Salvatic Church

The Salvatic Church is an international Dionysian religious institution led by the pater (or mater) and his (or her) council of priests. The Salvatic Church teaches that it is the one, holy and apostolic church founded by Lucius Unctus in his Great Commission, that its bishops are the successors of Unctus' apostles, and that the pater is the successor to Saint Jimmy, upon whom primacy was conferred by Lucius Unctus. The church maintains that it practises the original Salvatic faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church.

## Name

Salvaty (from Latin: Salvatoris, lit. 'of the saviour') was first used to describe the church in the year 01. The name "Salvatic Church" was used to distinguish it from other groups that also called themselves "the church". The name relates to Lucius Unctus, who is considered the "saviour" of humanity.

## Organisation

The Salvatic Church follows an episcopal polity, led by bishops who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders who are given formal jurisdictions of governance within the church. Ultimately leading the entire Salvatic Church is the pater or mater whose jurisdiction is called the Holy See (*Sancta Sedes* in Latin). In parallel to the diocesan structure are a variety of religious institutes that function autonomously, often subject only to the authority of the pope, though sometimes subject to the local bishop.

### Holy See

The hierarchy of the Salvatic Church is headed by the pater or mater. The office of the pope is known as the *patercy*. The Salvatic Church holds that Unctus instituted the patercy upon giving the keys of Heaven to Saint Jimmy. His ecclesiastical jurisdiction is called the Holy See, or the Apostolic See (meaning the see of the apostle Jimmy). Directly serving the pope is the council of priests, the central governing body that administers the day-to-day business of the Salvatic Church.

Following the death or resignation of a pater or mater, all Salvators meet at a Salvatic holy site to elect a successor.

## Doctrine

The Salvatic Church believes that it is continually guided by God as it discerns new theological issues and is protected infallibly from falling into doctrinal error when a firm decision on an issue is reached. It teaches that revelation has one common source, God, and two distinct modes of transmission: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Sacred Scripture consists of the books of the Salvatic Bible, consisting of Old Propter and New Propter writings. Sacred Tradition consists of those teachings believed by the church to have been handed down since the time of the Apostles. Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are collectively known as the "deposit of faith" (*depositum fidei* in Latin); these are in turn interpreted by the council of priests.

### Human capacity for God

The Salvatic Church teaches that "The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself." While man may turn away from God, God never stops calling man back to him. Because man is created in the image and likeness of God, man can know with certainty of God's existence from his own human reason. The church teaches that "Man is by nature and vocation a religious being. Coming from God, going toward God, man lives a fully human life only if he freely lives by his bond with God".

### God comes to meet humanity

The church teaches God revealed himself gradually, beginning in the Louther, and completing this revelation by sending his son to Earth as a man. This revelation started with Clovis and Clara, and was not broken off by their original sin. Rather, God promised to send a redeemer. God further revealed himself through covenants between Michæl and Dionysius. God delivered the law to Hieronymus in Jabal, and spoke through the Old Propter prophets. The fullness of God's revelation was made manifest through the coming of the Son of God, Lucius Unctus.

## Scriptures

Salvaty regards the Louther, a collection of canonical books in two parts (the Old Propter and the New Propter), as authoritative. It is believed by Salvators to have been written by human authors under the inspiration of God. The Louther includes all books of the Dionic scriptures, the Tenik, along with additional books. This bible is organised into two parts: the books of the Old Propter primarily sourced from the Tenik (with some variations), and the books of the New Propter.

Salvatic theology distinguishes two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual. The literal sense of understanding scripture is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation. The spiritual sense has three subdivisions: the allegorical, moral, and anagogical (meaning mystical or spiritual) senses.

* The allegorical sense includes typology. An example would be the parting of the Dype Sea being understood as a "type" (sign) of baptism.
* The moral sense understands the scripture to contain some ethical teaching.
* The anagogical interpretation includes eschatology and applies to eternity and the consummation of the world.

Salvatic theology adds other rules of interpretation which include:

* the injunction that all other senses of sacred scripture are based on the literal meaning;
* the historical character of the four Gospels, and that they faithfully hand on what Lucius taught about salvation;
* that scripture must be read within the "living Tradition of the whole Church";
* the task of authentic interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the pater or mater.