> what's the deal with the Abiding Book? As presented in everything I've
> read so far (including The Middle Sea Empire), its appearance was the
> result of the direct intervention of God.
That is of course true, since the book itself says so!!
> However, it seems to be a generally accepted principle
Principle is too weak a word. Law comes closer to explaining this.
> that the Gods
> of Glorantha don't intervene directly any more, unless prompted to by
> heroquesting mortals. (Or as a *reaction* to the activities of
> mortals, such as at Castle Blue). Orlanthi explain this fact by
> reference to the Great Compromise; presumably other cultures have
> different explanations for the same phenomenon?
Yes and no. Westerners tend to explain the use of magic as the "intervention of God" but "through the saints" or some such. They don't have a story like the Great Compromise, except insofar as there are several versions of it that were "imported" by the GL and entered into various saintly cults or churches without the people knowing these are theist invasions of myth. In general,the western explanation is that God is "out there," and thus does not intervene.
Which of course then makes the appearance of he Abiding Book just that much more important and powerful.
> So is the Malkioni Invisible God an exception to that rule? Or was
> something else going on, and the Abiding Book was actually acquired by
> heroquestors, but the Godlearners suppressed all records of them to
> make it seem that the One Book came directly from Makan?
> (Or maybe it was sent by enemies of the Godlearners to lure them into
> false beliefs...)
All those are theories of why such an unique event occurrred. Some folks say that it was a fraud perpetuated by the Witnesses. In modern times it is not accepted as The Authority by the Loskalmi Church. Even in Seshnela it is interpreted by the saints, and their scriptures take precedence over the AB itself.
Issaries, Inc.
c/o Greg Stafford
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