Scriptures
The Scriptures are the collection of the Sacred Books of the Amarrian Faith. They cover all sorts of things, from religion, to tradition, social rules, law, science, and many more. The core elements of the Faith were supposedly dictated by angels directly, but as millenia have passed by other books have been added, and or modified: books written by theologians, or by saints, or by the Emperors, etc.
Due to this modifications, there exist many versions of the Scriptures, each followed by different groups or subcultures. The most well known are the Apocryphon of the Blood Raiders and the alternative Scriptures that the Tetrimon brought back to the Empire trying to correct those that are currently in use.
This is a gathering of the tidbits that have been published so far in existing Chronincles, Short Stories, or elsewhere. It does not cover all the Scriptures, which supposedly are enormously big,
Ametat and Avetat:
1 Now it came to pass in the third day of the first month of the tenth year of the rule of emperor Amash-Akura that the midday deliberations were abruptly brought to a halt when the day darkened in the sky. 2 And the sun went black as night and birds fell from the sky and flowers shriveled in the field and people fell sick in the streets and in the houses. 3 And in this moment of terrible distress the skies opened with a loud shriek and angels, bright as the sun was black, descended down to earth and their beauty soothed all the people and the animals alike. 4 And when the angels touched the ground with their feet the earth shook violently and fire engulfed those daring too near the divinities. Their power being mighty and their presence potent the people were wise not to look too closely upon them. 5 The emperor came from his high seat with his retinue to meet with the angels outside the city walls. And lo and behold! The moment the emperor passed below the city gates the sun cleared and shone as brightly as ever before, all in the glory of the emperor and the heavenly angels that called upon him. 6 The angels spoke the language of God and called themselves sefrim: those that guard the high seats of heaven. God ordered them here to protect the emperor against all evils that ever beset him. 7 The sefrim offered unto the emperor a present from God as one brother to another: Ametat the Scepter and Avetat the Crown, showing the great pleasure God had in the earthly work of the emperor. 8 And thus the sefrim came to serve the illustrious Amash-Akura, to stay by his side during the day and guard his sleep during the night. A great house of white stone and marble was built for the sefrim to reside in and were tended by the best servants the empire had to offer. 9 For a hundred years while the sefrim watched over the empire no wars or epidemics or famines ruined the lands and the people were content and joyous. 10 From Istha in the north and Melekel in the south and Edras in the east and from Iphria in the west people came to pray before the holy sefrim and receive a blessing to take home to their families. 11 The sefrim stood tall and beautiful, clad in their white and amber robes, with masks of gold and silver to protect people from being struck dead by their angelic beauty. 12 And all this time the emperor Amash-Akura did not age one day and was as healthy and strong as the day he came of age. The Scepter gave him vigor and the Crown gave him acumen and his rule was wise and fair. 13 Then Molok the Deceiver sundered the lands and the people suffered floods and plagues conjured by him. Molok turned the people against the sefrim and people who once sang their praise now abhorred them. 14 The emperor saw that all was not good and summoned the sefrim and said unto them, The people are in great distress, what remedies doest thee have? 15 And the sefrim answered, My Lord, the land has split against thou, thou must make war upon thy enemies to reclaim what is justly thine. 16 And the emperor asked, Will thee aid us in this perilous endeavor? 17 But the sefrim answered, No my Lord, we are here only to guide and guard, it is forbidden to us to aggress upon any man. 18 Then be gone! The emperor said in anger, for his foes were formidable. 19 And the sefrim, not longer in the emperor’s favor returned to from whence they came that very day. And the moment they left the sun went black and people cried in anguish for this was an evil omen. 20 And that night God spake unto emperor Amash-Akura in his sleep, Thy folly is great, Amash-Akura, thou hast rejected those I sent to thee in thine hour of need. Thou must redeem thyself to me by thy own merits. 21 And next day Amash-Akura had aged all his days and his hair was white and his skin wrinkled. But his spirit was high and his will resolute. God had charged him to take back his empire. 22 For five years Amash-Akura battled his enemies, wielding the Scepter and the Crown, and triumphed in the end. The day after Molok the Deceiver was brought before him in chains and sacrificed on the altar of God; the emperor died in his bedchamber, his task fulfilled. 23 And that night the sky turned red and the people were again happy that God was content with them and the new emperor. Epitoth in the Book of Scriptures, Chapter 1.
Small Excerpts:
In the beginning all things were as one. God parted them and breathed life into his creation Divided the parts and gave each its place And unto each, bestowed purpose. Book I 1:4
"The Amarr people came into the world and the world came into being. Our illustrious ancestors freed their souls from the evils of the old world and created a new one. The great Amarr Empire was founded to cultivate the spirit of man. To do so the enemies of the outside had to be defeated And the enemies of the inside controlled. The Lord gave our Emperor the power to harness the Good and punish the Evil. Ever since, the Emperor has lived the lives of his subjects And breathed the air of authority." Excerpt of Book I
"Our Lord visited his flock and saw that all was not good. Blasphemy and heresy ruled the land. The Lord punished the sinners and drowned them in their own blood. But the people of Amarr lived righteously and in fear of God. Thus they were saved and became God's chosen one." Excerpt of Book II
"For forty millennia we struggled in the desert. Time of infinity to grief our misgivings. Time of eternity to stray without God's guidance. One can repent and pray for forgiveness. But true meekness is one that has penetrated And laid its roots in the very heart of a man. The stars above will not weep for us parting. The air we breathe won't notice our disappearance. The dirt of the earth will embrace our decadence. Only in God can we thrive and grow. Only God." Kuria 4:23
"Here we are. This is the world of God. We are his chosen ones. This place, this planet of peace and abundance, he made for us. It's ours for the taking. There will be obstacles and difficulties. That's his test. We must make his gift deserving. This beginning. This birth of life. This dawn of greatness. We can not fail, for we have the Emperor to lead us and destiny to follow." Second Letter of St. Junip of Aerui
"Casting his sight on his realm, The Lord witnessed the cascade of evil, the torrents of war. Burning with wrath, He stepped down from the Heavens To judge the unworthy, to redeem the pure." Book of Revelation 2:12
"The Lord loosed upon them in his fierce anger All of his fury and rage. He dispatched against them a band of Avenging Angels." Excerpt of Book of Revelations
"And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them" Excerpt of Book of Revelation
"I give to you the destiny of Faith, and you will bring its message to every planet of every star in he heavens: Go forth, conquer in my Name, and reclaim which I have given." Book of Reclaiming 22:13
"When the ears hear only The mouth shouting And the eyes see only The fingers broken The world has turned And God has gone Left us with fond memories Of sweet life without pain." Apocalypse 8:18
"At the end of days when they descend Watch for the coming of the Ark For within it Salvation is carried." Apocalypse 32:6
"Zakara saw the danger to his brother, and did not hesitate; without weapon or armour, he hurled himself at the beast, attacking with his bare hands. Enraged, the beast turned and struck Zakara, opening a terrible wound in his side. Seizing the moment, Garum ran his sword through the beast's heart, thus ending the battle victorious. But Zakara, mortally wounded, cried out in pain. "You sacrificed yourself for me," Garum said, taking his hand. "We are brothers," Zakara answered, just before breathing his last. "And in God we shall remain brothers for all of time..." " Book of Prophet Junip 10:25-30
"Which test reveals more of the soul - the test that a man will take to prove his faith, or the test that finds the man who believed his faith already proven? If you know this answer, then you also know which of these challenges bear the greatest penalty for failure. The gates of paradise will open for you one time only; woe to the soul who dares to knock twice." Mission 5:14
"Only through many hardships Is a man stripped to his very foundations And in such a state Devoid of distractions Is his soul free to soar And in this He is closest to God" Book of Missions 42:5
"The angelic Apostles of Heaven sing praises for their children! Our Lord smiles upon the world. Where the Emperor rules in his name Leading his people to glory untold. Hearken the trumpets of Heaven Hailing the people of Amarr." Anoyia 17:21
"Surround yourself with the faithful, stand together, for there is no strength like it under the heavens." Book of Missions 71:21
"And the Lord spoke to him from the heavens, Described to him his holy purpose, Bestowed upon him the wisdom, Of God's holy embrace." The Scriptures, Gheinok the First, 2:8
"By His light, and His will."
The Scriptures, Gheinok the First, 12:32
"To know the true path, but yet, to never follow it. That is possibly the gravest sin." The Scriptures, Book of Missions, 13:21
"The word of the Lord is pure, It is a shield for the faithful, Brought unto men by the Angels, As a guiding light in the darkness" The Scriptures, Book of the Prophet Anoyia, 8:15