The Divine Book
The sacred texts of the Church of Saphéne.
Purpose
The Goróbaó, literally the "Divine Book", is a collection of ancient teachings about the Celestials, accounts of various prophets and saints, and the divine laws that used to be passed down orally until that point.
Document Structure
Clauses
The first part of the Goróbaó deals with the Celestials themselves, with Saphéne the Mother Goddess, her sister Palia the Night Goddess and their family in the distant stars. It tells the stories of Éisabó the Firebearer and Lahasabó the Waterbearer, and explains how Chryphóra and the Flaming Garden came to be.
The second part delves into the lives and teachings of several prophets who helped enlighten the Nimýrité about the will of the goddesses. The third part consists of similar historical accounts, but focuses on the Cilané, those rare individuals who were particularly strong in their faith and gifted with semblances of the divine powers.
Finally, the fourth part is a detailed description of the laws derived from the prophets' teachings and the examples of the Cilané. It includes, among others, sections dedicated to everyday affairs such as etiquette and ethical conduct, to economic matters such as distributing farmed goods or collecting taxes, or to the treatment of various groups such as orphans, beggars or non-believers.
Publication Status
Before the invention of the printing press in 1312 PN, copies of the Goróbaó had to be written by hand, making every book highly expensive. There was usually one such book per temple community, and only wealthy families had the means to obtain a reproduction of it.
When technological progress significantly reduced the time and cost for creating books, the sacred texts quickly became accessible for the general population. Ironically, the same progress that allowed every household to own the Goróbaó also ushered in the Age of Reason and the subsequent decline in religious faith.
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