Re: my recent Malkioni postings. Wot, no feedback?
Well, almost none. Peter Metcalfe mailed me offline with a set of great questions, which give me the chance to illuminate a couple more corners of this edifice. So, with no more ado, on to the emails:
> While not wanting to clutter up the digest with any more philosophical
> debate for the time being (2nd age illumination, *groan*), I was
> immensely perturbed by your recent posting to Alison about whether
> the Malkioni were polytheistic.
Thanks for your good questions; I'm sort of glad if I perturbed you (and others) with my unorthodoxy on Malkionism, because my version of events attempts to explain a whole bunch of knotty problems in the incomplete sources that are available.
> Previously I had assumed that Malkion had recieved his relevations
> from the Invisible God and now it seems I got this ass-backwards...
Nah, nah, nah... What happened is that the Book in which modern Malkioni read that Malkion rec'd. his rev'n. from the Inv.Gd. was written by the Jrusteli in the early Second Age. Nothing else need change; in fact it's still entirely possible that my Malkion DID receive his revelation from the Invisible God, but that he and/or his followers didn't realise that was what had happened. Compare with Koranic accounts of what happened in Old and New Testament times: it's acceptable to change the emphasis of such stories over time, even when you're building a monotheistic Religion of the Book with hefty reverence for other peoples' Holy Scripture.
> Any idea how or where the Invisible God was discovered? Was he
> uncovered in a philosophical proof (a la 'I can concieve of a god
> perfect in every way including existance, ergo he exists')? Was he
> discovered in a Temple to the Unknown God like St Paul uncovered in
> Ephesus? Where would this Temple be? ...
Nearest to your "philosophical proof": the God Learners assembled every available scrap of ancient prophetic text and gathered together all the 'hadiths' ascribed to Malkion, then performed in-depth Biblical studies (with a bit of HeroQuesting thrown in <g>) to come up with a distilled composite, "pure" Malkionism. Their normal method, in fact; but this was the first time they ever did it (and the best, of course!). Westerners know that they are called "God Learners" because they Learned about God! Think of Frank Herbert's "Orange Catholic Bible", then remember that all the "original" texts could be purged after the Great Work was completed: compare with Gibbon on that Arab general who burnt Alexandria - his One Book contains everything that needs to be written, so why keep the rest?
So it'd be nearer to saying, "All the evidence is that Malkion worshipped a being with the following properties: [list]. Let us name this being the 'Invisible God'."
Deus ignotus et cetera still possible as researchers' field trips. I'd imagine there were many "Return to Self-Righteousness" expeditions in search of various Lost Arks, Temples of Doom and the like... looking for the evidence to support their conclusions.
And the "old scriptures" purged by the God Learners as apocrypha survive in Carmanian and Stygian Malkionism.
> What is the modern Malkioni View?
The Invisible God is not limited in his role to that of Prime Mover; he also guides human affairs through revelations to the Prophets, Saints and others. By the (old) definitions, Creator would never intervene in his Creation; the old definitions, of course, never attempted to define the (ignotus) Invisible God.
> I take it the Ancient Malkioni (by which I exclude the Brithini and the
> Vadeli) were akin to Jainism? One cannot worship the Creator (i.e. no
> Worship Creator ritual spell) but one should live according to his laws
> if they want to reach Solace.
I'd *include* the Brithini as THE Most Ancient Malkioni, though hardly in the modern sense. The Vadeli, certainly, were long banished (marks upon their brows, sundry pillars of salt and flaming-sworded angels, etc.) before the coming of the Great Brithini Lawgiver Malkion.
Yep, I'd imagine in the original Malkioni setup a Lawful life was itself an ongoing act of worship directed to the greater glory of the Invisible God, Creator, Great Architect of the Universe, and/or Creation Itself (take your pick). Why go to Church, when your every act is already righteous (and supporting righteousness) in itself?
>> The Jrusteli, working after Arkat's Crusade Against Chaos and >> subsequent foundation of Stygia had so greatly disturbed the >> traditional ways of the West, determined that the remote Creator >> and their transcendent Invisible God were one and the same; that >> Malkion's prophetic revelations had been from the Invisible God; >> that the other, lesser gods were demonic beings to be enslaved or >> controlled through the superior power of Divine Law.
> But that was in the Third Council of 453 ST! I take it the original
> declaration actually named the Creator and not the Invisible God,
> leaving God Learners to 'correct' the books.
Naturally, I wouldn't put it past them. Of course, the Third Council's determinations did not parallel *exactly* what I just wrote: but this was part of the spiritual turmoil of the age. Probably as many Bishops who attended the Third Council went home muttering and swearing about the outcome (and planning to ignore it) as did at the Seventh. Note David's note that all our information on the pre-God Learner Councils (First through Fifth) is based on those fragmentary records which survived the Downfall of the Middle Sea Empire; it would be pious to assume that the God Learner Crusaders themselves did not destroy or tamper with records of "heretical" Council decisions.
That the posited existence of "higher truths beyond the Invisible God" was a topical issue needing resolution at an Ecclesiastical Council gives us something of the flavour of the age. As MOB says, apropos of something rather less elevated, you don't get laws like that being passed unless there's a problem...
> So if I understand correctly, the Carmanians and the Stygians do not
> worship the Invisible God which was a God Learner 'discovery'. The
> Carmanians substitute IndoVanus the 'Lord of Insight' (ie Sun) and
> the Stygians substitute Subere in the place of the Invisible God?
Not quite, but it'll do until I can work out *exactly* how this stuff hangs together. Modern Stygians have said that the Invisible God is, of course, impossible to see -- because he's hidden by Darkness! Carmanians are keen on "agency", seeing most other deities as either emenations or manifestations of the Creator, or else as acting in accordance with his instructions. But as well as the True Gods (who it's OK to worship) there are False Gods, who are damn' good liars (being servants of the Deceiver, the Father of Lies, the Devil). So we have the Magi who commune with the Creator Himself to determine what is Right for the Carmanian Church.
[Later]
> Thanks for your answers! They sure cleared up a lot of things.
> I like the image of how the Invisible God was first discovered
> through God Learner Tricks of the Trade.
Cheers, Peter! At least someone appreciates what I'm doing (sniff, moan, whinge, complain, snivel). Honestly, though, if Martin or anyone else out there is distressed at the recent volume or heretical tone of my Malkioni posts, please say something! This deafening silence is getting me down... while the f***ing veggies continue to waffle on about a subject of no interest to me.
End of Glorantha Digest V1 #159
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