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The Apostolic Church of the East is the name of the variety of Patriarchal Hosianism that rejects the Council of Auroria. The Church was founded in 3412, following the Synod of Aldegaria that reunited the Hobrazian Orthodox Church and the Patriarchal Church (Eastern Rite), which had become separated in the 9th-10th centuries.
History
The origins of the Church lie in the Council of Auroria of 533 CE, which unified most of the local Hosian churches into a single international body, with an Arch-Patriarch ruling over the entire Church. The Hobrazian Orthodox Church, represented by Saint Evdemoz, rejected the creation of an Arch-Patriarchy and the Pneumatological (re. the Spirit of God) definition adopted at the council, thus causing the first major Hosian schism.
During subsequent centuries, Hobrazian missionaries brought their faith to various regions in Majatra, leading to the creation of the Patriarchal Church (ER). In time, following the Queranzariah invasions, the two churches lost contact. Although they maintained doctrinal unity, the Churches essentially became separate bodies.
In 3409, Patriarch Zartosht III of the Aldegarian Patriarchal Church (ER) called for an Ecumenical Synod in the city of Aldegaria to reunite the two churches. The resulting Synod of Aldegaria, functioning between March 23 3412 and July 7 3412, agreed to unite the two churches, creating the Apostolic Church of the East.
Beliefs
God
The Apostolic Church of the East believes that there is only one God, with a single ousia (essence), prosopon (person), and hypostasis. Eastern Hosians thus subscribe to Monarchianism, rejecting the Binitarianism of the Western Churches and the polytheism of the Terran Patriarchal Church. The Church does believe, however, that God can reveal Himself however He wishes, and can manifest Himself in different ways.
Eliyahu
Eastern Hosians believe that Elijah of Yishelem is the Spirit of God, which they equate with the Light of God. The Church believes that the Spirit was uncreated, and is the means by which God interacts with creation. The Church does not believe that Elijah is a distinct person participating in the Godhead, instead drawing the distinction between the ousia (essence) and pneuma (spirit) of God. The former is invisible and cannot be experienced even in the next life, while the latter can be experienced even in this life. The Church believes that the pneuma of God became man, as Elijah of Yishelem, in order to purify mankind and unite it with God.
Henosis and Theoria
The main focus of the Apostolic Church of the East is henosis, meaning the union of the individual with God, defined as the process of man becoming free of unholiness. Eastern Hosians believe that through prayer and asceticism one may take part in the nature of God, not directly, but through the mediation of the Spirit of God. The Church does not believe that this union cancels the individuality of the person or their human nature, but that the person remains fully human, and in full communion with the divine. The traditional metaphor used to explain this concept was that of metal placed in flames, which retains its nature, but partakes in the nature of fire. In the view of the Church, henosis is the same as salvation, which begins in this life and reaches fullness with resurrection.
The ousia-pneuma distinction means that Eastern Hosians do not believe that God can be known in His Essence, but only in His Spirit. This process of knowing God is named theoria, which is defined as the loving contemplation of God by man. This form of knowledge involves the whole person, not just the mind, as the Church rejects the rational understanding of God.
Afterlife
The Church defines heaven as the unspeakable bliss caused by the full union with the Spirit of God. This condition is perceived as the burning fires of hell by those who are unreconciled with the Light of God; for them, the Spirit of God, i.e. Eliyahu, is perceived as suffering. However, the Church subscribes to Universalism, believing that God is loving and merciful and cannot allow limited sin cause unlimited suffering. In other words, man can repent even after death, so that by the time of the resurrection, there will be no more souls in hell. Even demons are believed to repent and become angels once again at the End of the World.
Hierophanies
Hierophanies are defined as acts by which God manifests Himself in the physical realm. The Incarnation of the Pneuma is seen as the greatest hierophany. Hierophanies are equivalent to the 7 sacrifices in the West, which are also accepted by the Apostolic Church of the East. However, they are not limited to a certain number, as many Church rituals are accepted as hierophanies (such as monastic tonsure, anointing a monarch, etc.)
Continuous Revelation
Although it rejects the Council of Auroria, which defined the Hosian scriptural canon, the Apostolic Church of the East generally uses the same holy books as the other Hosian churches. The Church does, however, reject any attempt to limit the biblical canon, or establish any distinction between scripture and tradition. To do so, the Church believes, is to take the Scriptures out of context, and to deny the ability of God's Spirit to continue to inspire after the completion of the Holy Books. Instead, the Eastern Hosians believe that Eliyahu constantly works to illuminate the Fathers of the Church, just as He illuminated the biblical prophets, and that divine revelation is continuous. In addition to the Hosian Bible, some of the writings accepted as inspired by the Church are the Paterikon Badarion ("The Sayings of the Badaran Desert Fathers"), the church liturgies, and several other books. The Holy Synod of the Church can determine whether a book is inspired or not, just as it does with the canonization of saints.
Practices
The Church accepts the local practices of the autocephalous churches that make up the communion. The liturgies accepted as inspired are the Divine Liturgy of Saint Hilarios (Badaran Rite; OOC: Byzantine rite), the Divine Liturgy of Saint Evdemoz (Hobrazian Rite; OOC: Armenian Rite), the Divine Liturgy of Saint Sebastian (Cildanian Rite; OOC: West Syrian Rite), and the Divine Liturgy of Saint Aladdin (Aldegarian Rite; OOC: East Syrian Rite).
Organization
The Apostolic Church of the East is organized into 7 autocephalous Churches, each led by a Patriarch: the Hobrazian Orthodox Church, the Badaran Apostolic Church, the Apostolic Department of Cildania, the Barmenian Apostolic Church, the Aldegarian Apostolic Church, the Kanjoran Apostolic Church, and the Coburan Apostolic Tewahedo Church. The Patriarch of Hobrazia holds the primacy of honour, followed by the Patriarchs of Al'Badara, Cildania, Barmenia, Aldegar, Kanjor, and Cobura, in this order. The Patriarch of Hobrazia is considered the first among equals, and no bishop rules over the whole church. The governance of the Church belongs to the Holy Synod, formed by all bishops of the Church, which can be convoked by any of the 7 Patriarchs. Each autocephalous Church is governed by a Synod, headed by the Patriarch of that Church.