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The '''Sacred Scrolls''' are a set of writings the form the basis of [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|Colonial religion]], a polytheistic faith resembling the legends of ancient Greece. The scrolls record much of the alleged history of humanity, including life on [[Kobol]] before the great exodus, and the legend of [[Earth]]. Portions of the scrolls are used in religious ceremonies, such as the Service of the Dead ([[Miniseries]], [[Act of Contrition]]).
{{disline|For the Sacred Scrolls depicted in the comic books, see: [[Sacred Scrolls (alternate)]].}}


Most notable among the Sacred Scrolls is the Book of Pythia, also referred to as the Pythian Prophecy. Written 3,600 years ago by the oracle [[Pythia]], they are believed by some to foretell the current exodus from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]].  
 
[[Image:Pythia.jpg|right|thumb|A portion of the Sacred Scrolls, specifically, a portion of the Book of [[Pythia]].]]
The '''Sacred Scrolls''' are a set of writings that form the basis of [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|Colonial religion]], a polytheistic faith resembling the legends of ancient Greece. The scrolls record much of the alleged history of humanity, including life on {{RDM|Kobol}} before the great exodus, and the legend of [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]. Portions of the scrolls are used in religious ceremonies, such as the [[Service for the dead]] ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries]], "[[Act of Contrition]]").
 
Most notable among the Sacred Scrolls is the Book of Pythia, also referred to as the Pythian Prophecy. Written 3,600 years ago by the oracle [[Pythia]], they are believed by some to foretell the current exodus from the [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol]].  


==Contents==
==Contents==
The contents of the Sacred Scrolls have only been revealed to us in glimpses, through brief quotes, paraphrases and explanations throughout the series. This section serves to catalog those snippets, and is followed by more detailed analysis.
The contents of the Sacred Scrolls have only been revealed in glimpses, through brief quotes, paraphrases and explanations.


===The Book of Pythia===
===The Book of [[Pythia]]===
:'''Roslin:''' Who is Pythia?<br>'''Elosha:''' One of the oracles in the sacred scrolls. 3,600 years ago. Pythia wrote about the exile and rebirth of the human race. ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
:'''Roslin:''' Who is Pythia?<br>'''Elosha:''' One of the [[oracle]]s in the Sacred Scrolls. 3,600 years ago. Pythia wrote about the exile and rebirth of the human race. {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}


====The Cycle of Time====
====The Cycle of Time====
:'''Leoben:''' ''"All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again."'' ([[Flesh and Bone]])
:'''Leoben:''' ''"All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again."'' {{TRS|Flesh and Bone}}
 
:'''Six:''' ''"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."'' {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}


:'''Six:''' ''"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."'' ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
:'''Roslin:''' If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity. {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}


:'''Roslin:''' If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])
:'''Amanda Graystone:''' Do you remember that old saying? "All this has happened before, and all this will happen again"? {{CAP|The Imperfections of Memory}}


====The Dying Leader====
====The Dying Leader====
:'''Elosha:''' ''"And the lords anointed a leader to guide the Caravan of the Heavens to their new homeland."'' ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
:'''Elosha:''' ''"And the lords anointed a leader to guide the Caravan of the Heavens to their new homeland."'' {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}


:'''Elosha:''' She also wrote that the new leader suffered a wasting disease and would not live to enter the new land. ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
:'''Elosha:''' She also wrote that the new leader suffered a wasting disease and would not live to enter the new land. {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}


:'''Roslin:''' The scriptures tell us a dying leader lead humanity to the promised land. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])
:'''Roslin:''' The scriptures tell us a dying leader lead humanity to the promised land. {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}


====A Vision of Serpents====
====A Vision of Serpents====
:'''Elosha:''' ''"And unto the leader they gave a vision of serpents numbering two and ten, as a sign of things to come."'' ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
:'''Elosha:''' ''"And unto the leader they gave a vision of serpents numbering two and ten, as a sign of things to come."'' {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}


====The Serpents Lead the People Into Battle?====
====The Serpents Lead the People Into Battle?====
:'''Six:''' ''"Led by serpents numbering two and ten..."'' (fragment) ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
:'''Six:''' ''"Led by serpents numbering two and ten..."'' (fragment) {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}


====A Confrontation at the Home of the Gods====
====A Confrontation at the Home of the Gods====
:'''Six:''' ''"Though the outcome favored the few, it led to a confrontation at the home of the gods."'' ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
:'''Six:''' ''"Though the outcome favored the few, it led to a confrontation at the home of the gods."'' {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}


====The Lower Demon====
====The Lower Demon====
:'''Elosha:''' The scrolls of Pythia do speak of a lower demon, who helped the people in a time of crisis. ([[Home, Part I]])
:'''Elosha:''' The scrolls of Pythia do speak of a [[Sharon Agathon|lower demon]], who helped the people in a time of crisis. {{TRS|Home, Part I}}


====The Blaze and the High Road====
====The Blaze and the High Road====
:'''Elosha:''' ''"And the blaze pursued them, and the people of Kobol had a choice. To board the great ship, or take the high road through the rocky ridge."''<br>
:'''Elosha:''' ''"And the blaze pursued them, and the people of Kobol had a choice. To board the great ship, or take the high road through the rocky ridge."''<br>
:'''Boomer (continuing):''' ''"And the body of each tribe's leader was offered to the gods in the tomb of Athena."'' And the great ship was the galleon that departed from here, where we're standing. And it took the founders of the thirteen colonies to their destiny. And those that didn't board the galleon took the high road, a rocky ridge that lead to the tomb. ([[Home, Part I]])
:'''Valerii (continuing):''' ''"And the body of each tribe's leader was offered to the gods in the [[tomb of Athena]]."'' And the great ship was the [[galleon]] that departed from here, where we're standing. And it took the founders of the thirteen colonies to their destiny. And those that didn't board the galleon took the high road, a rocky ridge that lead to the tomb. {{TRS|Home, Part I}}


:'''Elosha:''' The path is supposed to be marked by gravestones. ([[Home, Part I]])
:'''Elosha:''' The path is supposed to be marked by gravestones. {{TRS|Home, Part I}}


====The Gates of Hera====
====The Gates of Hera====
:'''Boomer:''' That's the spot where your god supposedly stood and watched Athena throw herself down onto the rocks below, out of despair over the Exodus of the thirteen tribes. Athena's tomb, whoever or whatever she really was, is probably up there. ([[Home, Part II]])
:'''Valerii:''' That's the spot where your god supposedly stood and watched Athena throw herself down onto the rocks below, out of despair over the Exodus of the thirteen tribes. Athena's tomb, whoever or whatever she really was, is probably up there. {{TRS|Home, Part II}}


====The Arrow of Apollo====
====The Arrow of Apollo====
:'''Roslin:''' ''"And the Arrow of Apollo will open the Tomb of Athena."'' ([[Home, Part II]])
:'''Roslin:''' ''"And the Arrow of Apollo will open the Tomb of Athena."'' {{TRS|Home, Part II}}


:'''Elosha:''' The scriptures tell us that Kobol points the way to Earth. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])
:'''Elosha:''' The scriptures tell us that Kobol points the way to Earth. {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}


:'''Roslin:''' According to the scriptures, if we had the arrow of Apollo we could take it down to Kobol and we could use it to open the tomb of Athena and find our way to Earth. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])
:'''Roslin:''' According to the scriptures, if we had the arrow of Apollo we could take it down to Kobol and we could use it to open the tomb of Athena and find our way to Earth. {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}


====Kobol and the Blood Price====
====Kobol and the Blood Price====
:'''Adama:''' ''"And Zeus warned the leaders of the twelve tribes that any return to Kobol would exact a price in blood."'' ([[Home, Part II]])
:'''Adama:''' ''"And [[Zeus, Lord of Kobol|Zeus]] warned the leaders of the twelve tribes that any return to Kobol would exact a price in blood."'' {{TRS|Home, Part II}}
 
====The Flood====
:'''Baltar:''' ''"Pythia talks about the flood ... wiped out most of humanity ... nobody blames the flood ... flood is a force of nature ... through flood, mankind is rejuvinated, born again ..."'' {{TRS|The Hub}}


===History===
===History===


====Pre-Exodus====
====Pre-Exodus====
:'''Elosha:''' This place is Kobol... birthplace of mankind, where the gods and men lived in paradise until the exodus of the thirteen tribes. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])
:'''Elosha:''' This place is Kobol... birthplace of mankind, where the gods and men lived in paradise until the exodus of the thirteen tribes. {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}


====The Exodus====
====The Exodus====
:'''Elosha:''' How old are the ruins?<br>'''Billy:''' Well, we won't know for sure until we send a ground team, but the initial estimates have it on the order of approximately 2,000 years.<br>'''Elosha:''' That's around the time the thirteen tribes first left Kobol. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])
:'''Elosha:''' How old are the ruins?<br>'''[[Billy Keikeya]]:''' Well, we won't know for sure until we send a ground team, but the initial estimates have it on the order of approximately 2,000 years.<br>'''Elosha:''' That's around the time the thirteen tribes first left Kobol. {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}


====The Thirteenth Tribe on Earth====
====The Thirteenth Tribe on Earth====
:'''Starbuck:''' The scriptures say that when the thirteenth tribe landed on Earth, they looked up into the heavens and they saw their twelve brothers. ([[Home, Part II]])
:'''Starbuck:''' The scriptures say that when the thirteenth tribe landed on Earth, they looked up into the heavens and they saw their twelve brothers. {{TRS|Home, Part II}}
 
===Other verses from the Sacred Scrolls===
*'''Adama:''' "Life here began out there." These are the first words of the Sacred Scrolls…<ref>The phrase is an homage to the voiceover in the [[Original Series]] opening credits.</ref> {{TRS|Miniseries}}
*During a [[Salt Line Ceremony]] on ''Galactica'': "Their enemies will divide them. Their colonies broken in the fiery chasm of space. Their shining days renounced by a multitude of dark sacrifices. Yet still they will remain always together." {{TRS|Exodus, Part I}}


===Sayings===
===Sayings<ref>These sayings are similar to the [[Algernon Sydney]] quote "God helps those who help themselves"</ref>===
:'''Adama:''' ''"The gods shall lift those who lift each other."'' ([[Home, Part II]])
:'''Commander Adama:''' ''"The gods shall lift those who lift each other."'' {{TRS|Home, Part II}}
:'''Cavil:''' ''"The gods lift up those who lift each other."'' ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]])
:'''[[Cavil]]:''' ''"The gods lift up those who lift each other."'' {{TRS|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I}}
:: These sayings are similar to the [[Wikipedia:Algernon Sydney|Algernon Sydney]] quote "God helps those who help themselves".
:'''[[Duck]]:''' ''"The gods help those who help themselves."'' {{TRS|Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance}}


==Notes==
==Notes==


The Cycle of Time is apparently a key component of Colonial theology. The notion of a circular progression of time (also known as [[Wikipedia:Eternal return|eternal return]] or eternal recurrence) is foreign to the ancient Greek religion of which Colonial religion are largely based, but it is a common theme in other religions. Some Hindus believe in an endless cycle of ages called [[Wikipedia:Yuga|Yugas]]. The ancient [[Wikipedia:Maya|Maya]] people, as well as the [[Wikipedia:Inca|Incas]] and [[Wikipedia:Aztec|Aztecs]] also believed in the circular nature of time. In philosophy, the [[Wikipedia:Stoics|Stoics]], a movement originating in ancient Greece, held the doctrine. In the nineteenth century, the doctrine appears in the writings of [[Wikipedia:Friedrich Nietzsche|Friedrich Nietzsche]] as a method of life-affirmation.
* The book of Pythia, which contains or is identical to the Pythian Prophecy, was written 1,600 years before the final exodus of the last twelve tribes, and documents the exodus of the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]]. The text apparently contains a detailed narrative of the events of the Exodus, and continues to be interpreted as a source of prophecy 2,000 years after its prophecies have (apparently) already been fulfilled.
 
* The Cycle of Time is apparently a key component of Colonial theology. The notion of a circular progression of time (also known as [[Wikipedia:Eternal return|eternal return]] or eternal recurrence) is foreign to the ancient Greek religion of which Colonial religion are largely based, but it is a common theme in many modern religions. Some Hindus believe in an endless cycle of ages called [[Wikipedia:Yuga|Yugas]]. The ancient [[Wikipedia:Maya|Maya]] people, as well as the [[Wikipedia:Inca|Incas]] and [[Wikipedia:Aztec|Aztecs]] also believed in the circular nature of time. In philosophy, the [[Wikipedia:Stoics|Stoics]], a movement originating in hellenistic Greece, held the doctrine. In the nineteenth century, the doctrine appears in the writings of [[Wikipedia:Friedrich Nietzsche|Friedrich Nietzsche]] as a method of life-affirmation.
The book of Pythia, which contains or is identical to the Pythian Prophecy, was written 1,600 years before the exodus of the thirteen tribes from Kobol, and yet it apparently contains a detailed narrative of the events of the Exodus, and continues to be interpreted as a source of prophecy 2,000 years after its prophecies have (apparently) already been fulfilled. We may thus interpret the entire text as a prophecy, since the events it describes can be firmly dated to a point well after its text was written.


==Analysis==
==Analysis==
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Assuming the events following the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] are a repetition of the events predicted by Pythia, and which came to pass centuries later, we can make use of the prophecy by first constructing a coherent historical narrative from them and then looking for correspondences with the events of the series.
Assuming the events following the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] are a repetition of the events predicted by Pythia, and which came to pass centuries later, we can make use of the prophecy by first constructing a coherent historical narrative from them and then looking for correspondences with the events of the series.


*The Lower Demon is [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|the Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii]]
*The Lower Demon is [[Sharon Agathon|the Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii]]
*The Dying Leader is President [[Laura Roslin]]
*The Dying Leader is President [[Laura Roslin]]
*The "serpents numbering two and ten" are the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]s of Strike Force Two in the [[Battle for the Tylium Asteroid]].
*The "serpents numbering two and ten" are the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]s of Strike Force Two in the [[Battle for the Tylium Asteroid]].
*The fleet defended by the [[Battlestar (RDM)|Battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' is the "Caravan of the Heavens".
*The fleet defended by ''[[Galactica (TRS)|Galactica]]'' is the "Caravan of the Heavens".
*The "price in blood" has been paid by various people including [[Crashdown]] and [[Elosha]].
*The "price in blood" has been paid by various people including {{callsign|Crashdown}} and [[Elosha]].
*The Jealous God is Cavil, as he is the humanoid Cylon model that instigated the [Fall of the 12 Colonies] and wanted to be favored by his creators over the other models.
*The "offering of the bodies of the leaders of the 12 Tribes to the gods" is the Final Five's offering the Centurions help creating the humanoid models.


===The "One Exodus" Interpretation===
===The "One Exodus" Interpretation===
This interpretation assumes that the timeline is recurring on a scale of 1,600 to 2,000 years, and the exodus from Kobol is directly parellel to the exodus from the Twelve Colonies. It also makes some correspondences in addition to those above:
This interpretation assumes that the timeline is recurring on a scale of 1,600 to 2,000 years, and the exodus from Kobol is a direct parallel to the exodus from the Twelve Colonies. It also makes some correspondences in addition to those above:


*The "Blaze" identified by Sharon Valerii is an earlier parallel to the cylon attack. The hostile force is the "jealous God", the Lord of Kobol that tried to elevate himself over the others.
*The "Blaze" identified by Sharon Valerii is an earlier parallel to the Cylon attack. The hostile force is the "jealous God," the Lord of Kobol that tried to elevate himself over the others.
*The Home of the Gods is [[Kobol]], and the people of [[Kobol]] are the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], in a somewhat metaphorical sense.
*The Home of the Gods is {{RDM|Kobol}}, and the people of Kobol are the [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies]], in a somewhat metaphorical sense.


The timeline would procede thus:
The timeline would proceed thus:


#The people of Kobol lived in divine utopia with their gods.
#The people of Kobol lived in divine utopia with their gods.
#A hostile force - of which "the blaze" and the "lower demon" were parts - moves against the people of Kobol.
#A hostile force - of which "the blaze" and the "lower demon" were parts - moves against the people of Kobol.
#The gods appoint a leader afflicted with a wasting disease to lead a "caravan of the heavens".
#The gods appoint a leader afflicted with a wasting disease to lead a "caravan of the heavens".
#The leader, with the aid of twelve "serpents", wins a perilous battle.
#The leader, with the aid of twelve "serpents," wins a perilous battle.
#The people make their way to the "home of the gods".
#The people make their way to the "home of the gods".
#Athena despairs and commits suicide.
#Athena despairs and commits suicide.
#The leaders of the people are taken to the Tomb of Athena to be sacrificed to the remaining gods.
#The leaders of the people are taken to the Tomb of Athena to be sacrificed to the remaining gods.
#The body of the people depart in a "galleon" for the colonies.
#The body of the people depart in a "[[galleon]]" for a new home.
#Instructions are left to open the Tomb of Athena.
#Instructions are left to open the Tomb of Athena.
#Zeus warns against a return to Kobol.
#Zeus warns against a return to Kobol.
#The twelve tribes settle on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. The thirteen tribe settles on [[Earth]].
#The twelve tribes settle on the Twelve Colonies. The thirteenth tribe settles on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]].


Questions and Predictions:
However, at least three exodus events are documented. Pythia writes of "the exile and rebirth of the human race" {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}} 1,600 years before the exodus of the tribes from Kobol. The third exodus (from the Colonies) is underway.
*Can [[Earth]] be at once the "promised land" in this iteration and the last?
*Can we expect the deaths of the leaders of the tribes (the [[Quorum of Twelve]]?) to propitiate the Gods?


This history is admittedly not especially coherent, but suggests the possibility of predicting at least some unfulfilled pieces of scripture. Another interpretation which deals with the repetition of historical events on a larger scale is offered below.
=== The Origin of Mankind ===
{{Mainarticle|History of the Twelve Colonies#Pre-History}}
There are two types of original man: those found on Kobol and, later, on New Earth.  


===The "Three Exodi" Interpretation===
The humans on Kobol evolved on Kobol, created machines ([[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]) on Kobol, and then a war against the machines occurred ("the Blaze"). The great exodus from Kobol split the humans and original Cylons apart: the humans went to settle what would be known as [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|The Twelve Colonies]], and the Cylons (having assumed human form) settled Earth and built their own machines, which rose up and killed their masters in a nuclear holocaust some 2,000 years prior to the [[Cylon War]] ("[[Home, Part I]]," "[[Sometimes a Great Notion]]," "[[No Exit]]").
This interpretation does not assume that the flight from the [[Twelve Colonies]] mirror the original exodus from [[Kobol]]. Instead, it assumes that these two exodi are part of the same event-continuum and posits a third, implied, exodus. Like the "One Exodus" interpretation, this one assumes that Pythia's prophecies have and will come true. Below is the proposed order of events for Pythia's prophecies:


#The people of Kobol live in divine utopia with their Gods.
After the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] discovers Kobol and various "road signs" to the first, real Earth, namely the [[Tomb of Athena]], [[The Temple of Hopes]], and the [[Ionian Nebula]] ("[[Home, Part II]]," "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]," "[[Rapture]]," "[[Crossroads, Part II]]," "[[He That Believeth in Me]]"). After discovering that Earth and the Thirteenth Tribe were Cylons originating from Kobol (of which only five survivors remain in the form of the "[[Final Five]]," who developed the "[[Significant Seven]]" Cylons after the [[Cimtar Peace Accord]]), the Fleet discovers a second planet with genetically compatible bipedal humanoid creatures in a primitive, tribal stage of development. Guided here by [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]], these humans breed with the Colonials and the only half-human, half-Cylon hybrid [[Hera Agathon]] (later known only as the "Mitochondrial Eve"), and spawned a human-cylon hybrid bloodline lasting 150,000 years ("[[Daybreak, Part II]]").
#The "blaze" moves against the people of Kobol.
#The body of the people depart in a "galleon" for the colonies (the four inset items are roughly concurrent).
#*Athena despairs and commits suicide.
#*The leaders of the people are taken to the Tomb of Athena to be sacrificed to the remaining gods.
#*Instructions are left to open the Tomb of Athena.
#*Zeus warns against a return to Kobol.
#The twelve tribes settle on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. The thirteen tribe settles on [[Earth]].
#The Cylons decimate the Twelve Colonies (Whether this is prophesied is unknown, but this clearly happened).
#The gods appoint a leader afflicted with a wasting disease to lead a "caravan of the heavens".
#The leader, with the aid of twelve "serpents", wins a perilous battle.
#The people make their way to the "home of the gods".
#A "lower demon" helps the people of Kobol find the Tomb of Athena.


Note, too, that this is only a part of the story according to the "Three Exodi" interpretation. It assumes that passages not yet revealed in the series outline (however vaguely) the finding of Earth and some time spent there, and then an event that spurs a migration back to Kobol. In this interpretation, the people of Kobol are actually the remnants of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]], both their descendants and their ancestors. From there, the cycle starts again. The cycle is much longer in this interpretation (roughly 4,000 years, as opposed to roughly 1,600-2,000 years)
===The Form of the Scrolls===


It is helpful to think of no particular part as the beginning. This is how the pictures of the constellations (only visible from Earth) would be accessible to the people of Kobol "before" any of them had been to Earth. It also explains how the Scrolls can speak about the fate of the Thirteenth Colony and yet be in the possession of people from the Twelve Colonies. In fact, when Pythia was writing about the events in the show, she might have been recording fairly-recent history, rather that far-future prophesy. The vagueness would be mostly due to nearly 4,000 years of linguistic drift, rather than due to the mists of prophecy.
The Sacred Scrolls have been seen as an ornate scroll {{TRS|Miniseries, Night 2}}, as well as a book {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|Home, Part II}}.


Basically, this interpretation asserts a roughly 3,600-4,000 year cycle which can be illustrated by this crude flow-chart:<br\>
The total volume of the Scrolls have not been revealed, so it is possible that the scroll that [[Elosha]] holds in the Miniseries as she swears in President Roslin and holds during the service for the dead may make up only a portion of the total texts, or key readings from the works. A shortened volume may be a specialized volume containing prayers and readings specific to a celebrant's use during [[temple]] ceremonies, Services for the Dead, weddings, [[dedication ceremony|dedication ceremonies]] and the like<ref>Similar to the Roman Catholic Church's use of [[Missal|missals]].</ref>.
Kobol > Colonies, Colonies > Earth, Earth > Kobol
[[File:City of the Gods.jpg|thumb|An artistic depiction of the [[City of the Gods]] on {{RDM|Kobol}} from the [[Sacred Scrolls]] {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}.]]
Much of the Scrolls appear to be hand-written and hand-drawn. While the technology of the Twelve Colonies obviously support electronic printing and reproduction, it may be that the most authentic copies of the sacred texts are either authentic reproductions from a handwritten copy, or genuine handwritten copies. This practice may be for reasons of authenticity, custom, or aesthetics<ref>The practice is similar to the work and purposes of the [[scribes]] before the invention of the printing press in real-Earth history. For comparison, an extreme example of the tradition of handwritten sacred texts in real-Earth history are the [[Sefer Torah|sefer Torahs]].</ref>.


This really ought to be a seperate theory, but I don't know how to do that. I'll just put it here.
Different iterations, or at least interpretations, of the Scrolls exist. Sagittarons are traditionally pacifists and do not believe in modern medicine on religious grounds {{TRS|The Woman King}}, compared to the Gemenese inclination to follow the literal interpretation of the Sacred Scrolls {{TRS|Fragged|The Captain's Hand}}. 
[[File:TRS - Miniseries - Elosha with Sacred Scroll.jpg|thumb|[[Elosha]] delivers a hymn with an unfurled Sacred Scroll during the [[service for the dead]] {{TRS|Miniseries, Night 2}}.]]


The two exodus theory -
===Last rites at the [[Service for the dead|Services for the dead]]===


[[Elosha]] gives a form of last rites via a hymn to the fallen crew after [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|the Fleet escapes Ragnar Anchorage]] in a different language<ref>The actress is singing Sanskrit verses from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad. Roughly translated, the verse says, "Lead us from Falsehood to Truth, from Darkness to Light, from Death to Immortality."</ref>.


This is similar to other theories in that there is a cycle of time which is played out again and again. However in this theory there are two seperate occasions which call for an exodus. The details of each itteration are different, but the overall events are very similar.
==References==
{{reflist}}


The humans leave the Kobol
[[Category:A to Z]]
 
[[Category:Colonial]]
They settle the colonies
[[Category:Colonial Religion]]
 
[[Category:Colonial Religion (RDM)]]
They create AI
[[Category:RDM]]


The AI rebels and departs
[[fr:Manuscrits Sacrés]]
[[de:Heiligen Schriftrollen]]


The AI encounters GOD (see below)
{{featured article candidate previous}}
 
The AI returns to destroy humanity
 
The remnants of humanity flee
 
The Cylons place humans in situations where they can interact and eventually procreate as GOD commands.
 
The offspring of Humans and Cylon are elevated above others and worshiped as "Lords of Kobol"
 
A conflict occurs on Kobol and humanity leaves.
 
Humanity settles the colonies.
 
 
The series has covered most of this so I will pick up at the place where this theory steps off. The AI's leave and they encounter a VAST consciesness created by countless generations of AI that have come before it. The Cylon GOD.  An entity that knows everything every cylon-AI has known since the beggining of the cylce. It waits in the Cylon Home world untill the time when the AI's leave the humans, then approaches them and guides them towards their role in the cycle.
 
One of those roles is to have Cylon-Human babies. These babies are more than human and more than cylon.  They are elevated above normal humans and eventually worshiped. They become the "gods" of the humans and the Lords of Kobol.
 
As has been mentioned in the show for a time humans and gods lived together in peace but eventually something goes wrong. Human nature re-asserts itself and some kind of split takes place.  The gods are perhaps too compasionate and man to violent. Or the gods too controlling and man too independent. The gods have conflict among themselves and humans leave to avoid it. maybe the humans have conflict with their gods and kill them. See the jealous god commentary for another possible cause of the split. Either way something necessitates a split. The humans leave to colonize new planets. The gods die out, are dead, kill each other . . .
 
The cycle begins again.
 
the cylon GOD continues to watch the cycle replay itself over and over in the hopes that whatever flaw causes the catastrophe on Kobol can be avoided. (notice the skulls on Kobol, the theme of violence when Six talks to Baltar, her claim that what happens there is not God's Will) The violence that continues to cause this conflict is bad, but the Cylon God doesn't want to interfere because what makes humans "human" is their non-determined nature. Their free will. If he meddled in that then they would be no different than cylons.
 
Eventually the problem is the same one modern religions face - God could create a perfect world with no killing, but there would be no free will and we would not be human any more. This seems to be an over-ridding message of the show. Free will and the flawed nature of humanity. what it finally means to be human. We can also see that the Cylon's only grow to have free will when around humans, but at the same time, they also only grow violent towards one another around humans, then on top of that, they only feel remorse and understand good and bad through that same contact. They become more alive by being around humans.
 
In fact that was the first line of the mini - Are you alive? Prove it.
 
The question: "What does it mean to be alive?" is one of the key focuses of the show.
 
===General Questions===
 
*Are the [[Lords of Kobol]] still an agentive force in this iteration of the cycle?
*Who were the Lords of Kobol? The Caprica Valerii does not deny their existence, and the Tomb of Athena strongly attests to her life and death, but she does not believe they were gods. They were evidently distraught at the calamity which befell their people. Who was responsible for it, and why were the gods powerless to intervene?
*Which god was the "jeaous god" that sought to be raised above the others?
*Was Kobol the original home of the [[Lords of Kobol]], or did they originate from some other place?
*Did the people of the colonies leave Kobol with the assistance of the gods, or under their own power?
*What was the nature of the "galleon"? Was it a large STL colony ship? Did it have an FTL drive?
*If Roslin is now cured of cancer and not dying, can she be the leader of the Pythia Prophecy?
[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial Religion]][[Category:RDM]]

Latest revision as of 17:47, 24 February 2024


A portion of the Sacred Scrolls, specifically, a portion of the Book of Pythia.

The Sacred Scrolls are a set of writings that form the basis of Colonial religion, a polytheistic faith resembling the legends of ancient Greece. The scrolls record much of the alleged history of humanity, including life on Kobol before the great exodus, and the legend of Earth. Portions of the scrolls are used in religious ceremonies, such as the Service for the dead (TRS: Miniseries, "Act of Contrition").

Most notable among the Sacred Scrolls is the Book of Pythia, also referred to as the Pythian Prophecy. Written 3,600 years ago by the oracle Pythia, they are believed by some to foretell the current exodus from the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.

Contents

The contents of the Sacred Scrolls have only been revealed in glimpses, through brief quotes, paraphrases and explanations.

The Book of Pythia

Roslin: Who is Pythia?
Elosha: One of the oracles in the Sacred Scrolls. 3,600 years ago. Pythia wrote about the exile and rebirth of the human race. (TRS: "The Hand of God")

The Cycle of Time

Leoben: "All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again." (TRS: "Flesh and Bone")
Six: "All this has happened before, and all this will happen again." (TRS: "The Hand of God")
Roslin: If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity. (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")
Amanda Graystone: Do you remember that old saying? "All this has happened before, and all this will happen again"? (CAP: "The Imperfections of Memory")

The Dying Leader

Elosha: "And the lords anointed a leader to guide the Caravan of the Heavens to their new homeland." (TRS: "The Hand of God")
Elosha: She also wrote that the new leader suffered a wasting disease and would not live to enter the new land. (TRS: "The Hand of God")
Roslin: The scriptures tell us a dying leader lead humanity to the promised land. (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")

A Vision of Serpents

Elosha: "And unto the leader they gave a vision of serpents numbering two and ten, as a sign of things to come." (TRS: "The Hand of God")

The Serpents Lead the People Into Battle?

Six: "Led by serpents numbering two and ten..." (fragment) (TRS: "The Hand of God")

A Confrontation at the Home of the Gods

Six: "Though the outcome favored the few, it led to a confrontation at the home of the gods." (TRS: "The Hand of God")

The Lower Demon

Elosha: The scrolls of Pythia do speak of a lower demon, who helped the people in a time of crisis. (TRS: "Home, Part I")

The Blaze and the High Road

Elosha: "And the blaze pursued them, and the people of Kobol had a choice. To board the great ship, or take the high road through the rocky ridge."
Valerii (continuing): "And the body of each tribe's leader was offered to the gods in the tomb of Athena." And the great ship was the galleon that departed from here, where we're standing. And it took the founders of the thirteen colonies to their destiny. And those that didn't board the galleon took the high road, a rocky ridge that lead to the tomb. (TRS: "Home, Part I")
Elosha: The path is supposed to be marked by gravestones. (TRS: "Home, Part I")

The Gates of Hera

Valerii: That's the spot where your god supposedly stood and watched Athena throw herself down onto the rocks below, out of despair over the Exodus of the thirteen tribes. Athena's tomb, whoever or whatever she really was, is probably up there. (TRS: "Home, Part II")

The Arrow of Apollo

Roslin: "And the Arrow of Apollo will open the Tomb of Athena." (TRS: "Home, Part II")
Elosha: The scriptures tell us that Kobol points the way to Earth. (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")
Roslin: According to the scriptures, if we had the arrow of Apollo we could take it down to Kobol and we could use it to open the tomb of Athena and find our way to Earth. (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")

Kobol and the Blood Price

Adama: "And Zeus warned the leaders of the twelve tribes that any return to Kobol would exact a price in blood." (TRS: "Home, Part II")

The Flood

Baltar: "Pythia talks about the flood ... wiped out most of humanity ... nobody blames the flood ... flood is a force of nature ... through flood, mankind is rejuvinated, born again ..." (TRS: "The Hub")

History

Pre-Exodus

Elosha: This place is Kobol... birthplace of mankind, where the gods and men lived in paradise until the exodus of the thirteen tribes. (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")

The Exodus

Elosha: How old are the ruins?
Billy Keikeya: Well, we won't know for sure until we send a ground team, but the initial estimates have it on the order of approximately 2,000 years.
Elosha: That's around the time the thirteen tribes first left Kobol. (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")

The Thirteenth Tribe on Earth

Starbuck: The scriptures say that when the thirteenth tribe landed on Earth, they looked up into the heavens and they saw their twelve brothers. (TRS: "Home, Part II")

Other verses from the Sacred Scrolls

  • Adama: "Life here began out there." These are the first words of the Sacred Scrolls…[1] (TRS: "Miniseries")
  • During a Salt Line Ceremony on Galactica: "Their enemies will divide them. Their colonies broken in the fiery chasm of space. Their shining days renounced by a multitude of dark sacrifices. Yet still they will remain always together." (TRS: "Exodus, Part I")

Sayings[2]

Commander Adama: "The gods shall lift those who lift each other." (TRS: "Home, Part II")
Cavil: "The gods lift up those who lift each other." (TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I")
Duck: "The gods help those who help themselves." (TRS: "Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance")

Notes

  • The book of Pythia, which contains or is identical to the Pythian Prophecy, was written 1,600 years before the final exodus of the last twelve tribes, and documents the exodus of the Thirteenth Tribe. The text apparently contains a detailed narrative of the events of the Exodus, and continues to be interpreted as a source of prophecy 2,000 years after its prophecies have (apparently) already been fulfilled.
  • The Cycle of Time is apparently a key component of Colonial theology. The notion of a circular progression of time (also known as eternal return or eternal recurrence) is foreign to the ancient Greek religion of which Colonial religion are largely based, but it is a common theme in many modern religions. Some Hindus believe in an endless cycle of ages called Yugas. The ancient Maya people, as well as the Incas and Aztecs also believed in the circular nature of time. In philosophy, the Stoics, a movement originating in hellenistic Greece, held the doctrine. In the nineteenth century, the doctrine appears in the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche as a method of life-affirmation.

Analysis

Correspondences

Assuming the events following the Fall of the Twelve Colonies are a repetition of the events predicted by Pythia, and which came to pass centuries later, we can make use of the prophecy by first constructing a coherent historical narrative from them and then looking for correspondences with the events of the series.

  • The Lower Demon is the Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii
  • The Dying Leader is President Laura Roslin
  • The "serpents numbering two and ten" are the Vipers of Strike Force Two in the Battle for the Tylium Asteroid.
  • The fleet defended by Galactica is the "Caravan of the Heavens".
  • The "price in blood" has been paid by various people including Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo and Elosha.
  • The Jealous God is Cavil, as he is the humanoid Cylon model that instigated the [Fall of the 12 Colonies] and wanted to be favored by his creators over the other models.
  • The "offering of the bodies of the leaders of the 12 Tribes to the gods" is the Final Five's offering the Centurions help creating the humanoid models.

The "One Exodus" Interpretation

This interpretation assumes that the timeline is recurring on a scale of 1,600 to 2,000 years, and the exodus from Kobol is a direct parallel to the exodus from the Twelve Colonies. It also makes some correspondences in addition to those above:

  • The "Blaze" identified by Sharon Valerii is an earlier parallel to the Cylon attack. The hostile force is the "jealous God," the Lord of Kobol that tried to elevate himself over the others.
  • The Home of the Gods is Kobol, and the people of Kobol are the Twelve Colonies, in a somewhat metaphorical sense.

The timeline would proceed thus:

  1. The people of Kobol lived in divine utopia with their gods.
  2. A hostile force - of which "the blaze" and the "lower demon" were parts - moves against the people of Kobol.
  3. The gods appoint a leader afflicted with a wasting disease to lead a "caravan of the heavens".
  4. The leader, with the aid of twelve "serpents," wins a perilous battle.
  5. The people make their way to the "home of the gods".
  6. Athena despairs and commits suicide.
  7. The leaders of the people are taken to the Tomb of Athena to be sacrificed to the remaining gods.
  8. The body of the people depart in a "galleon" for a new home.
  9. Instructions are left to open the Tomb of Athena.
  10. Zeus warns against a return to Kobol.
  11. The twelve tribes settle on the Twelve Colonies. The thirteenth tribe settles on Earth.

However, at least three exodus events are documented. Pythia writes of "the exile and rebirth of the human race" (TRS: "The Hand of God") 1,600 years before the exodus of the tribes from Kobol. The third exodus (from the Colonies) is underway.

The Origin of Mankind

Main article: History of the Twelve Colonies#Pre-History

There are two types of original man: those found on Kobol and, later, on New Earth.

The humans on Kobol evolved on Kobol, created machines (Cylons) on Kobol, and then a war against the machines occurred ("the Blaze"). The great exodus from Kobol split the humans and original Cylons apart: the humans went to settle what would be known as The Twelve Colonies, and the Cylons (having assumed human form) settled Earth and built their own machines, which rose up and killed their masters in a nuclear holocaust some 2,000 years prior to the Cylon War ("Home, Part I," "Sometimes a Great Notion," "No Exit").

After the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the Fleet discovers Kobol and various "road signs" to the first, real Earth, namely the Tomb of Athena, The Temple of Hopes, and the Ionian Nebula ("Home, Part II," "The Eye of Jupiter," "Rapture," "Crossroads, Part II," "He That Believeth in Me"). After discovering that Earth and the Thirteenth Tribe were Cylons originating from Kobol (of which only five survivors remain in the form of the "Final Five," who developed the "Significant Seven" Cylons after the Cimtar Peace Accord), the Fleet discovers a second planet with genetically compatible bipedal humanoid creatures in a primitive, tribal stage of development. Guided here by Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, these humans breed with the Colonials and the only half-human, half-Cylon hybrid Hera Agathon (later known only as the "Mitochondrial Eve"), and spawned a human-cylon hybrid bloodline lasting 150,000 years ("Daybreak, Part II").

The Form of the Scrolls

The Sacred Scrolls have been seen as an ornate scroll (TRS: "Miniseries, Night 2"), as well as a book (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I", "Home, Part II").

The total volume of the Scrolls have not been revealed, so it is possible that the scroll that Elosha holds in the Miniseries as she swears in President Roslin and holds during the service for the dead may make up only a portion of the total texts, or key readings from the works. A shortened volume may be a specialized volume containing prayers and readings specific to a celebrant's use during temple ceremonies, Services for the Dead, weddings, dedication ceremonies and the like[3].

An artistic depiction of the City of the Gods on Kobol from the Sacred Scrolls (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I").

Much of the Scrolls appear to be hand-written and hand-drawn. While the technology of the Twelve Colonies obviously support electronic printing and reproduction, it may be that the most authentic copies of the sacred texts are either authentic reproductions from a handwritten copy, or genuine handwritten copies. This practice may be for reasons of authenticity, custom, or aesthetics[4].

Different iterations, or at least interpretations, of the Scrolls exist. Sagittarons are traditionally pacifists and do not believe in modern medicine on religious grounds (TRS: "The Woman King"), compared to the Gemenese inclination to follow the literal interpretation of the Sacred Scrolls (TRS: "Fragged", "The Captain's Hand").

Elosha delivers a hymn with an unfurled Sacred Scroll during the service for the dead (TRS: "Miniseries, Night 2").

Last rites at the Services for the dead

Elosha gives a form of last rites via a hymn to the fallen crew after the Fleet escapes Ragnar Anchorage in a different language[5].

References

  1. The phrase is an homage to the voiceover in the Original Series opening credits.
  2. These sayings are similar to the Algernon Sydney quote "God helps those who help themselves"
  3. Similar to the Roman Catholic Church's use of missals.
  4. The practice is similar to the work and purposes of the scribes before the invention of the printing press in real-Earth history. For comparison, an extreme example of the tradition of handwritten sacred texts in real-Earth history are the sefer Torahs.
  5. The actress is singing Sanskrit verses from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad. Roughly translated, the verse says, "Lead us from Falsehood to Truth, from Darkness to Light, from Death to Immortality."