Amen - and its possible "origin"?

My personal belief is in short that the meaning of Amen is The "Flame". Could be the flame of a candle or "holly flame" or for our sake both together - sacred flame.
Also Amen in ancient Egyptian " IMN" means God or sacred flame.

" Force be with You "

The word Amen is one of a small number of Hebrew words which have been imported unchanged into the liturgy of the Church, propter sanctiorem as St. Augustine expresses it, in virtue of an exceptionally sacred example. "So frequent was this Hebrew in the mouth of Our Saviour", observes the Catechism of the Council of Trent, "that it pleased the Holy Ghost to have it perpetuated in the Church of God". In point of fact St. Matthew attributes it to Our Lord twenty-eight times, and St. John in its doubled form twenty-six times. As regards the etymology, Amen is a derivative from the Hebrew verb aman "to strengthen" or "Confirm".
~New Advent by Carl Horst.

Amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It is said to be of Hebrew origin; however, the basic root from which the word was derived is common to a number of Semitic Languages such as Aramaic or Syriac. 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.

Muslims use the word ʾĀmīn when concluding a prayer, and especially after reciting the first surah of the Qur'an, with the same meaning as in Judaism and Christianity. Besides that, in Islam, Muslims say "Amiin" after hoping something good after being stated.

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. Such external etymologies are not included in standard etymological reference works.
The Hebrew word, as noted above, starts with aleph, while the Egyptian name begins with a yodh.

I would suppose that it is possible, but from what I have been able to find, I feel it is unlikely.

From Wikipedia...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amen

Amen

The word amen is a declaration of affirmation[1][2] found in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts.[3] It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns.[2] 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,[2] as in, for instance, amen to that.[4]

EtymologyEdit


Amen in East Syriac Aramaic
The usage of Amen, meaning "so be it", as found in the early scriptures of the Bible is said to be of Hebrew origin;[5][6] however, the basic triconsonantal root from which the word was derived is common to a number of Semitic Languages such as Aramaic or Syriac. The word was imported into the Greek of the early Church from Judaism.[1][7] 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.[8] 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 aleph-mem-nun. That is, the Hebrew word amen derives from the same ancient triliteral Hebrew root as does the verb ʾāmán.[9]

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).[8] 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 (Arabic: آمن‎), which has the same meanings as the Hebrew root word.

Popular among some theosophists,[10] proponents of Afrocentric theories of history,[11] and adherents of esoteric Christianity [12][13] 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.[14][15][16][17] Such external etymologies are not included in standard etymological reference works. The Hebrew word, as noted above, starts with aleph, while the Egyptian name begins with a yodh.[18]

The Armenian word ամեն /ˌɑːmˈɛn/ means "every"; however it is also used in the same form at the conclusion of prayers, much as in English.[19]

Hebrew Bible
The word first occurs in the Hebrew Bible in Numbers 5.22 when the Priest addresses a suspected adulteress and she responds “Amen, Amen”. Overall, the word appears in the Hebrew Bible 30 times.

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.[1]
Detached amen, again referring to the words of another speaker but without a complementary affirmative sentence, e.g. Nehemiah 5:13.[1]
Final amen, with no change of speaker, as in the subscription to the first three divisions of Psalms.[1]
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 are wanting in certain 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.[20]

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.[21] Jesus used the word to affirm his own utterances, not those of another person[citation needed], 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.[22]

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

The catechism of curses of the Law found in Deuteronomy 27.[1]
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.[23]
The custom of closing prayers with amen originates in the Lord's Prayer at Matthew 6:13.[citation needed]
Amen occurs in several doxology formulas in Romans 1:25, 9:5, 11:36, 15:33, and several times in Chapter 16.[1] It also appears in doxologies in the Pss (41:14; 72:19; 89:53; 106:48). This liturgical form from Judaism.[24]
It concludes all of Paul's general epistles.
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.
Amen in JudaismEdit

See also: Reciting amen
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.[25]

With the rise of the synagogue during the Second Temple period, amen became a common response, especially to benedictions. 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 (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 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.[22] 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"),[26] the phrase recited silently by an individual before reciting the Shma.

Jews usually approximate the Hebrew pronunciation of the word: /ɔːˈmeɪn/ aw-mayn (Ashkenazi) or /ɑːˈmɛn/ ah-men (Sephardi).[27]

Amen in ChristianityEdit

The use of "amen" has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns and express strong agreements.[22] 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.[1] 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).[23]

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.[citation needed] 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,[28] which is also called the Our Father or the Pater Noster.

Amen in IslamEdit


ʾĀmīn in Arabic.
Muslims use the word ʾĀmīn (Arabic: آمين‎) when concluding a prayer, and especially after reciting the first surah (Al Fatiha) of the Qur'an, with the same meaning as in Judaism and Christianity.[29][30] Besides that, in Islam, Muslims say "Amiin" after hoping something good after being stated. For example: I wish all the people in this world could unite and live in peace, Amiin ya Allah or the same as Amen to That in Christianity.

Zenchi wrote:

Warning: Spoiler!

The lesson for today kids is to list ALL exterior sources when cutting & pasting...

That was the simplest explanation of what I had found.
If I were to have copied it all word for word I would have. But since I edited it down to be simpler I figured it wasn’t necessary.

what does "Mote" mean in this context?

And among Freemasons the term "So Mote it Be" is used at the end of every prayer/meditation.

baru wrote: what does "Mote" mean in this context?

It's an archaic form of "may" or "might" stemming from earlier versions of English. In this instance it's the same as "So may it be."

I just listened to a podcast about the Dogon. It stated that the word Amen is in Dogon, Egyptian, and Hebrew. The root of this word means something like - the Creator, the starting place, to establish. It is the vibration tone of creation. it is the tone below all other tones.

I have seen this word written as: Aum-en. It is similar to Om or AUM.

baru wrote: I just listened to a podcast about the Dogon. It stated that the word Amen is in Dogon, Egyptian, and Hebrew. The root of this word means something like - the Creator, the starting place, to establish. It is the vibration tone of creation. it is the tone below all other tones.

I have seen this word written as: Aum-en. It is similar to Om or AUM.

...but those are all vastly distinct and different language families, so at absolute best, those words are false cognates (words that seem similar in form and meaning, but are wholly unrelated at all), and most likely, they're false friends (words that seem similar but have vastly different meanings and etymologies). The likelihood that they are in any way related is so linguistically small that I hesitate to give it any credence.

based on all of my research - they come from the same language family - Atlantis.
This could be some "heavy stuff" or totally "whacky" to some, but I do believe that there was a civilization before our modern age and i generally refer to that "original", progenitor culture as "Atlantis".

There is a lot of study into linguistics that show that these "ancient" cultures seem to have a common root for a lot of their words. There are words in Irish (Gaelic), Hebrew, Egyptian (ancient), Greek, Chinese, Tibetan, and Dogon that are the same.

I find it interesting that Modern European cultures seem to reject this notion that something could have existed before what believe is the present culture. When I lived in Tibet, they talked about older civilizations. they talked about a time that had greater technology than they have now. I saw ruins that related to an older time that had knowledge that they do not have now. I feel sites like Newgraunge and the pyramids prove this. The book Underworlds does a great job at depicting this evidence.

Irish Origins of Civilization and other books convey a reasonable justification for this as well.

I feel that we are limited in our acceptance of Atlantis (an older civilization) is because of how we are now. When I look at our present world - I am challenged to accept that at some point in our history we all got along, we all spoke the same language and that we built amazing things like the Great Tombs.

But this research into our Progenitors makes me happy because it reminds me that at one time that was true and we can do it again!

I look forward to when we, as a collective world, accept that we are all one and that we have more in common with each other than we think.

Knowing that this word "Amen" is in all of our languages could be a key to triggering our memory of that time.

baru wrote: There is a lot of study into linguistics that show that these "ancient" cultures seem to have a common root for a lot of their words. There are words in Irish (Gaelic), Hebrew, Egyptian (ancient), Greek, Chinese, Tibetan, and Dogon that are the same.

That's because there is a limited number of sounds that the human body can create through speech, and because of the migration of humans from a common ancestral point, most likely found in Africa.

I find it interesting that Modern European cultures seem to reject this notion that something could have existed before what believe is the present culture.

Because there's no scientific evidence for any civilization earlier than the neolithic cultures that are found in Africa, Asia, and Mesopotamia.

I feel that we are limited in our acceptance of Atlantis (an older civilization) is because of how we are now.

Do you mean a civilzation that asks for proof of something that can be proved before it is accepted as fact?

Knowing that this word "Amen" is in all of our languages could be a key to triggering our memory of that time.

It isn't in "all of our languages." It's in Semitic languages. There are similar sounding words (we think) in Egyptian (though the closest we get to pronouncing the abjadic/semanto-phonetic Egyptian writing system is modern Coptic interspersed with a lot of 'e's for ease of speaking, since there were no actual vowels recorded in hieroglyphics), but that doesn't make them the same words.

I'm not here to dissuade you from your belief in an "earlier" civilization. I'm just pointing out that there is no actual, scientifically-valid evidence for any of the claims that this word is a universal word by way of linguistic evolution that I have ever, ever seen. Nor is there any scientifically-valid evidence for this proposed "earlier" civilization. And until I have some of either, I'm going to continue my disbelief in both theories.