Amen in Old Testament liturgical texts : a study of its meaning and later development as a plea for ecumenical understanding

Abstract

Amen is the Hebrew word best known and most widely used in world religions even today. Its importance as a meaningful expression throughout biblical texts is given thorough study as well as its transmission throughout religious history. It has been transliterated and integrated into the prayers and liturgy of about every Christian church. In this thesis amen is traced down to its usage in Old Testament texts selected according to their liturgical setting. After examining the three sets of texts, progressive development stages have been produced. The first text of Deuteronomy 27 was basically a ceremony of civil nature for a Covenant commitment. All tribes of Israel were present and the amen response was stipulated to confirm their allegiance to Yahweh and to acknowledge the curses threatened. The second stage in the development of amen in Old Testament worship is an expected, not stipulated response to answer a doxology or a prayer. At this stage amen was pronounced by the worshipping congregation in cultic situations in general, particularly in the Psalms. A third and more developed liturgical response can be found in the spontaneous double amen spoken by the returnees from exile gathered for the reading of the Law session at Nehemiah's time. Amen had become a thriving force and a joyful outburst - not demanded, not simply expected, but spontaneous in the believers' response to Yahweh's guidance and love. The New Testament and Christians of all times inherited and adopted the same Hebrew word and sound of amen as confirmation and praise. A proposal is made in this study to set amen as a causal connection with the One who loved mankind first. The proposed derivation of amen from the Hiphil Imperative remits its origin to a causative plea, and persuades people to believe in what they have just heard or said, namely, that Jesus Christ is God's amen for the salvation of all mankind. Christians of all times and places should join in the praise of God through the same faith in His Amen. Thus amen becomes a binding concept for ecumenical understanding.