Bahre Hasab (Ge'ez: ባሕረ ሀሳብ; English: Sea of Ideas), also known as Abushakir, is a calendrical calculation system used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church to determine the chronological of religious festivals and feast days. It is widely regarded among Ethiopian scholars as a system of numerical studies addressing cycles of the sun, moon, stars, winds, and their duration.
Bahre Hasab is used to calculate ages and to determine past and the future events according to the Ethiopian calendar. Its calculations include several key chronological concepts, such as Amete Alem (the years since creation), the Evangelist Year (a four-year cycle associated with the four evangelists), Abekte (the difference between solar and lunar years), Metke (used in calculating Fasika, or Easter) and Fasika itself.
Description Bahre Hasab, or Sea of Ideas, is a system for measuring the timing of religious festivals and feast days in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. While it shared similarities with the Coptic Egyptian calendar, it differs notably in its treatment and observance of saint's days.
The Metonic cycle a 19-year lunar cycle, was used by Pope Demetrios of Alexandria, and Claudis Ptolemy employed similar calculations in establishing methods for determining the date of Easter.
Calculations
Amete Alem According to Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, the creation of the universe occurred in 5500 BC. The current year in Amete Alem (“Years from the Beginning of Creation”) is calculated by adding the current Ethiopian calendar year. For example, the Ethiopian year 2018 corresponds to 7518 Amete Alem.
Evangelist year In the Ethiopian calendar, years are associated with one of the four Evangelists of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in a repeating four-year cycle. This system is known as the Evangelist of the Year (Amharic: ወንጌላዊ, wengelawi). The Evangelist Year is determined by dividing the Amete Alem by 4 and identifying the Evangelist based on the remainder.
For example, . Therefore, 2 corresponds to Mark. +RemainderEvangalist1Matthew2Mark3Luke0John
Abekte, Metke and Fasika Abekte represents the lunar age offset and is used to account for the difference between the solar and lunar calendars.
Mekte is calculated using the following relationship:
.
As a result, the sum of Abekte and Mekte is always equal to 30.
Determining Fasika (Easter) The date of Fasika (Easter) is determined based on the value of Metke:
if Metke is in Timkat if Metke is in Hidar (November)
Determining Nenewe (Nineveh) The fast of Nenewe (Nineveh) begins on a Monday. Its date is calculated by counting forward using the value of Metke and applying weekday rules derived from Bahre Hasab tables. Counting forward from the Monday of Nenewe establishes the sequence of subsequent fasting days and related observances. +EventDays after NeneweAbiy Tsom (Lent) +14Debre Zeit +41Hosanna +62Siklet (Good Friday) +67Fasika +69
References