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This article is about the Hebrew word; for other meanings see Amen (disambiguation). The word Amen (Tiberian Hebrew אָמֵן ’Āmēn "So be it; truly", Standard Hebrew אמן Amen, Arabic آمين ’Āmīn, Ge'ez' አሜን ’Āmēn) is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and in the Qur'an. It has always been in use within Judaism and Islam. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding formula for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to suras. Common English translations of the word amen include: "Verily", "Truly", "So be it", and "Let it be".
Biblical usages Three distinct Biblical usages may be noted: The word 'amen' is the value 99 in Greek numerals and appears in the Bible (Old and New testament) 99 times *. Amen in Judaism In Judaism, it is taught that the word Amen is an acronym for אל (’El) מלך (melek) נאמן (ne’eman), meaning "God, King who is Trustworthy." It is related to the Hebrew word emuna or "faith" with the same linguistic root, implying that one is affirming with, and of, "the faith" of Judaism (and its belief in Monotheism). In traditional and modern Jewish liturgy, "Amen" is a word often used by a congregation as a way to affirm and subscribe to the words uttered previously by whoever leads the prayer. Jews usually pronounce the word as it is pronounced in Hebrew: "ah-MAIN." Amen in Christianity The uses of amen ("verily") 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 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. 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 the King James Bible, the word amen is preserved in a number of contexts. Notable ones include: 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. In English, the word "amen" has two pronunciations, ah-men or ay-men. The ah-men pronunciation is the one that is used in performances of classical music and in churches with more formalized rituals and liturgy. The ay-men pronunciation is associated with evangelical Christianity, and the pronunciation that is typically sung in gospel music. Amen in Islam Muslims use the word "ameen" 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, although Shiaa muslims do not say ameen when saying a surah during a prayer as they believe that it is not part of the surah and should not be said during prayer. | ||||||||
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