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From: smb@ulysses.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Amen
Message-ID: <498@ulysses.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Jul-83 14:56:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: ulysses.498
Posted: Sat Jul 16 14:56:11 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Jul-83 00:29:09 EDT
References: <179@auvax.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Murray Hill
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"Amen" is derived from the equivalent Hebrew word (best transliterated as
"ah-MAIN" or "or-MAIN"), and is a standard feature of Jewish liturgy.  The
dictionary I have at home (Random House American College Dictionary) gives
the following:

	a-men, interj.  1.  it is so; so be it (used after a prayer,
	creed, or other formal statement).  --adv. 2.  verily, truly.
	--n. 3. an expression of concurrence or assent.  [from Hebrew].

A Hebrew-English dictionary I have translates the Hebrew word so "so be it".

Perhaps coincidentally, the Random House dictionary also has an entry
for "Amen", a minor Theban god with the head of a ram, symbolizing
fertility and life, later identified by the Egyptians with the sun god,
Amen-Ra, their principal deity.  The name is also spelled "Amon".  The
etymology given is "taken from Egyptian, explained as "the one who hides
his name"].  I don't know if there is any etymological connection
between the Hebrew and Egyptian words; any experts out there?