Magisterium

From Srafopedia

Another name for the Church, referring primarily to the administrative, legal, and theological apparatus of the Church in Lyra's World.

In our world the word 'Magisterium' means: From the Latin magister, "teacher" is a technical ecclesiastical term in Catholicism referring to the teaching ability and authority of the Pope and those Bishops who are in union with him. According to Catholic doctrine, the Magisterium is able to teach or interpret the truths of the Faith, and it does so infallibly within the Sacred Magisterium.

In Lyra's world it is likely that the Magisterium has become a dominant global power for a number of years, all national governments and scientific instutions are under its rigid scrutiny and direct control. In the Trilogy there is no evidence of other religions except Christianity, with the exception of some minor tribal religions. It is possible that during the Inquisition they were wiped out.

The Magisterium came about when the Pope at the time, John Calvin, moved the Papacy to Geneva, Switzerland for an unknown reason, (in our world, John Calvin also established his seat in Geneva). When he died the collective Church abolished the position of the Pope, and out of this decentralization, religious orders, colleges, academies, etc grew up in its place and were collectively known as the Magisterium. The Magisterium is not a totally coherent structure, scheming and power-struggles amongst the innumerable institutions are common. For generations they have held the world in an iron grip of control, fear, tyranny and opression, mitigated only by the need for scientific investigation and the internal divisions of the agencies of the Magisterium.