Ecclesiarchy
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| Adeptus Ministorum |
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| Warhammer 40,000 Religion | |
| Deity: | The Emperor |
|---|---|
| Symbols of Worship: |
The Imperial Crest The Golden Throne |
| Capital: | Terran Ophelia IV[1] |
| Governor: | Ecclesiarch |
| Clergy: | Deacons, Preachers Missionaries Sisters, Confessors |
| Establishment: | post Horus Heresy |
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Adeptus Ministorum, or Ecclesiarchy is a part of the government of the Imperium tasked with overseeing the worship of the Emperor.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Ecclesiarchy's beginnings can be traced back to the earliest Emperor-worshipping sects and cults founded during the Great Crusade, when groups such as the Lectitio Divinitatus began worshipping the Emperor, despite his express decrees to the contrary. However, these groups were a burgeoning influence upon the Imperium, achieving emancipation following the Emperor's ascension to the Golden Throne. As the reality of Chaos dawned upon the Imperium, so did the stories of the Emperor's divinity and righteous power in the face of Chaos. Over the next two millennia various sects contested with each other for the belief of the populace, until the Temple of the Saviour Emperor finally united two-thirds of the populace (excluding the Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Astartes, who had and continue to have their own structures) and become recognised by the High Lords of Terra as the Imperium's state religion[2].
The Ecclesiarchy's temporal might grew vastly in the wake of this, eventually growing so great that not only did the Ministorum's leader, the Ecclesiarch, gain a permanent seat in the Senatorum Imperialis, but the other High Lords also took their lead from him to the point that the Ecclesiarch was the Imperium's de facto ruler. This development was not unopposed, however. The Administratum soon entered a power struggle with the Ecclesiarchy which climaxed with the reign of the 361st High Lord of the Administratum, Goge Vandire, who took control of the Ecclesiarchy by a military coup. As described in his personal article, Vandire would be one of the most blood-soaked tyrants in Imperial history, and was finally overthrown by a breakaway sect known as the Confederation of Light, led by Sebastian Thor, aided by the actions of the future Sisters of Battle.
[edit] After the Reign of Blood
During Vandire's reign, he recruited a group of female warriors known as the Daughters of the Emperor into his service. It was these females that defended Vandire against all attackers. With secret arrangements made between members of the Adeptus Custodes and the Daughters, the Daughters were convinced that Vandire did not serve the Emperor faithfully. It was they that finally executed Vandire.
After Vandire's death, the High Lords of Terra declared Thor the new Ecclesiarch, and sparked the Reformation of the Ecclesiarchy. Terra's Holy Synod, the Ecclesiarchy's main governing body, was to be supplemented by the new Synod Ministra on Ophelia IV, to ensure that no one man could amass the power over the Ecclesiarchy that Vandire had. The dioceses of each Cardinal were also made smaller, to further dilute the power of each individual Cardinal.
The Decree Passive was also passed at this time, forbidding the Ecclesiarchy from holding 'men under arms'. Thor did, however, retain Vandire's favoured female warrior corps, the Daughters of the Emperor, restyling them as the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas[1][2].
[edit] Organisation
The Ecclesiarchy divides the galaxy into a vast number of parishes, which are managed on an administrative basis by Deacons and nurtured spiritually by Preachers. The same division repeats itself on the next level, the diocese, with an Arch-Deacon handling tithes, maintenance and such and a Cardinal being in charge of the spiritual side of things. The assemblies of Cardinals at the Terran Holy Synod and Ophelia IV's Synod Ministra are the ultimate governing body of the Ecclesiarchy, and they elect the Ecclesiarch.
[edit] Cardinals
In the Holy Synods, Cardinals are divided into three ranks depending on where their dioceses are located. These ranks are largely honorary, and one Cardinal has little power over another's diocese. There are said to be 'several thousand Cardinals' and 'a million worlds' in the Imperium, probably meaning that most (Astral) dioceses must contain many worlds.
- Highest are the five Cardinals Palatine, who have no formal diocese but instead work mostly in the Ecclesiarchal Palaces of Terra and aid the Ecclesiarch in his works.
- Below them come the Cardinals Terran, who have dioceses elsewhere on Terra.
- Lowest come the Cardinals Astral whose dioceses are off Terra; these are further subdivided by the Cardinals Astral Ministral - those Cardinals whose dioceses are on or near Ophelia IV and who principally make up the Synod Ministra.
[edit] Preachers and Missionaries
In addition to these more firmly-rooted clergy are the Confessors and Missionaries.
Confessors wander the Imperium inflaming the righteous, leading religious revivals and occasional witch hunts against rogue psykers, mutants, and heretics.
Missionaries are typically less extreme. Their task is to convert human worlds to the true faith of the Emperor. This can often be a gradual process undertaken over several generations, gradually assimilating local beliefs and traditions into the greater Church of the Emperor. Missionaries are assigned to all exploratory expeditions, and are part of an organisation known as the Missionarius Galaxia.
[edit] Sisters of Battle
While the Sisters (or Adepta Sororitas) serve the Ecclesiarchy, they also serve the Ordo Hereticus. Their organization structure, lead by the Abbess of the Adepta Sororitas, is independent from the authority but still an influential. Upon the battlefield, members of the Sisters can be found side by side with both Ecclesiastic missionaries and Inquisitors from the Ordo Hereticus, because they all serve the same purpose: spread and sustain the Emperor's faithful.
[edit] Beliefs
The Imperial Cult is a religion with uncountable trillions of devotees and there is naturally some division of thought amongst them. The Holy Synod is regularly riven for days on end with discussions that the layman would find utterly inconsequential or, quite probably, incomprehensible. From the architecture of devotional buildings to the wording of prayers, from the history of the Emperor to the treatment of apostates, the Cult Imperialis shows massive variation. The overarching uniting factor is that all sects recognise the divinity of the Emperor and worship him for it. It is rare nowadays for a sect within the Cult Imperialis to be declared heretical, but it does occasionally happen. The overall common themes of Imperial cult are the divinity of the emperor with and emphasis on his divine plan and obedience to the Imperium.
Known sects include:
| Name | Geographic spread | Appearing in | Signature beliefs and other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armormants | Unknown | Let the Galaxy Burn | Believe the edifices of the Cult Imperialis should be heavily ornamented works of art, in praise of the Emperor. Stricter in treatment of mutants than Lucid[s]. Founded by Gracius of Armorm. |
| Ayatani | Hagia, in the Sabbat Worlds | Honour Guard | Absolute pacifism. |
| Brethren of the Light | Desedna and surrounding space (Segmentum Obscurus) | Codex: Sisters of Battle | See themselves as an adjunct to the Inquisition, and carry out much covert espionage of suspected heretics. |
| Calendites | Western Segmentum Solar | Codex: Sisters of Battle | Believe the Emperor was always a living god (as opposed to Phanacians). |
| Imperialism | Mostly frontier space, particularly the Eastern Fringe | Codex: Sisters of Battle | Pioneering faith devoted to spreading the Emperor’s Light to the whole galaxy and all mankind. Missionary work is highly praised (though they often disagree with the Missionarius Galaxia on how to do it), as is colonization of new worlds and prolific procreation. Especially strong xenophobia. |
| Lucid[s] | Karis Cephalon and surrounding system | Let the Galaxy Burn | Value poverty and abstinence, favour spartan houses of worship. |
| Phanacian[s] | Segmentum Pacificus | Codex: Sisters of Battle | Believe the Emperor was fully deified only upon the defeat of Horus. |
| Polarists | Emerging sect in the Segmentum Pacificus, some following on Hydraphur | Blind | Believe in the absolute separation of humans and psykers; the two can be combined only in the Emperor. Even sanctioned psykers should for preference be turned into servitors or otherwise lobotomized. |
| Redemptionists | “Most flourishing” on Necromunda, other spread unknown | Necromunda (rule)books, The Redeemer, Codex: Sisters of Battle | Militant sect, devoted to purging the sins of any and all deviants. Consider most non-members to be deviants. |
| Resurrectionism | Unknown | The Thorians: Faction Sourcebook | Believe in the eventual resurrection of the Emperor and may also work towards it in some way (Thorians within the Inquisition are Resurrectionists, and Omnissiads within the Cult Mechanicus strongly echo them). |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Priestley, Rick (2004). Warhammer 40,000, 4th Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-468-X.
- ^ a b McNeil, Graham; Hoare, Andy, and Haines, Pete (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Witchhunters, 1st Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-485-X.
