Amen
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225736477
2008-07-15T04:00:52Z
Hanina
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/* See also */ Selah
{{this|the [[interjection]]}}
The word '''Amen''' ({{Hebrew Name|אָמֵן|Amen|’Amen}} ; {{lang-ar|'''آمين'''}}, ''’Āmīn'' ; "So be it; truly"<ref name="kaby"/>) is a declaration of [[affirmation]]<ref name="ce">{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01407b.htm|publisher=Catholic Encyclopedia|title=Amen|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref><ref name="ety"/> found in the [[Hebrew Bible]] and [[New Testament]]. <ref name="kaby">{{cite web|url=http://www.kabylia.info/observer/spip.php?article94|title=Etymology of the word “Amen”|publisher=D.Messaoudi|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> Its use in [[Judaism]] dates back to its earliest texts.<ref>[[Deuteronomy]] 27.15-26, for example. There are many more occurences in the Hebrew Bible.</ref> It has been generally adopted in [[Christianity|Christian]] worship as a concluding word for [[prayer]]s and [[hymn]]s.<ref name="ety"/> In [[Islam]], it is the standard ending to [[Dua]] (supplication). Common English translations of the word ''amen'' include: "Verily", "Truly", "So be it", and "Let it be".<ref name="kaby"/> It can also be used colloquially to express strong agreement<ref name="ety">{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=a&p=11|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary|title=Amen|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref>, as in, for instance, ''amen to that.''<ref>[[Encarta|Microsoft Encarta]] Dictionary Tools. Retrieved [[20 August]] [[2007]]</ref>
== Etymology ==
''Amen,'' meaning ''so be it,'' is of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] origin.<ref name="GBH">Paul Joüon, SJ, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, trans. and revised by T. Muraoka, vol. I, Rome: Editrice Pontificio Instituto Biblico, 2000.</ref><ref name="Strong's G281"> {{cite web|url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=281|publisher=Strong's Concordance|title=G281|accessdate=2008-02-20}}</ref> The word was imported into the Greek of the early Church from the Jewish synagogue.<ref name="ce"/><ref name = "JE">{{cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1383&letter=A&search=Amen|publisher=Jewish Encyclopedia|title=Amen|accessdate=2008-02-19}}</ref> 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.<ref name="AHD">{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/75/A0247500.html |publisher=American Heritage Dictionary |title=Amen |accessdate=2008-02-26}}</ref>
The Hebrew word ''’amen'' derives from the Hebrew verb ''’aman,'' a primitive root.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacrednamebible.com/kjvstrongs/STRHEB5.htm#S543 |title=King James Bible Strong's Hebrew Dictionary |accessdate=2008-02-26}}</ref> Grammarians frequently list ''’aman'' under its three consonants ('''’mn'''), which are identical to those of ''’amen'' .<ref name="AHD"/> This triliteral root ('''’mn''') means ''to be firm, confirmed, reliable, faithful, have faith, believe.'' Two English words that derive from this root are:
<blockquote>
'''a.''' amen, from Hebrew ''’amen'' (=truly, certainly);
'''b.''' [[Mammon]], from [[Aramaic]] ''mamona,'' probably from [[Mishnaic Hebrew]] ''mamôn,'' probably from earlier ''*ma’mon'' (=? “security, deposit”).</blockquote> Both '''a''' and '''b''' derive from Hebrew ''’aman'' (=to be firm).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/S12.html |title= The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Fourth Edition. |accessdate=2008-02-26}}</ref></blockquote>
Popular among some [[theosophy|theosophists]] and adherents of [[esoteric Christianity]] is the [[conjecture]] that ''amen'' is a derivative of the name of the [[Egyptian god]] named [[Amun]] (which is sometimes also spelled ''Amen'').<ref>{{cite web
| title = COLLATION OF THEOSOPHICAL GLOSSARIES - Amen | url=http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/ctg/am-an.htm| accessdate = 2008-03-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = 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 | url=http://www.assemblyoftrueisrael.com/Documents/WordsandtermsintheScriptures.html | accessdate = 2008-03-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Amen | publisher = The Assembly of IaHUShUA MaShIaChaH | date = [[2005-12-15]] | url=http://www.iahushua.com/ST-RP/church.htm | accessdate = 2008-03-13 }}</ref> There is no academic support for this view.
== Biblical usages ==
Three distinct Biblical usages of ''amen'' may be noted.<ref name="ce"/>:
# Initial ''Amen'', referring back to words of another speaker and introducing an affirmative sentence, e.g. 1 [[Books of Kings|Kings]] 1:36; [[Revelation]] 22:20.<ref name="ce"/>
# Detached ''Amen'', again referring to the words of another speaker but without a complementary affirmative sentence, e.g. Nehemiah 5:13; Revelation 5:14 (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:16).<ref name="ce"/>
# Final ''Amen'', with no change of speaker, as in the subscription to the first three divisions of the [[Psalter]] and in the frequent [[doxology|doxologies]] of the New Testament Epistles.<ref name="ce"/>
== Amen in Judaism ==
Jewish [[halakha|law and practice]] require an individual to say ''Amen'' in a variety of contexts.<ref>[[Orach Chaim]] 56 (amen in [[kaddish]]); [[Orach Chaim|O.C.]] 124 (amen in response to [[brachah|blessing]]s recited by the [[Hazzan|prayer reader]]); [[Orach Chaim|O.C.]] 215 (amen in response to [[brachah|blessing]]s made by any individual outside of the liturgy).</ref>
Liturgically, ''amen'' is a communal response to be recited at certain points during the prayer service. It is recited communally to affirm a [[brachah|blessing]] made by the [[Hazzan|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'' ([[Hebrew]]: ואמרו) = "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 [[second temple|Temple]] responded 'amen' at the close of a doxology or other prayer uttered by a [[kohen|priest]]. This Jewish [[liturgical]] use of amen was adopted by the Christians.<ref>
{{cite encyclopedia| title = Amen | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica. | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica Online. | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9006072/amen | accessdate = 2008-03-17 }}</ref>
But [[halakha|Jewish law]] also requires individuals to answer ''amen'' whenever they hear a [[brachah|blessing]] recited, even in a non-liturgical setting. ''Amen'' is also used whenever an individual wishes to fulfill his own obligation through another person’s recitation of a prayer or blessing.
The [[Talmud]] teaches [[homiletic]]ally that the word ''Amen'' can be read as an [[acronym]] for '''א'''ל '''מ'''לך '''נ'''אמן (''’El melekh ne’eman''), meaning "God, trustworthy King."<ref>[[Shabbat (Talmud)|Shab.]] 119b; [[Sanhedrin (Talmud)|Sanh.]] 111a</ref> The word ''amen'' itself is [[etymology|etymologically]] related to the Hebrew word ''emuna'' ("faith") implying that one is affirming with, and of, "the faith" of Judaism (and its belief in [[Monotheism]]){{Fact|date=February 2008}}.
Jews usually pronounce the word as it is pronounced in Hebrew: "aw-MÉN" ([[Ashkenazi Hebrew|Ashkenazi]]) or "ah-MÉN" ([[Sephardi Hebrew language|Sephardi]]).<ref>''To Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service,'' Hayim Halevy Donin</ref> These are transcribed in IPA as [{{IPA|ɔ}}'m{{IPA|ɛ}}{{IPA|ɪ}}n] and [a'm{{IPA|ɛ}}n] respectively.
== Amen in Christianity ==
The uses of ''amen'' ("verily") in the [[Gospels]] form a peculiar class; they are initial, but often lack any backward reference.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1383&letter=A&search=Amen|publisher=Jewish Encyclopedia|title=Amen|accessdate=2008-02-22}}</ref> [[Jesus]] used the word to affirm his own utterances{{Fact|date=February 2008}}, not those of another person{{Fact|date=February 2008}}, 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. <ref>
{{cite encyclopedia| title = Amen | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica. | publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica Online. | date = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9006072/amen | accessdate = 2008-03-17 }}</ref> 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 the Eucharist.<ref name="ce"/> 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 [[gnosticism|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).<ref>[http://eastonsbibledictionary.com/a/amen.htm eastonsbibledictionary.com, Amen]</ref>
In the [[King James Version of the Bible|King James Bible]], the word ''amen'' is preserved in a number of contexts. Notable ones include:
* The [[catechism]] of curses of the [[Torah|Law]] found in [[Deuteronomy]] 27.<ref name="ce"/>
* A double ''amen'' ("amen and amen") occurs in [[Psalm]] 89 (Psalm 41:13; 72:19; 89:52), to confirm the words and invoke the fulfillment of them.<ref>[http://eastonsbibledictionary.com/a/amen.htm eastonsbibledictionary.com, Amen]</ref>
* The custom of closing prayers with ''amen'' originates in the [[Lord's Prayer]] at [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 6:13
* ''Amen'' occurs in several [[doxology]] formulas in [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] 1:25, 9:5, 11:36, 15:33, and several times in Chapter 16.<ref name="ce"/> It also appears in doxologies in the Pss (41:14; 72:19; 89:53; 106:48). This liturgical form from [[Judaism]].<ref>cf. John L. McKezie, SJ, "Dictionary of the Bible", New York: MacMillan Publ. Co., Inc., 1965. Entry: "Amen," p. 25)</ref>
* It concludes all of [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul's]] general [[epistle]]s.
* In [[Revelation]] 3:14, Jesus is referred to as, "the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation."
* ''Amen'' concludes the [[New Testament]] at Rev. 22:21.
<!--:''(from an old encyclopedia)''-->
In some Christian [[church]]es, 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.
In English, the word "amen" has two primary pronunciations, ''ah-men'' ({{IPA|/aˈmɛn/}}) or ''ay-men'' ({{IPA|/eɪˈmɛn/}}), with minor additional variation in emphasis (the two syllables may be equally stressed instead of placing primary stress on the second). The ''ah-men'' pronunciation is usual in British English, the one that is used in performances of [[European classical music|classical music]], in churches with more formalized [[ritual]]s and [[liturgy]] and liberal Evangelical Protestant denominations. The ''ay-men'' pronunciation, a product of the [[Great Vowel Shift]] dating to the [[15th century]], is associated with Irish Protestantism and conservative [[evangelical Christianity|Evangelical Protestant]] denominations generally, and the pronunciation that is typically sung in [[gospel music]]. Increasingly Anglophone Roman Catholics are adopting the "ay-men" pronunciation for speech, although the broad "ah" is usually retained for singing.
''Amen'' is also used in standard, international French; however, in the [[Cajun French]] dialect, ''Ansi soit-il'' (literally, ''so be it''), or the [[Québec French]] dialect, ''Ainsi soit-il'', is used instead.
== Amen in Islam ==
[[Muslims]] use the word "’Āmīn" ({{lang-ar|آمين}}) not only after reciting the first surah ([[Al Fatiha]]) of the [[Qur'an]], but also when concluding a prayer or duaa, with the same meaning as in Christianity<ref>{{cite book | last = Hastings | first = James | title = A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels: Volume I | publisher = The Minerva Group, Inc.| date = 2004 | pages = 52 | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=a9ukxN5gAgIC&pg=PA51&lpg=PA51&dq=web&ots=zWGtxwGKHx&sig=4BLM-2eLeCiXtNGkwwaaKcBDPYQ&hl=en#PPA52,M1
}}</ref>. However not all Muslims share in this verbal tradition. The word "Amen" is not found anywhere in the [[Quran]]. [[Amin]] (al-Amin) is a nickname for Mohammed. The Islamic use of the word is the same as the Jewish use of the word.
==See also==
*[[Selah]]
== Notes ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{wiktionary|Amen}}
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01407b.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Amen]
* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1383&letter=A&search=Amen Jewish Encyclopedia: Amen]
* [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Amen Encyclopedia Britannica: Amen]
* [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=261102 The Laws of Responding Amen in Judaism] chabad.org
* [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=0543 Strong's Concordance H543]
* [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=281 Strong's Concordance G281]
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/tut/tut00.htm Tutankhamen - Amenism, Atenism and Egyptian Monotheism]
* [http://student.britannica.com/comptons/article-9309692/Amen: Britannica Student Encyclopedia]
[[Category:Biblical phrases]]
[[Category:Christian prayer]]
[[Category:Interjections]]
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[[Category:Judeo-Christian topics]]
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