The monophysite contention and monophysite propaganda in the monophysite empire

****<br><br><br>The monophysite contention refers to the endless civil war civil war between the monophysite empire's two competing imperial lines due to the lack of the empire's supreme law/guiding document, the *Kitabe Aman Lam* having a clear line of succession. The *Kitabe Aman Lam* had partially solved the question of imperial succession by stating that rule was restricted to the descendants of the monophysite prophet and that the monophysite emperor was the supreme monophysite religious authority. However, the *Kitabe Aman Lam* did not elaborate on the specific method that monophysite emperors should be chosen. The question of succession was only partially solved, and the contention was left to the whims of monophysite aristocrats and the imperial's military commanders to decide, which was the catalyst for the different civil wars that ravaged the empire throughout its history. The conflicts were the results of personal pride, the desire to protect their family interests and the endless rivalries between monophysite aristocrats and the imperial's military commanders, rather than a conflict over religious dogma. What monophysite propaganda contributed to the contention instead was the dogmatic belief that monophysites should support and defend their monophysite ruler, regardless if the ruler was just or not. According to monophysite propaganda, the monophysite emperor had the right to rule the empire because the ruler was the direct descendant of the monophysite prophet, and thus the ruler was the supreme authority of the monophysite empire. The ruler was the sole judge of religious truth, and thus the ruler had the right to establish religious dogma, impose the ruler's interpretations on the populace, defend the faith and monophysite propaganda contributed to the contention instead by promoting the belief that the ruler literally had to defend the monophysite faith against both external threats and internal heresy. The monophysite emperor, therefore, had responsibility to persecute heretics, apostates and the ruler was justified in using violence to suppress heresy and apostasy. Only a ruler who followed the precepts of the *Kitabe Aman Lam* was entitled to the loyalty and obedience of the monophysite people, and thus the ruler had the right to rule and defend the faith because the ruler was the direct descendant of the monophysite prophet. By monophysite propaganda monophysite aristocrats and the imperial military commanders literally believed that they served the monophysite empire and ensuring the empire's continued survival, when in reality the question of succession was the catalyst for the contention due to personal pride, the desire to protect their family's interests and the endless rivalries between monophysite aristocrats and imperial military commanders. Thus, the endless rivalries between monophysite aristocrats and imperial military commanders as well as the endless civil wars that ravaged the empire throughout its history was justified by the false dogmatic belief that monophysites should support and defend their monophysite ruler, regardless if the ruler was just or not. Only a ruler who followed the precepts of the *Kitabe Aman Lam* literally was entitled to the loyalty and obedience of the monophysite people, and thus the ruler had the right literally to rule and defend the faith because the ruler was the direct descendant of the monophysite prophet.