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The Seventy-Seven Theses

By yearning of the righteous truth and the desire to bring it into the light so long denied, the following profferances will be discussed at Maidenpool, under the auspice of the Revered High Sparrow, Foremost Wandering Minister, Great Shepherd of the Faithful True, Master of Scripture. Wherefore he requests that those who cannot be present to debate in person, may do so by letter.

By the Mother's mercy, let these tenets be ushered into the Smith's light, that the Maiden's purity be once again the drive behind the Warrior's arm, that the Crone's deepest truth be anew the only guide behind the Father's justice, that the Stranger need no more claim the righteous faithful as forbearance to the wicked, may it be so.

1. Our lord and Father, when he said "Repent", willed that the faithful spend their entire life in Repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean murder in the Warrior's name, much less so than it can be satisfied by mere confession to the septons.

3. There is no inward repentance that does not work outward mortification of the flesh, but the Smith's call has always been to hone one's own self, not to tarnish the self of another.

4. The penalty of sin, therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues, for the Crone's wisdom is ever self-revealing, and should remain so until our entrance to the Seven Heavens.

5. Still so, the Maiden, in her innocence, remits guilt to none who she does not, at the same time, humble in all ways and bring in subjection to her grace.

6. Yet all those who are not doomed to damnation have already received the Mother's mercy; Thus, the Canons of penitence can be imposed only on the living, and any attempts to impose them on the dying is and infringement of Her charity.

7. Therefore, the High Septon in all his decrees makes exception of the article of necessity and death, and ignorant and wicked are the doings of those septons who reserve canonical penances for Hell or, worse, use and misuse the Seven's Canons in order to absolve the living of their debt of Repentance.

8. The High Septon cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by the Seven and by assenting to Their remission; Though he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment, if his right to grant remission in such cases is despised, the guilt remains entirely unforgiven.

9. The exclusion of certain septons from the canonical penalties is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown by the very septons in question while the High Septon slept.

10. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.

11. At the same time, it is true that the dying are freed by death from all canonical penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and any claims to the contrary can only be the hubris of man attempting to infringe upon the Father's justice.

12. On this basis, certain preachers claim this is why the Stranger cares not if he meets the aggrieved before the sinner, for death is his gift that allows the Father to grant eternal bliss or torment as deserved by all parties;

13. However, as man is only freed in death from all man-begotten canons, then "full remission of all penalties" cannot actually mean "of all," but only of those imposed by the High Septon.

14. More so, if we accept that justice is the sole providence of the Father, then Trial by Battle under the Warrior's eyes can at most be considered a stay of execution, not ever absolution.

15. Therefore, these preachers who claim that remissions or Trial by Battle under the Warrior's Eyes beget absolution are in error, for indeed, by their own words absolution can only be achieved in death.

16. It is most difficult, then, even for the very keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the faithful the abundance of pardons that have been granted to certain septons without the need for true contrition.

17. The unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the High Septon from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.

18. Let the people open eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men and women preach their own dreams instead of the commission of the Seven.

19. The septas, lay brothers, and septons who encourage such thought to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.

20. We say, on the contrary, that no sort of pardon is able to remove even the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is concerned.

21. If we accept that absolution can only be achieved through the Stranger, then neither remissions nor Trial by Battle can be compared in any way to works of justice.

22. Love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty.

23. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, and furnish an occasion for hating their recipients.

24. To repress these arguments and scruples by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Faith and the High Septon to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make the faithful unhappy.

25. Therefore, the faithful are to be taught that if the High Septon knew the infractions and exactions of his clergy, he would rather that Hugor's church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of its flock.

Extract from "The Seventy-Seven Theses", found on the third week of the fourth month of the year 278 AC, stabbed in the High Septon's heart.