Amen

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The word amen (ˌ|ɑː|ˈ|m|ɛ|n or ˌ|eɪ|ˈ|m|ɛ|n; אָמֵן amen ʾāmēn; Greek: ἀμήν; آمين, ʾāmīn ; "So be it; truly") is a declaration of affirmation[][] found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts.[] It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns.[] In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua (supplication). Common English translations of the word amen include "verily" and "truly". It can also be used colloquially to express strong agreement,[] as in, for instance, amen to that.[]

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Pronunciation

In English, the word amen has two primary pronunciations, ah-men (/ɑːˈmɛn/) or ay-men (/eɪˈmɛn/), with minor additional variation in emphasis (the two syllables may be equally stressed instead of placing primary stress on the second). The Oxford English Dictionary gives "eɪ'mεn, often ɑː'mɛn".

The ah-men pronunciation is used in performances of classical music, in churches with more formalized rituals and liturgy and in liberal to mainline Protestant denominations, as well as almost every Jewish congregation, in line with modern Hebrew pronunciation. The ay-men pronunciation, a product of the Great Vowel Shift dating to the 15th century, is associated with Irish Protestantism and conservative Evangelical denominations generally, and is the pronunciation typically used in gospel music. Fowler, in his Modern English Usage (2nd ed., s.v. 'amen'), quotes from Essays and Studies (1960), "Ahmen is probably a comparatively modern Anglican invention of about a hundred years' standing. Roman Catholics, one is glad to note, on the whole retain the English āmen."

In Islam the pronunciation ah-meen (ʾĀmīn) is used upon completing a supplication to God or when concluding recitation of the first surah Al Fatiha in prayer.

Etymology

The usage of Amen, meaning "so be it", as found in the early scriptures of the Bible is said to be of Hebrew origin;[][] however, the basic triconsonantal root from which the word was derived is common to a number of Semitic Languages such as Aramaic and Arabic. The word was imported into the Greek of the early Church from Judaism.[][] From Greek, amen entered the other Western languages. According to a standard dictionary etymology, amen passed from Greek into Late Latin, and thence into English.[] Rabbinic scholars from medieval France believed the standard Hebrew word for faith emuna comes from the root amen. Although in English transliteration they look different, they are both from the root alef-mem-nun.

That is, the Hebrew word amen derives from the same ancient triliteral Hebrew root as does the verb ʾāmán.[] Grammarians frequently list ʾāmán under its three consonants (aleph-mem-nun), which are identical to those of ʾāmēn (note that the Hebrew letter א aleph represents a glottal stop sound, which functions as a consonant in the morphology of Hebrew).[] This triliteral root means to be firm, confirmed, reliable, faithful, have faith, believe.

In Arabic, the word is derived from its triliteral common root word ʾĀmana (آمن), which has the same meanings as the Hebrew root word.

Popular among some theosophists,[] proponents of Afrocentric theories of history,[] and adherents of esoteric Christianity [][] is the conjecture that amen is a derivative of the name of the Egyptian god Amun (which is sometimes also spelled Amen). Some adherents of Eastern religions believe that amen shares roots with the Hindu Sanskrit word, Aum.[][][][] There is no academic support for either of these views. The Hebrew word, as noted above, starts with aleph, while the Egyptian name begins with a yodh.[]

The Armenian word ամեն ˌ|ɑː|m|ˈ|ɛ|n means "every"; however it is also used in the same form at the conclusion of prayers, much as in English.[]

Hebrew Bible

Three distinct Biblical usages of amen may be noted:[]

  1. Initial amen, referring back to words of another speaker and introducing an affirmative sentence, e.g. 1 Kings 1:36.[]
  2. Detached amen, again referring to the words of another speaker but without a complementary affirmative sentence, e.g. Nehemiah 5:13.[]
  3. Final amen, with no change of speaker, as in the subscription to the first three divisions of Psalms.[]

New Testament

There are 52 amens in the Synoptic Gospels and 25 in John. The five final amens (Matthew 6:13, 28:20, Mark 16:20, Luke 24:53 and John 21:25), which textual critics falsely claim are wanting in the best manuscripts, simulate the effect of final amen in the Hebrew Psalms. All initial amens occur in the sayings of Jesus. These initial amens are unparalleled in Hebrew literature, according to Friedrich Delitzsch, because they do not refer to the words of a previous speaker but instead introduce a new thought.[]

The uses of amen ("verily" or "I tell you the truth", depending on the translation) in the Gospels form a peculiar class; they are initial, but often lack any backward reference.[] Jesus used the word to affirm his own utterances, not those of another person, and this usage was adopted by the church. The use of the initial amen, single or double in form, to introduce solemn statements of Jesus in the Gospels had no parallel in Jewish practice.[]

In the King James Bible, the word amen is preserved in a number of contexts. Notable ones include:

Amen in Judaism

See Also Berakhah

Although amen, in Judaism, is commonly stated as a response to a blessing, it is also often used as an affirmation of any declaration.

Jewish rabbinical law requires an individual to say amen in a variety of contexts.[]

Liturgically, amen is a communal response to be recited at certain points during the prayer service. It is recited communally to affirm a blessing made by the prayer reader. It is also mandated as a response during the kaddish doxology. The congregation is sometimes prompted to answer 'amen' by the terms ve-'imru (ואמר) = "and [now] say (pl.)," or, ve-nomar (ונאמר) = "and let us say." Contemporary usage reflects ancient practice: As early as the 4th century BCE, Jews assembled in the Temple responded 'amen' at the close of a doxology or other prayer uttered by a priest. This Jewish liturgical use of amen was adopted by the Christians.[] But Jewish law also requires individuals to answer amen whenever they hear a blessing recited, even in a non-liturgical setting.

The Talmud teaches homiletically that the word amen is an acronym for אל מלך נאמן (ʾEl melekh neʾeman, "God, trustworthy King"),[] the phrase recited silently by an individual before reciting the Shma.

Jews usually approximate the Hebrew pronunciation of the word: ˈ|m|eɪ|n aw|MAYN|' (Ashkenazi) or ɑː|ˈ|m|ɛ|n ah|MEN|' (Sephardi).[]

Amen in Christianity

The use of "amen" has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns and express strong agreements.[] The liturgical use of the word in apostolic times is attested by the passage from 1 Corinthians cited above, and Justin Martyr (c. 150) describes the congregation as responding "amen" to the benediction after the celebration of communion.[] Its introduction into the baptismal formula (in the Greek Orthodox Church it is pronounced after the name of each person of the Trinity) is probably later. Among certain Gnostic sects Amen became the name of an angel.

In Isaiah 65:16, the authorized version has "the God of truth," ("the God of amen," in Hebrew. Jesus often used amen to put emphasis to his own words (translated: "verily"). In John's Gospel, it is repeated, "Verily, verily." Amen is also used in oath (Numbers 5:22; Deuteronomy 27:15–26; Nehemiah 5:13; 8:6; 1 Chronicles 16:36). "Amen" is further found at the end of the prayer of primitive churches (1 Corinthians 14:16).[]

In some Christian churches, the amen corner or amen section is any subset of the congregation likely to call out "Amen!" in response to points in a preacher's sermon. Metaphorically, the term can refer to any group of heartfelt traditionalists or supporters of an authority figure.

Amen is also used in standard, international French, but in Cajun French Ainsi soit-il ("so be it") is used instead.

Amen is used at the end of Our Lord's Prayer,[] which is also called the Our Father or the Pater Noster.

Amen in Islam

ʾĀmīn in Arabic.
ʾĀmīn in Arabic.

Muslims use the word ʾĀmīn (آمين) when concluding a prayer or dua, Muslims use it after reciting the first surah (Al Fatiha) of the Qur'an, with the same meaning as in Christianity.[] The Islamic use of the word is similar to the Jewish and Christian use of the word.

See also

References

  • 1. "Amen". Catholic Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 5 September 2007.
  • 2. Harper, Douglas. "amen". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  • 3. Numbers 5:22, Deuteronomy 27.15-26, for example.
  • 4. Microsoft Encarta Dictionary Tools.
  • 5. Paul Joüon, SJ, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, trans. and revised by T. Muraoka, vol. I, Rome: Editrice Pontificio Instituto Biblico, 2000.
  • 6. "G281". Strong's Concordance.
  • 7. "Amen". Jewish Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008.
  • 8. "Amen". American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-02-26.ionary". Archived from the original on 13 February 2008.
  • 10. "COLLATION OF THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARIES – Amen". Archived from the original on 15 March 2008. .
  • 11. The Origin of the Word Amen, Ed. by Issa & Faraji, Amen Ra Theological Seminary Press. [1] as quoted in the Lexington Herald-Leader, "Scholar traces origins of 'Amen' He says word is of African, not Hebrew, origin", Dec., 2007, [2]
  • 12. "Assembly of Yahweh, Cascade (an Assembly of True Israel, of the Diaspora) – Words and Definitions critical to the correct understanding of the Scriptures and Christianity". Archived from the original on 26 February 2008.
  • 13. "Amen". The Assembly of IaHUShUA MaShIaChaH. 2005-12-15. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008.
  • 14. Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yoga, 1946, chapter 26.
  • 15. Sri H.W.L Poonja, 'The Truth is', Published by Samuel Weiser, 2000, ISBN 1-57863-175-0
  • 16. Mandala Yoga
  • 17. Om, Amen and Amin
  • 18. Erman, Adolf &Grapow, Hermann: Wörterbuch der Aegyptischen Sprache., Im Auftrage der Deutschen Akademien, Berlin: Akademie Verlag (1971), p.85
  • 19. http://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Հայր_Մեր
  • 20. "Amen", Encyclopedia Biblica
  • 21. "Amen". Jewish Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  • 22. "Amen". Encyclopædia Britannica.. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  • 23. eastonsbibledictionary.com, Amen 
   ^ cf. John L. McKezie, SJ, "Dictionary of the Bible", New York: MacMillan Publ. Co., Inc., 1965. Entry: "Amen," p. 25)
   ^ Orach Chaim 56 (amen in kaddish); O.C. 124 (amen in response to blessings recited by the prayer reader); O.C. 215 (amen in response to blessings made by any individual outside of the liturgy).
   ^ Tractate Shabbat 119b and Tractate Sanhedrin 111a
   ^ To Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service, Hayim Halevy Donin
   ^ Wycliffe. "Matthew 6:9-15". Wycliffe Bible.
   ^ Hastings, James (2004) [1901]. A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels: Volume I. The Minerva Group, Inc.. pp. 52.


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