Pantarchic Church Structure
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Axia
One's axion is one's position within the hierarchy of the Pantarchic Church. The axia are:
Axia marked with the + are part of the ecclesiarchy.
Hegemon
- Precedence: Primary
- Ecclesiarchic: Yes
- Ministorial Topos: Pantoias
- Ordained: Yes
- Invested: Yes
- Proper Form of Address: "Your Holiness"
- Plural: Hegemoi
The axion of hegemon is the highest office of the Pantarchic Church; the servant of Yehovah called to it is the head of the Church, and speaks for Yehovah in all things.
As the highest mortal authority within the Church, the hegemon is considered to be a part of both the Ministorum and the Administorum. His presence in the Ministorum is not empty, as he personally conducts the High Eisphora each year.
Mnemon
- Precedence: Secondary
- Ecclesiarchic: Yes
- Ordained: Yes
- Invested: Yes
- Proper Form of Address: "Your Wisdom"
- Plural: Mnemoi
The mnemoi are the hegemon's circle of advisors, the wisest and holiest of the Church. When the Church is reft of its hegemon, it is the College of Mnemoi who choose the new hegemon, most commonly (but not always) from within their ranks. Many of the higher concerns of the Church are normally handled by the mnemoi, so that the hegemon is able to focus on only the most crucial of matters.
As mnemoi do not have direct ministorial responsibilities, the College of Mnemoi lies entirely within the Administorum.
Archistator
- Precedence: Tertiary
- Ecclesiarchic: Yes
- Ministorial Topos: Diokesis
- Ordained: Yes
- Invested: Yes
- Proper Form of Address: "Your Reverence"
- Plural: Archistatoroi
The archistatores are high officials of the Pantarchic Church, each bearing primary responsibility for an entire diokesis. They are responsible to the College of Mnemoi, and thereby to the Hegemon.
Epopis
- Precedence: Quaternary
- Ecclesiarchic: Yes
- Ministorial Topos: Horos
- Ordained: Yes
- Invested: Yes
- Proper Form of Address: "Your Grace"
- Plural: Epopides
Epopides are ecclesiarchic overseers of patrides. An epopis of the Ministorum is the spiritual leader of a horos, a topos most typically encompassing either a large settlement and its outlying villages or a broader area with no particularly sizable settlements, and is responsible to the archistator set over the diokesis in which his horos resides. Epopides of the Administorum similarly oversee patrides and are responsible to an archistator, with the particulars varying according to the organizational situation.
Semantor
- Precedence: Quinary
- Ecclesiarchic: No
- Ordained: No
- Invested: Yes
- Proper Form of Address: "Your Eminence"
- Plural: Semantoroi
A semantor is the head of an order of summachoi, and holds the greatest spiritual authority possible for one who is not an ordained priest.
As with summachoi, a semantor will generally be known by a title specific to the order of summachoi in question.
Patris
- Precedence: Senary
- Ecclesiarchic: Yes
- Ministorial Topos: Domos
- Ordained: Yes
- Invested: Yes
- Proper Form of Address: "Father"
- Plural: Patrides
Patrides are ordained priests of Yehovah. A patris of the Ministorum is responsible for a domos, an ecclesiarchic district that usually encompasses a village or a portion of a larger settlement, and is responsible to the epopis of the horos in which his domos lies. As the ecclesiarchs who directly guide the people of their sullogoi, the patrides of the Ministorum are the backbone of the Pantarchic Church. Patrides of the Administorum, like their ministering counterparts, are responsible to an epopis as appropriate to the particular organizational structure under which they work.
Summachos
- Precedence: Septenary
- Ecclesiarchic: No
- Ordained: No
- Invested: Yes
- Plural: Summachoi
Summachoi are devoted servants of Yehovah who, though not a part of the priesthood, stand with it -- often enough in a martial capacity, though summachoi fill a variety of roles according to the needs of the Church and their personal vocation. The distinction which separates a summachos from others who fight for and serve the Pantarchic Church is that they have passed through purification and investment with the privilege of calling directly upon Lord Yehovah for aid.
Unlike the case with ecclesiarchic axia, knowing that someone holds the axion of summachos generally does not tell the full story. There are many orders from which summachoi are initiated, and each ordinarily has its own name for someone within it who attains this axion.
Rhetor
- Precedence: Septenary
- Ecclesiarchic: Yes
- Ordained: No
- Invested: Yes
- Plural: Rhetoroi
A rhetor is an acolyte to the axion of patris, and serves as an assistant to a series of patrides in the course of training for that vocation.
Mestor
- Precedence: Nonary
- Ecclesiarchic: No
- Ordained: No
- Invested: No
- Plural: Mestoroi
Mestores are acolytes of the Pantarchic Church. A mestor may be an aspirant to the axion of rhetor or summachos, or may simply be called to continuing service as a mestor. The duties and privileges of mestores vary widely according to this aspiration and the role in which they serve, but generally they faithfully assist the higher axia in whatever capacity may be required. Ordinary maintenance of church grounds is normally performed by mestores, and certain liturgical roles are primarily filled by them.
As with summachoi themselves, mestores who are aspirants to the summachos axion are likely to be known by another name specific to the order they serve.
Probaton
- Precedence: Denary
- Ecclesiarchic: No
- Ordained: No
- Invested: No
- Plural: Probata
Probata are the ordinary faithful of Yehovah. Though they have not been called to more specific service within the Pantarchic Church, they are nonetheless its very flesh and substance, without whose piety and sacrifice the Church would wither.
Ecclesiarchy
The ecclesiarchy is the spiritual leadership of the Pantarchic Church -- the hierarchical structure of all its ordained priests and those studying for ordination. It is divided into two parts: the Ministorum and the Administorum.
Ministorum
The Ministorum is the part of the Pantarchic Church ecclesiarchy that is responsible for the duties of ministry, providing spiritual leadership to the probata.
Priests within the Ministorum have geographical areas of responsibility, called topoi.
Administorum
The Administorum is the part of the Pantarchic Church ecclesiarchy that does not perform ministry. As its name indicates, the proper function of the Administorum is to provide support to the Ministorum.
Sullogoi
A sullogos is an organized congregation of the Pantarchic Church. When someone speaks of a sullogos, what is most often meant is the people of a particular domos, but the memberships of larger topoi are also properly considered sullogoi, including the Church as a whole -- one name for which is the Sullogos Pantoias. Divisions of the Administorum, generally organized by purpose rather than geography, also constitute sullogoi.
Eisphorata
An eisphora is a gathering of the faithful of Lord Yehovah to worship in fellowship under the guidance of the priests of the Ministorum.
Topoi
The topoi are the geographic ecclesiarchic districts of the Pantarchic Church. They are:
Pantoias
- Axion: Hegemon
The pantoias is the topos encompassing all of existence, and is the ministorial responsibility of the hegemon.
Diokesis
- Axion: Archistator
- Plural: Diokeses
A diokesis is a large ecclesiarchic district of the Pantarchic Church, generally covering a broad geographic region, and is overseen by an archistator.
Horos
- Axion: Epopis
- Plural: Horoi
A horos is a midsized ecclesiarchic district of the Pantarchic Church, typically containing a large settlement and its outlying villages or a broader area with no particularly sizable settlements. A horos is overseen by an epopis.
Domos
- Axion: Patris
- Plural: Domoi
A domos is the smallest of the ecclesiarchic districts of the Pantarchic Church, generally encompassing a few villages or a section of a larger settlement. A domos is overseen by a patris.
