ardents also began to revise ancient texts in accordance with their own dogma, changing histories and other famous works of literature. For instance, the Church relied on the authority and connection to the Almighty that their relationship to the Radiants granted them. However, that associated them with the Recreance and failure of Vorinism as well. In order to remain consistent, the ancient Radiants of the shadowdays were celebrated, while those responsible for the betrayal were demonized. By the modern times of the Era of Solitude, few ancient records existed that had not been at one point or another passed through Vorin hands.
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{{complete|[[User:WindrunnerChaos2651|WindrunnerChaos2651]] ([[User talk:WindrunnerChaos2651|talk]]) 2006:2226, 1122 JulyMay 20182022 (MSTUTC)}}
{{Stormlight}}
[[Category: Religion]]
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