Hosianism Development Project

[Aquinas]

No what I meant is that at least Alain wanted to have Patriarchalism be the largest religion in Dranland instead of the UCT, relegating the UCT to some lower proportion.

I would also like to see a large Hosian following in Dranland. The Dranish players are hoping to sort out their religion statistics in the near future.

[Martinulus]

Some thoughts on the names of the Twelve Apostles:

The Twelve are:

Michael Vigilius (Peter)
Faithful Thomas (Thomas)
Joseph the Annunciant (John)
Theodore (Matthew)
(Simon)
(Jude Thaddeus)
(Judas Iscariot)
(Bartholomew)
(Philip)
(James the Greater)
(James the Less)
(Andrew)

I'm especially struggling with Theodore, seeing as it is essentially a Greek translation of Matthew, but I have written the fragments of his Annunciation in Matthew's style which means he must've been Yeudi, and Judas Iscariot, with the simple notion that his name is going to be so reviled nobody will use it, so that we shouldn't pick a name that occurs very often and yes, it has to sound exactly right.

[Polites]

I really like your synoptic account, Martinulus. I especially like the idea of Michael as a Nightwatchman for the Temple.

As for the Apostles' names, I think it should not be a problem if one or more of them have Greek names, especially given that some of their RL equivalents also have Hellenic names (Philip or Andrew). For the name of Judas Iscariot, how about "Onan"? I doubt there are many people with that first name, and it currently has some ... unsavory connotations.

[Martinulus]

The problem with Theodore is not so much that his name is Kalopian per se, but that he is to all intents and purposes Matthew the Evangelist (he notes a lot of prophecy, and seems to be learned in the Law), which would mean that he should be Yeudi. Either that, or he might have had a Kalopian father and a Yeudi mother (and thus have been Yeudi), and "Theodore" is the name Eliyahu gave to him when he called him. Something like that.

[Polites]

Philip and Andrew were not, to my knowledge, anything other than Jews. It could have been common in the 1st century to have Yeudi people adopt Kalopian names, perhaps as a result of Kalopian colonies across the Majatran Sea.

[Martinulus]

In that case, Theodore is simply the Kalopian rendering of the Yeudish name "Mattiyahu".

Michael's prior occupation is one of the nods towards Hosianism's equivalence with Christianity (much like Thomas the Believer is the ironic counterpoint of the Sceptical Thomas), seeing as the nightwatchman is used often as a metaphore for the faithful hoping for salvation through Christ.

The name Onan would be very appropriate seeing as he is the brother of the original Judah, which is where the name "Judas" comes from. Another irony.

Shall I edit the synoptical account into the Eliyahu page, then?

[Polites]

Sure, that would greatly improve the page.

About Theodore, maybe in order to make him different from RL Mathew, you could add some features from another RL apostle. Maybe he was martyred by being crucified on an X-shaped cross, thus having the St. Theodore's Cross.

[Martinulus]

Yeah. I also considered giving him some characteristics of St. Paul (being the other great apostle), though I think not quite all as we need a very fervent epistle-writer to keep early Hosianism together, and the quiet, meekness and moderation associated with Thomas is not well-suited to that.

[Martinulus]

Silly me, we're talking about Theodore, not Thomas.

[Martinulus]

I have decided on the backgrounds of St. Thomas and St. Theodore:

- St. Thomas is a young acolyte in the Temple - he is later the youngest among the Twelve. A week after Elijah is cast out, he leaves the Temple of his own accord, and guided by his faith which appears as a lighting path before him, he follows Elijah to arrive in time for his master's baptism by St. Matthias the Baptist. This will likely make Thomas (one of) the patron saint of Priests.
- St. Theodore (analogous to Matthew) has a less virtuous history. As a clerk in the Temple, he colluded in the embezzlement of the Priests, engaging in coverups. After witnessing the miracle of the Treasury, he starts to doubt the righteousness of his masters. As he hears of Elijah's charity with the gold, he repents and follows Elijah and Michael into the city where he helps them distribute the last of the money. After Elijah is cast out, he quickly joins him and Michael in his ministry.