The Great Schism

The Great Schism took place in the year 2421 and was the first major split in the Heliolite religion. The central theological debate is the canonization of the "Fifth Disciple", one of Adam's early followers Leo Arsia. The Orthodox Church believe that Adam only had four true original Disciples where as the Pentateuch Church believe that Leo Arsia was the fifth. This difference can be seen in their core symbols as the Orthodox branch retains the original four sided star emblem while the Pentateuch Church has the more widely known five sided star. Both churches believe that Leo Arsia I was an integral member of the founding movement but only the Pentateuch Church believes he was an original disciple. Both churches see Leo II as a prophet as well (the second martyred prophet after Adam) however the Pentateuch Church sees both Leo II and his daughter Arabella as prophets (two in one, the father and the daughter). The Pentateuch Church also recognizes Arabella's writings (the Scripture of the Sun) as the fifth book in the Heliolite Bible while the Orthodox only recognize the original four books and consider Arabella's writings to be "non cannon but helpful in understanding the ways of the Creator." While in previous eras the split was cause for violence and strife, at present the two factions recognize each other as two parts of the same Church. The Bishop of Europa and the Bishop of Titan are thought to have a cordial if not friendly relationship.