The Origin of Amen
Amen is perhaps a word like no other. It is certainly used hundreds of millions of times daily to conclude prayer or supplication to omnipotent beings, and as a way to acknowledge the spiritual presence of something, or some “other” than one’s self. But from where did “amen” originate? And from what history or tradition?
Etymologically, the word’s root is Hebrew in origin, with its use spreading to eventually encompass Christianity and Islam. Amen is found in the Bible, of course, but also in the Quran and in Hinduism. Amen is a shared response to liturgical rites and a means of affirming sacred scripture. Beyond Judaism, in the fading mists of early history, the word can be traced to ancient Egypt and a particular line of pharaohs, that of the Amun or Amen –hotep lineage.
While there is absolutely no historical proof for the patriarch Abraham, there is plenty of evidence for the existence of four rulers of the Amen –hotep line. The last of these, Amen –hotep IV is today known as the heretic king, the most ancient ruler to whom history can attribute another origin, that of monotheistic belief. Amen –hotep IV, or Akhenaten as he is known, founded his new religion at the expense of the Egyptian neteru, the many faces of the trinity Amen – Ra – Horus, all of whom were banned under his short, ten-year rule, their images defaced and their temples destroyed.
During an indeterminate period of the Amen –hotep lineage the first Biblical character with a historically verifiable presence joined the Egyptian court. The biblical Joseph was perhaps a contemporary of Akhenaten (Amen –hotep IV) or of his forbears. The influences of monotheistic thought on this Semitic addition to the court of the Amen –hoteps could well have carried forward as an early form of proto-Judaism.
Though religious leaders will scoff at the coincidence of the relationship of the word amen to its royal forbear, it is virtually certain that much of the Hebrew language, as well as Aramaic, was derived from earlier Egyptian. In fact, at the time of Moses, a distinct Hebrew language had only recently come into existence. Moses, the Prince of Egypt, likely spoke Egyptian which made him unintelligible to the fledgling Hebrew population. In the Bible God suggests that Aaron speak for Moses, not because he stuttered, as biased scholars would have it, but because Moses needed an interpreter to speak to his Hebrew flock.
The very usage today of the word “amen” is an interesting conundrum. Is amen a holy affirmation, or is it simply a part of our collective memory of history’s first monotheist, the Pharaoh Akhenaten?
Amen.