Blessed Denburn of the Areuls
Blessed and Ecclesial Father Padrig Denburn
The Blessed Confessor of the Areul people and an early Ecclesial father. Denburn's work in converting the Areuls and his works combating heretical ideas won him great renown in his day and in the days after his death. Today he is remembered as among the highest honored of the early fathers of the Ecclesia and especially honored among the Gwerins who he spent the most time among.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Among the most revered and venerated figures in ecclesial circles, Denburn was among a new generation of leaders in the ecclesial expansion across the Rasennan empire after Emperor Roman Vasilaiós' great council of 366 B.E which formalized the faith. Denburn was born in 297 B.E, during the reign of the Vasilaiós' great-grandson Emperor Roman V and was a boy during the chaotic years following Roman's defeat against the Zhors led by Muzafer at the Battle of Tarakoun. by 281 B.E, Denburn was a highly educated cleric in the western reaches of the empire and despite the religious defeatism of his time, Denburn remained optimistic of the role the organized faith had in the heart and minds of the Empire's citizens. Nevertheless, he remained deeply perturbed by the various interpretations of the faith being accepted and saw it as his duty to combat them.
Denburn wrote many examinations of the findings of the 1st Ecclesia and made many rebuttals of other published texts. One such rebuttal was against a popular scroll written by a man called Milonus the Hermit which postulated that the separation of Deus into two parts was a return to polytheism and a factual heresy. Denburn's rebuttal to this was his work De Natura Dei or On the Nature of God. De Natura Dei focused on the idea of perceived tangibility, on how the nature of Deus was perceived to be within human grasp but unable to be entirely understood by him. Thus, the nature of God was intangible, but through the revelation to the Ecclesia, the separation of the two natures of God was understood and enshrined in canon law as the two natures of Deus and thus not a polytheistic belief at all.
Denburn also refuted another claim during this time as a claim that all adherents to the Ecclesia should be pacifistic and peaceful by adherence to God. Denburn refuted this on the grounds that generally, members of the Ecclesia ought to be people of peace. Denburn however, disagrees saying that peacefulness in the face of a grave wrong that could only be stopped by violence would be a sin. This train of thought would later bring about the creation of the "Just War" doctrine of the Ecclesia which would only sponsor armed conflict if it brought about a direct return of peace.
"Slay them not, take not their property or their well-being, lest they should, at last, forget the law given to them by God so long ago."
Denburn wrote many examinations of the findings of the 1st Ecclesia and made many rebuttals of other published texts. One such rebuttal was against a popular scroll written by a man called Milonus the Hermit which postulated that the separation of Deus into two parts was a return to polytheism and a factual heresy. Denburn's rebuttal to this was his work De Natura Dei or On the Nature of God. De Natura Dei focused on the idea of perceived tangibility, on how the nature of Deus was perceived to be within human grasp but unable to be entirely understood by him. Thus, the nature of God was intangible, but through the revelation to the Ecclesia, the separation of the two natures of God was understood and enshrined in canon law as the two natures of Deus and thus not a polytheistic belief at all.
Denburn also refuted another claim during this time as a claim that all adherents to the Ecclesia should be pacifistic and peaceful by adherence to God. Denburn refuted this on the grounds that generally, members of the Ecclesia ought to be people of peace. Denburn however, disagrees saying that peacefulness in the face of a grave wrong that could only be stopped by violence would be a sin. This train of thought would later bring about the creation of the "Just War" doctrine of the Ecclesia which would only sponsor armed conflict if it brought about a direct return of peace.
Denburn also combated the idea of predestination in many of his works. Free will, he claims, was a gift of Deus and brought about due to the freedom of the human mind to do as it wishes. The gift of free will was granted with the idea of using it strictly for the betterment of one's self and others and as such works in tandem and harmony with God. Free will was not intended for sin, meaning it is not equally predisposed to both good and evil. Free will defiled by sin is not considered as "free" as it once was because it is bound by material things like selfishness, greed, apathy, and cowardness.
During his life, Denburn advocated for the conversion of people of all kinds to the faith and led many conversions himself. Denburn however, did not advocate for the conversion of eastern peoples dedicated to the deity Ahura as he saw them as misguided yet a "chosen people". Denburn saw Ahura as a mishappen representation of Deus and as such, Ahurites were still within the branch of God's people. Denburn countered that God had initially chosen the Ahurites as his people, but they had abandoned him and he considered the numerous sects of the Ahurites to be a fulfillment of prophecy and an example to all true believers of the dangers of falling from Deus' teachings. He rejected homicidal attitudes towards them, which had been a recurring problem in the east, and spoke of them saying,
"Slay them not, take not their property or their well-being, lest they should, at last, forget the law given to them by God so long ago."
Denburn's most noted achievement is also his most poorly documented as he was apparently sent on an ecclesial mission to the provinces of Areul to promote the findings of the 1st Ecclesia and stamp out Arish polytheism in the region. In these times, Areul was a land that resisted first the imperial cult and now the new imperial ecclesia in favor of their naturalist gods who were the gods of the Areuls. Denburn is said to have gained wide renown as a skilled speaker and debater who fought to sway the minds of the peoples of Areul towards the Ecclesia's doctrine. Denburn found the people more eager to learn of the aspects of Deus and the ties it had to their pantheon of deities. In surviving treaties recovered, Denburn compares past attempts to reach the Areuls as not adhering to the natural rationality of turning to the light of God. In the past, imperial agents would beat, berate and sometimes torture polytheistic Areuls, desecrate and burn their shirnes and generally act in a belligerent and violent manner towards them. Denburn's assertion was that Deus represented universal rationality and that to be coerced into following rationality would turn the wouldbe converter to irrationality and thus keep them from accepting the universal truth of Deus.
It is thought that his more compassionate approach to the Areuls led to their greater conversions and the cessation of purges and pogroms in the area on account of these religious tensions. Denburn's relationship to the region is still felt today as Areul, currently ruled by the Kingdom of Tiranar, enjoys a prime position in the Mundana branch of the Ecclesia and is often called "The First Daughter of the Church". Denburn's legacy as an early leader of the Ecclesia remains extremely poignant, his approaches to the new faith brought with it rationality, humanity, and a better level of understanding than his predecessors.
Denburn is said to have died at the old age of ninety-one and according to ecclesial hagiography, Denburn was given an audience with the newly ascended Hasdinian emperor Radimane. While failing to convert him to the Ecclesia, is said to have instructed him to safeguard the newly conquered people of Areul for if he did not he would not hold the lands of the faithful for long. While his work was undeniable of great importance, Denburn's true impact on the region of Areul was fully understood when the invading Hasdinians finally converted to the ways of the Ecclesia and Denburn was officially made a blessed figure in 108 B.E, nearly a century after his death.
It is thought that his more compassionate approach to the Areuls led to their greater conversions and the cessation of purges and pogroms in the area on account of these religious tensions. Denburn's relationship to the region is still felt today as Areul, currently ruled by the Kingdom of Tiranar, enjoys a prime position in the Mundana branch of the Ecclesia and is often called "The First Daughter of the Church". Denburn's legacy as an early leader of the Ecclesia remains extremely poignant, his approaches to the new faith brought with it rationality, humanity, and a better level of understanding than his predecessors.
Denburn is said to have died at the old age of ninety-one and according to ecclesial hagiography, Denburn was given an audience with the newly ascended Hasdinian emperor Radimane. While failing to convert him to the Ecclesia, is said to have instructed him to safeguard the newly conquered people of Areul for if he did not he would not hold the lands of the faithful for long. While his work was undeniable of great importance, Denburn's true impact on the region of Areul was fully understood when the invading Hasdinians finally converted to the ways of the Ecclesia and Denburn was officially made a blessed figure in 108 B.E, nearly a century after his death.
Ethnicity
Date of Birth
10th of Kaisie
Date of Death
11th of Laris
Life
297 B.E
206 B.E
91 years old
Birthplace
Nustria, Southern Areul
Children
Sex
Male
Gender
Male
Eyes
Dark Brown
Hair
Long Brown Hair and Beard
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
5'6
Weight
150 lbs
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Life is our lord's greatest gift, why then are we so eager to deprive others of it, rather than join together in reverence and blessedness?"
-In letter to Aurevil of Deizel in 231 B.E
Belief/Deity
The Magna Ecclesia
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Mykran
Arish
Hasdinian
Character Prototype
Saint Patrick and Augustine
Comments