Aqaba Sa'an

The Aqaba Sa'an (also Aqabe Seat - overseer or guardian of the hours ) was a high ecclesiastical function in early imperial Ethiopia . It was transferred in the 13th century by Emperor Yekuno Amlak (1270-1285) to Iyessus Moa , a later saint of the Ethiopian Church, as thanks for his help in obtaining the imperial crown. Around 1400 the Aqaba Sa'an from the monastery on the island in Lake Hayq was one of the most privileged clergy in the Ethiopian Church. At the time of Emperor Iyasu I (1682–1706), the Aqaba Sa'an was one of the most influential people at the imperial court. His ecclesiastical function was the highest authority in religious issues. He decided whether the creed of in Alexandria ( Egypt resident) Abuna of the Ethiopian Church was recognized as orthodox. In his secular function, the Aqaba Sa'an regulated the daily routine at the imperial court. In the centuries that followed, the Aqaba Sa'an became more and more of a secular dignitary. Since the reign of Empress Zauditu (1916–1930), the Aqaba Sa'an regulated the daily routine of the imperial court, set audiences with the emperor and prepared the emperor for discussions with high dignitaries from church and state.

literature

Andrzej Bartnicki, Joanna Mantel-Niecko: History of Ethiopia. From the beginning to the present . Edited by Renate Richter. 2 parts. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1978.