Special Containment Procedures: SCP-8374 is stored in a hermetically sealed archival container in the Secure Religious Artifact Wing of Site-17. Direct access is prohibited without written approval from the Site Director or higher. Any testing involving Procedure-Cherub must be conducted in a sealed testing chamber equipped with remote monitoring, medical staff, and an on-site termination team.
All participating subjects must be fitted with an intravenous adrenaline drip and biometric sensors to monitor vitals during exposure. Testing beyond thirty 30 minutes is prohibited unless authorized by two Level 4 staff members.
Description: SCP-8374 is an original 5th-century papyrus codex containing a complete version of the Gospel of Mary1. The artifact shows no signs of deterioration despite its age and is resistant to tearing, burning, water damage, or microbial decay.
Reading SCP-8374 induces a mild calming effect proportional to the reader’s progress through the text. Embedded within the final section is a ritual, designated Procedure-Cherub, which when performed correctly grants the practitioner immediate telepathic communion with a singular entity identified as the central deity of the Abrahamic faiths (designated SCP-8374-A).
Contact with SCP-8374-A is cognitively and physically hazardous beyond thirty minutes. After this threshold, subjects undergo an irreversible transformation sequence, hereafter referred to as SCP-8374-A transfiguration.
SCP-8374-A transfiguration is as follows:
Stage 1: Begins after thirty minutes of exposure. Subjects will begin to lose their sense of reality cohesion. Regardless of prior religious affiliation, subjects unanimously profess vehement beliefs in one of the major Abrahamic religions. If they followed an Abrahamic faith prior to exposure, their religious beliefs will remain the same as they were, but they will become far more prevalent in their overall lifestyle, to the point of obsessive behavior. Cognitohazardous influence is suspected. Minor bone growth on the shoulder blades form. One in ten subjects will experience blindness during this stage.
Stage 2: Begins after 45 minutes of exposure. Subjects start to show symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder and anti-social personality disorder2, regardless of their previous mental condition. Symptoms typically revolve around the lack of regard towards other individuals, and frequent hostility (rarely physical). They have also been noted to have a lack of regard for their mortality at this point3. Loyalty and reverence to the Abrahamic deity remain their primary focus. as noted by increased vocal assertions in Abrahamic beliefs. At this stage physical alterations vary between subjects, with the only consistent change being the formation of a pair of wings of a size appropriate for the subject's body emerging from the subject's shoulders. The wings vary in appearance, but the majority are covered in white avian feathers. Other modifications include additional functional limbs, alterations of the head to include feline, avian, or bovine traits, additional eyes on various areas of the body4, and alteration of skin tone to a golden hue. Further physical examinations have shown that nearly all physical functions come to a halt at this stage, including (but not limited to): the circulatory system, digestive system, respiratory system, reproductive system, and endocrine system.
Stage 3: Begins after one hour of exposure. A halo, similar to popular Christian iconography forms above the subject's head. One in every fifty subjects will produce 2-4 gold rings radiating moderate heat5 will manifest and orbit around the subject's body. Subjects also experience the formation of weak ontokinetic abilities, as well as the transmutation of flesh to a beryllium bronze alloy across the body of the entire subject. Emotional capacity is no longer present at this point.
Stage 4: Begins after two hours after exposure. Subjects [DESCRIPTION REDACTED], humanity and previous personality are considered lost in subjects by this stage. Subjects encountered at Stage 4 are to be considered dangerous and uncontainable. Termination of SCP-8374-A specimens that have progressed to this stage is authorized.
Addendum 8374.1: Discovery Log
SCP-8374 was brought to Site-17 personally by civilian private investigator Argent Holister.6 How a civilian investigator discovered the classified location of Site-17 is currently under investigation. Considering Holister's knowledge of the anomalous world and the Foundation as a whole, skills in investigation and tracking, and his lack of familial relations or close relationships, amnestic treatment would be considered a loss of a possible resource. Holister claims SCP-8374 was in the possession of a minor GOI named The Church of the Brothers of Christ, a offshoot Christian sect based in Fresno, California. Research into observation of this group is under consideration.
Addendum 8374.2: Secondary Transfiguration Discovery
During routine testing of SCP-8374, Researcher Gabriella Engels, underwent a divergent SCP-8374-A transfiguration sequence now designated SCP-8374-B. This instance differed in the following ways:
A: Where standard SCP-8374-A transfiguration takes typically two hours to complete, this divergent transfiguration is near instant, and more physically traumatic.
B: Typical SCP-8374-A instances display characteristics matching those associated with heavenly beings. SCP-8374-B instead display characteristics typical for Tartarean entities such as horns, tails, wings resembling bats, dark red skin, red eyes, sharpened talons, or sharpened teeth.
C: SCP-8374-B instances fully retain their previous personalities, suffering only the mundane mental trauma that can be expected from such a violent physical event.
D: Where SCP-8374-A instances loose all sexual identifiers, SCP-8374-B instances instead experience gender affirming changes upon completion.
Upon review and repeat experimentation, SCP-8374-B events can be triggered when Procedure-Cherub is preformed by a subject who holds profound atheistic beliefs. The reasoning behind this is currently unknown.
Closing Statement: As SCP-8374-B entities still retain their original personalities, use of SCP-8374 for Site-666 employment drives has been approved. All staff who hold atheistic beliefs who wish to transfer to Site-666, please contact your local Staff Coordinator to schedule a transfer interview.