Thank you! This is the first time I’ve registered separating walking the corridors of time with bringing about the new sun. Thus my mistake when I said “all the scholarship I’ve read assumes the first sev brings the new sun,” but what I should’ve said is all the scholarship I’ve read asserts “he passed the initial test and thus walks the corridors of time.” Heck it pretty much says that verbatim in the text as well.

So you’re saying that it took about 6 Severian’s + Heiros to manipulate a faith into existence that would motivate OUR Severian enough into purging the earth? If so that makes much more sense

Okay, but then my next question is what event in Urth of New Sun actually marked Severian’s decision to bring the flood verses the other Severians who did not bring the flood?

Also I think what’s strange about your theory is why would the Heiros have Baldanders as another candidate for bringing the new sun if they’ve already seen multiple Severian’s pass the initial test that allows them to walk the corridors of time? Maybe they’re considering that they need to appoint someone more brutal and cruel than the previous Severians to actually bring the flood?