Meaning of the word AMEN

From the Alternative Religions website comes the word Notariqon. This word is said to be a Kabbalistic methodology which involves looking for deeper meanings or words or phrases by expanding them into sentences or acronyms. It says that an example of this would be the word Amen, that Amen is a compaction of the phrase "Adonai Melekh Na'amon" Lord, faithful King.

Does anyone know if this is true? It seems I am frequently running across many references to Melek, or Malik Taus these days. Do you believe when millions of Christians are saying Amen to end their prayers they are actually referring to a Yezidi deity?

Amen is derived from the Hebrew verb "Aman" which has something to do with a "confirmation." That's why many people take the definition of the word as "Let it be so."

Muslims use the term frequently as well.

Maybe it has even deeper roots in sun worship, maybe it doesn't.
I use it according to my understanding...with apologies to any sun gods I may have been accidently pestering by doing so.

I've always thought it meant "Let it be" or something like that.

edit, aah here we go, from Wikipedia:

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 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".

Wikipedia: Amen

[edit on 8/14/2006 by djohnsto77]

Here is some more information about the word AMEN pre-Judaism.

The Ancient AMEN

In my readings I have found that many ancient traditions, symbols, words, and other methodologies have been incorporated into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (There are some found in Buddism and Hindu as well.) Manytimes this was done to help smooth the conversion of a populace from certain pagan practices and beliefs.

Here is another article about the believed origins of Amen from a hindu perspective:

Hindu Symbols and Symbolisms


Here is a small excerpt from that article:

The different ways in which Omkar is depicted. The syllable OM is not specific to Indian culture. It has religious significance in other religions also. The word Amen used among Christians at the end of a prayer is also said to be derived from the the syllable OM. Although OM is not given any specific definition and is considered to be a cosmic sound, a primordial sound, the totality of all sounds etc., Amen is said to mean 'May it be so'.

In Arabic a similar term 'Amin' has a religious significance. .

I have a feeling that it goes even further back to the first historicaly acknowledged civilization, Armenia or more commonly known as Sumeria.

On this website called Armenia Highlands , I found this passage in the 'Encyclepedia' section from an article called "The Royal Dynasties of Armenia":

The word Armani - an early form of Armen-Armin [Armen or Arman denotes the national affiliation, as with many cultures standing for the particular nation thus, the God AR being the primary deity in the Indo-European pantheon - thus AR MAN denotes -- Men of Ar or Children of Ar, again initially AR standing for ARAREL-ARARICH [hence Ar-Ar-At the Place of ARAR] -- Create-Creator, also Sun, Light, Life and Love.

Of course, even thier history speaks of a greater civilization that predated thiers. While I have been parusing the historical readings (both conventional and non-conventional) of different subjects, I have found that many ideas, beliefs, creations, etc., have original origins in history that few are aware of. And they often only retain the slightest similarity to its origins.

For me it makes for some very insightful, and informative reading.

Interesting reading indeed, Sylvrshadow.
I think that it can be very fascinating to watch how a word or phrase changes over time...how different populations will adapt different words to their specific purpose.

The problem I have is when people try to imply that a later use of that word is somehow tainted or bastardized simply because another civilization employed the word for different means prior.

I will now call out interestedalways...

Originally posted by interestedalways
Do you believe when millions of Christians are saying Amen to end their prayers they are actually referring to a Yezidi deity?

You're taking a collection of graphemes (A-M-E-N) and saying that the concept of a Yezidi sun god is somehow forever attached to those symbols. Implying that Christians are "accidentally" lauding a pagan god by invoking that word is like accusing me of touting my high school sweetheart when I tell my spouse she is beautiful. It doesn't matter where a word has been used before. How is it being used now? With what intent?

A word is a bunch of scribbles...a definition is completely reliant on context.

Here I thought it was associated with the ancient God Amen Ra. Here is a link and some egyptian history on the word:

The word or root amen, certainly means "what is hidden," "what is not seen," "what cannot be seen," and the like, and this fact is proved by scores of examples which may be collected from texts of all periods

Amen and Amen Ra

Looks like I need to dig a little deeper

wupy

Starshadow, I think perhaps you might want to recheck the known facts against the websites you found. In the first one, the writer boldly states that it's "11th century" and then goes on to say "11th dynasty." Both are wrong; Amun arose as a deity in the 7th dynasty, about 2000 BC: en.wikipedia.org...

The original writer also identifies "Hiram Abif -- King Hiram of Tyre", repeating a Masonic text from the 1700's that was made up. www.middleeast.com...

(though it does turn out that sources have created "king lists" for Tyre and have the name Hiram in there. www.answers.com...

So you might want to take that page with a LOT of salt. Some of it comes from an ancient fraud, Philo of Byblos: en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by djohnsto77
I've always thought it meant "Let it be" or something like that.

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 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".

Wikipedia: Amen

As Djohnsto points out, it means "so be it; let it be." Ancient languages had this sort of closing to religious works and prayers and sometime seven formal poems. We find it used like this in Hebrew, but we do NOT find it as a closing word/phrase in Egyptian hymns, even when Amun was the chief deity of the land.

Do you believe when millions of Christians are saying Amen to end their prayers they are actually referring to a Yezidi deity?

The first phrase uses the term melek, and the yezidi of course worship malik taus, but this is a phrase, meaning 'peacock king/angel'. I wouldnt' take each usage of malik/melek as a reference to malik taus.

Hi Byrd,

I took this statement from the author

Let’s begin the exploration of a part of history, some say the name of AMEN came from the ancients, dating way back to the 11th century.

as a sentence showing where the 'belief' of where the name AMEN comes from and how the belief had its start in the 11th century.

The author then goes on in the next sentence to say

Thousands of years ago, in Egypt, there was a well known and powerful divine being, Ammon (also known as AMON, AMANA, AMMON, HAMMON, AMEN and Kematef) of the 11th dynasty. The 11th dynasty sprang from a family in the Hermonthite heritage and adorned the earliest known temple of Karnik, in Thebes, Egypt with statues of those they revered. Ammon replaced the war god, Montu. Ammon was eventually known as Amon- Re, king of the Gods.

In this context I am assuming that the author is referring to the chief deity of the era, and not the human ruler of that era. (Although I know that pharaohs were considered god kings, or incarnations of their god)

Here in this Catholic Encyclopedia it also describes how Amen/Amun was a supreme deity:

(Egyptian Amun or Amen, "the hidden one". Hebrew Amon, Greek Ammon).

The supreme divinity of the Egyptian pantheon. He was originally only the chief god of the city of Thebes, but later his worship became predominant in Egypt and extended even to Lybia and Ethiopia. Thebes, however, always remained the centre of his worship, whence it was called Ne amun, "the city of Amun", Hebrew No-Amon (Nahum 3:8, Hebrew text), and the god himself is designated by Jeremias (46:25, Hebrew text) as Anon min No (Ammon of No, i.e. Thebes).

Ammon was worshipped under several names with different attributes. As Ammon-Ra, he was the sun god, with his chief temple at Thebes; as Khem or Min, he was the god of reproduction; as Khnum, he was the creator of all things, "the maker of gods and men". In the latter character he was represented with the head of a ram, the animal sacred to him, or simply with ram's horns; under this form Ammon was best known to classical writers, who always attribute horns to him. The chief temple of Khnum was in the oasis of Ammon (now Siwah), where Alexander the Great worshipped him. The Greeks and Romans identified Ammon with Zeus or Jupiter (Zeus Ammon, Jupiter Ammon), whence the name Diospolis, City of Zeus, given to Thebes by the Greeks.

)


However Ammon was derived from AMUN, which is said to be derived from Amunet, the female aspect of the creator god Ogdoad. This is according to
wikipedia .

As to 'Hiram Abif', I took that part of the article as speculation on the author’s part in relation to its possible relevance to the 'trinity' concept.

If Hiram Abif was the same man as the King of Tyre, did he really want to reveal the secrets--- and if the men knew he was the King, what would have changed? What would of occurred and why was this held a secret too? Then, we come to the three symbology in this story. Look how three was mentioned and as you read on, three’s will be very symbolic.—universally representing TRINITY. Hiram Abif was killed because he wouldn’t bow down to the three men and reveal what he knew. What were the holy secrets? And how and why did Masons and FreeMasons received this knowledge and no one else? Why this organization? They still incorporate symbols their system even today-why is that?

Another description of who Hiram was is also noted here in wikipedia

Hiram Abiff is an allegorical figure in Masonic ritual, referred to in Duncan's Masonic Monitor as "the Widow's Son",[1] who is figuratively the master of the construction of King Solomon's Temple.

There seems to be some question on who Hiram actually was, IF he actually existed.


As with anything that I read or hear, I take it all with a grain of salt, because for me, no one person (or group of people) has all of the answers to any one subject or idea. I have found that, especially when it comes to history, one must keep an open mind and be ready for new information, which itself may or may not be valid.


(edit to fix spelling)



[edit on 8/14/2006 by sylvrshadow]

it means "i agree"




[edit on 14-8-2006 by DrExtravaganza]

(Mod edit: Let's quit while we're ahead. --Majic)

[edit on 8/14/2006 by Majic]

I am fascinated by the wealth of information this word generates although I find it hard to choose an origin of the word as it, or variations of it, has been used widely by different cultures it seems.

I would like to challenge Essedarius/ view that "A word is a bunch of scribbles, a definition is completely reliant of context." My particular belief is that a "word" spoken carries with it a particular vibratory frequency and a "word" that is repeated regularly by mass numbers of peoples it is generating a very large wave or ruffle of some kind. With this in mind I would think that by perpetuating a vibration at such a rate it may "do something" in the big scheme of things.
Like the word Brahma defines sounds and creativity
Like Monks that chant, Catholic chants, etc.

I just wonder why they would say Amen instead of saying Let it be.

Also Sylvershadow speaking of the widow's son, do you think this refers to Semeramis?

Thank you all for the time and interest in your responses, I find them all to be helpful in some way. Absolute truth and understanding is a lifelong journey and I am glad so many of us are on such a journey to know.

Originally posted by interestedalways
... a "word" spoken carries with it a particular vibratory frequency and a "word" that is repeated regularly by mass numbers of peoples it is generating a very large wave or ruffle of some kind.

I love the power of words, and I'm a big fan of the image you've painted of the "vibratory frequency" of a word originating a wave that travels away from it.

My question is...is it really the word itself that sends out that wave? I think you are giving our teeth and tongues too much credit, and short changing our minds and hearts. When people chant in unison it is not their words that ripple out into the community, it is their unity. When someone shouts a racial slur on the subway, it isn't that word sending a cold chill through everyone around it, it is the hatred of the individual that shouted it.

I've sung the word "Amen" in church and it has moved me immensely.
I've mumbled the words "Amen to that" when someone asked if I wanted to get a drink after work. It's the same word, but their vibratory frequency is much different. And if a word can change that much over the course of day, when being used by the same person...how much more then can it change when it is used by an entirely different civilization in a different era?

Don't get me wrong, studying the origins of language is a lot of fun, and can tell you something about why groups use certain words and symbols. But, in the end, you still have to look at the context...otherwise, for example, we might have welcomed the Nazis because they adorned themselves with the Hindu symbol for "good luck!"

I thought it comes from Amen Ra from when Akhenaton changed the Egyptian religion from many gods to one God and it was adopted (thanks to Moses dude) fleeing Egypt as they were also worshipping one God.

Amen Ra to that!

Essadarius- Point well made. I tend to hear what you are saying. Yes, the intent surely overrides the essence of the word, but I think both are valid, intent and base meaning.

Amen Ra seems fairly reasonable as the most likely origination, but the egyptian link always seems to be big riddles borrowed and disguised.

to djohnsto77

i hope that you dont truly use wikipedia as a source it was writin many people who dont know nothing there was also something else that was writin by man people every where do know what it is

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the holy book itself the bible

Originally posted by The Parasite
i hope that you dont truly use wikipedia as a source it was writin many people who dont know nothing...

Allow me to fight condescension with condescension:

Do a little research into communal knowledge building.
A bunch of people who don't know nothing really do add up to more than one person who do know something.

And if you want to do some bible bashing?

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Go find a thread that was made for that. There's plenty.

AMEN


METU NETER Vol. 1, Pg. 212


Amen means “concealed”. It is the Kamitic counterpart of the term “Subjective” as we have used it in this book [Metu Neter Vol. 1]. It corresponds to the essential nature of the Supreme Being, which is the same as the essence of Man’s being. It is our unmanifested, unmanifestable, unconditioned Self – That which is the ultimate source of life and consciousness. It is the unseen and unseeable that looks out into the Objective Realm of spirits, thoughts, feelings, and physical phenomena. We must return our focus of consciousness back to it by the cessation of all thought activity. Once we have established this innermost point as our place of being – i.e., living beyond emotional influences – we will attain to the state of Hetep. This is a state in which we are able to fully ignore all emotions that may rise into our awareness, and thus attain to a peace that cannot be disturbed by any challenge in life. In the Hindu tradition it is called Parabrahm Sarvikalpa Nirvana. This state of inner peace is the prime foundation for the functioning of the healing functions of the life-force (Ra), and is the source of all spiritual power.



"Zero corresponds to the Amen aspect of God. The Christians end their prayers with Amen, an African word. Every time those Christians pray, they invoke that African word, "Amen". It's the name of an Egyptian "deity". Ask a Christian, "What is the meaning of the word Amen?" They say, "So be it." Not so! If you go deeply into biblical scholarship, you will find that no biblical scholar says that Amen means "So be it." They say, "Truthfully speaking, we don't know." Amen, in the Egyptian language means concealed - that which cannot be perceived. And what is but cannot be perceived is energy and matter that has not been shaped, nor structured, nor defined, nor finitized into a thing or an event. Wherever there is absence of structure, there is infinite, boundless energy/matter and consciousness, but no perceptible reality. Reality is there, but in an imperceptible state, because you can only perceive that which has structure, which has been finitized, given form. So, Amen corresponds to that original state of energy/matter and consciousness out of which everything that is, was, and shall be comes out of, and shall return."





© Ra Un Nefer Amen

Note the following:

The Highest Names of Deities often begin with "A", which is the Root Vowel considered so important in Bonpa and Tibetan Buddhism:







Some examples:

AMEN of course, AUM, ALLAH, ADI-BUDDHA, AELOHIM, AIN-SOPH, ANU, AUSAR/AUSET, AMIDA-BUDDHA/AMITABHA, and the list goes on...


In Gnosis we say that The Divinity is our Being.

Our Being is ATMA/Gedulah.

The Being of our Being is the Sephirothic Crown, Kether who is AUSAR.

The Realm of the Absolute is AIN/Sat or THAT which IS, the Pefect Union of Clarity, Bliss and Emptiness.

The AIN-SOPH is AMEN.

So to say that AMEN or AMIN means "So Be it" is not too far off, even if that's not the exact etymology of the word.

Because The Being, is THAT which IS from moment-to-moment, the "Unseen" without any bounds, The Infinite which can not be emulated.


So BE It.

Here's a way of looking at this.


We've heard that God needs matter in order to exist.

This may sound blasphemous, but it is true.

However, the Divinity does not need matter in order to BE.

Thus we can see the absurdity of Descartes phrase: "I think, therefore I am"

Both Ra Un Nefer Amen and Samael Aun Weor have pointed out that it would be better to "I AM, therefore I think"

Thought is energy, and energy is a subtle form of matter.

The Divine IS within all of Creation.

But the Absolute Divinity IS beyond all matter and energy.

In the realm of AMEN, the Absolute, Being just IS pure Consciousness without any thoughts.

Consciousness just aware of Consciousness itself without any forms, thoughts or differentiation.


So, just because we exist, doesn't mean that we know how to BE, because the Divine is the Being within us, who we rarely ever give any attention to.

Then maybe using the term AMEN is a way of penetrating the raw creative energy and drawing into matter our requested prayer.

One could experiment by chanting AMEN as a Hekau or Mantra, and compare the results with the chanting of AUM.


But of course, we would first half to learn the correct way of Japa or Mantra recitation.


www.gnosticteachings.org...