Sabbatarianism

Sabbatarianism (土休教, Tohyugyo) is a Maithunic religion based on the exclusive worship of a single unique deity, who is described as being, , and capable of establishing personal relationships with human beings. The name "Sabbatarianism" is derived from the common practice of the observance of the, a 24 to 25 hour period of abstention from work and the participation in religious services and rituals (such as prayer and study of scripture). With around XXX hundred million followers, mostly in Yoju and Miju with smaller communities elsewhere, Sabbatarianism is the Xth largest religion on Tiandi.

Sabbatarianism is divided into three major denominations:, the oldest, distinguished by belief in a special covenant between adherents and God; , which split from Blue Cap in the 1st century CE, distinguished by the belief that is divine, and , which split from both in the 7th century CE, distinguished by its belief that  is a prophet. Each of these denominations is further divided into numerous sects, and other smaller denominations also exist. Sabbatarianism originated in Napsal in the first half of the first millennium BCE, sharing a common root with Jaatunism.

Terminology
In and other Dembiyan languages, Sabbatarianism has traditionally been referred to as tewahedo (ተዋሕዶ, "monotheism" or "unitarianism"), or more informally as haymanot (ሃይማኖት, "religion" or "faith"), with Blue Caps distinguishing themselves from other sects as oritawi (ኦሪታዊ, "Orit followers" or "true to the Orit"). Since the colonial era sanbatawi (ሰንበታዊ), a literal back-translation of "Sabbatarian", has come into increasing use.

Blue Cap

 * ("feast of trumpets"), celebrating the new year.
 * ("day of atonement"), the holiest fast day of the year.
 * ("feast of tabernacles"), commemorating the wanderings of Dejen and his followers through the desert.
 * ("supplication"), celebrating the acceptance of the Orit.
 * , celebrating the escape of Dejen and his followers from Mennefer.
 * ("harvest"), celebrating the revelation of the Orit.
 * , a fast commemorating the destruction of the First Temple.

White Cap

 * , celebrated in Seogwan.

Blue Cap scripture
The oldest and most foundational Sabbatarian scriptures are the Mashafa Kedus ("holy books"), written in in the first millennium BCE and considered canonical by Blue Caps as well as many Black Caps and some White Caps. The central part of the Meshafa Kedus is the Orit ("law"), its first eight books, consisting of a narrative of the creation of humanity and the founding of Sabbatarianism alongside an extensive collection of laws and commandments that form the basis of Sabbatarian religious law and ethics, believed to have been handed down by God to Dejen at Debre Tesfa. The Mashafa Nagast ("book of kings"), a chronicle of the succeeding generations of the kings of Azeba, and the Mashafa Mala'ekt ("book of angels"), a collection of further poems, hymns, and prophecies, are also canonical but of lesser spiritual importance.

Origins
According to the Orit, Sabbatarianism traces its roots to Mennefer where it was initiated by the prophet Maithun, the same prophet Jaatunists claim as the founder of their own religion. The Sabbatarian narrative also focuses on Maithun's foremost disciple, the Menneferian prince Dejen, a figure not found in the Jaatunist narrative of Maithun's life. At the end of his life, Maithun gathered his disciples to tell them that his past teachings had been incomplete, that Jaatun was not just the foremost god but the only god, and that He was not the sun but far greater, with the sun only being one of His creations. Maithun walked into the desert to receive the new law of God but never returned, and the other disciples rejected this revelation, not understanding how anything could be greater than the sun, while only Dejen understood and accepted it. Dejen began preaching monotheism in Mennefer and gained a number of followers, eventually provoking the Ouro, Dejen's own brother, to exile them from Mennefer. They wandered through the desert for a generation, during which time they received the full new law of God, the Orit itself, at the mountain of Debre Tesfa, and entered into a covenant with God to follow it, considered to be the founding of Sabbatarianism proper.

Dejen died and was succeeded in his leadership of the exiles by his son Kidane, who finally led them to the new land that God directed them to, in the highlands of modern Dembiya. The local inhabitants there knew of the one true god, who they called Waaq, but also worshipped a number of false gods, particularly the giant serpent Wainaba who oppressed the people by demanding human sacrifices. Kidane slew the serpent, freeing the people to worship God, and won the hand of the local queen Sannayt of Azeba, founding the new royal lineage of Azeba as a consecrated kingdom. The Orit concludes with Kidane's son Zeray succeeding to the throne and being commanded by God to build the Temple of Mazaber, which would serve as the focus of Sabbatarian worship until it was destroyed by Mennefer in 500 CE.

Historians believe that Jaatunist refugees exiled from Mennefer may have settled in Dembiya around 1000 CE; over the next few centuries their beliefs gradually blended with local belief in the creator deity Waaq and evolved from Jaatunist henotheism to the more strict monotheism characteristic of Sabbatarianism. They do not believe that there was a sharp distinction from orthodox Jaatunism at the outset, as depicted in the Orit, but rather that the schism narrative is a later invention intended to create such a distinction. There is no direct archaeological evidence for the royal descent of these Jaatunist exiles, or for the historicity of Dejen, Kidane, Sannayt, or Zeray. The Orit is believed to have been compiled around the 5th century BCE, by which time Zeray's Temple was already in existence although its date of construction is unknown, with additional texts such as the Mashafa Nagast and Mashafa Mala'ekt accepted as canon in the following few centuries.

Blue Cap Sabbatarianism
can be broadly defined as those Sabbatarians that only view the original, and especially the , as canonical and authoritative scripture, with later texts regarded simply as interpretation, in contrast to Black Caps who also canonize the and to White Caps who use the  instead. Most Blue Caps also do not believe in any messiah claimants or post-biblical prophets, though some messianic or prophetic subsects do exist. Blue Caps view themselves as following the most original and authentic form of Sabbatarianism, and tend to place an emphasis on strict monotheism and a relatively conservative interpretation of Sabbatarian religious laws. Blue Caps are also distinguished from other sects by the general belief that, beyond the more basic universal, Sabbatarian religious law is a voluntary covenant particular to Sabbatarians rather than a universal obligation.

Azebic Sabbatarianism
is the subset of the Blue Cap sect practiced in Dembiya and surrounding countries and based on Dembiyan traditions. It is characterized by use of as a liturgical language, use of the Azebic version of the, the first eight books of the Mashafa Kedus, as its central holy text, reverence of the  in  as its holiest site, use of  in worship services, a tradition of monasticism and , and frequent. It has been the theocratic state religion of Dembiya since the Sabbatarian Revolution in 1975. There are two claimants to the Azebic high priesthood, the revolutionary lineage currently in control of the Dembiyan government and the pre-revolutionary lineage now operating in exile.

Misraqawi Sabbatarianism
Misraqawi ("eastern" in Azebic) refers to the Blue Cap tradition practiced east and north of Napsal, most notably in Issakhar where Blue Cap Sabbatarians make up a substantial portion of the population.

In Seogwan


in Seogwan is and. It was introduced by refugees from Mennefer in the 8th century CE, and adopted as a when a deliberative assembly of kings decreed the founding of a Seogwanese Caliphate in 802 CE, albeit unpopular with the laymen. Under Caliph Belrušu's rule (11th century), was made more lucrative;  were coercively turned into  and, whose  became. Attendance in both was deemed prestigious. By the 13th century, the populace was conclusively affiliated to Sabbatarianism, with since regarded as  (') and  (') present in the  (holy scripture).

Religious law (') did openly influence the Caliphate's legal code, but Seogwanese scholars (') strongly opposed in its application, paving the way for secular reasoning (') and scholarly consensus ('). Exemplary deeds (') and sayings (') of were eventually lessened in significance, in favor of those by local saints. Multiculturalism and were held sacred in the Caliphate and its expeditions abroad;  () was never forced onto unwilling recipients. Due to a long tradition of divination, mysticism () was able to flourish out of old beliefs, as an alternative to the. One such example is , once a symbol of fertility in ancient Ugart, now an and symbol of Sabbatarianism as a whole. Most religious practices have remained the same following their documentation and standardization as the "Pillars of Faith" in 1574.

During its golden era however, the Caliphate was noticeably influenced by its peers. The hospitality law of Seogwan is said to derive from this period, in particular from Baghathran counterparts (' and/or '), but has been obscured by scriptural connections. An abstract form of was borrowed from Aryadesh and renamed as Eid al-Mahsuli, which is now observed alongside. Nukigurun's presence in the north during the protectorate era popularized, which had been under the Caliphate. (Some remnant from that era have since been repurposed for .) It is unclear whether  in the mountainous center is also linked to Nukigurun, or had been directly borrowed from Central Yojuan tropes. In any case, these funerals are now seen as permissible, and have been adapted to follow the. The Grand Mosque of Seogwan is the sole of the religion, and the direction () to which prayer is made. Seogwan has been a secular state since 1962; Sabbatarianism continues to be the dominant religion.