amen

Let's begin with the end.

The word AMEN is not a new word. It's not even an English word. Somehow it survived the test of time and can be found in many modern languages. Some words get lucky like that. It existed in the Hebrew language among other semitic languages.

For me this word has been virtually meaningless for most of my life, despite the fact that I say it on a daily basis. I think at some point I was taught that it just means 'I agree', which seemed to fit in a more casual, conversational context. "This elevator smells like puke," to which someone could reply, "Amen to that!" However, when spoken at the end of a supplication to God, it doesn't make much sense to say, "… In the name of Jesus Christ, I agree… with myself… with the things I just said…" So it has occurred to me that I don't feel comfortable ending a prayer with a word I'm using ignorantly, especially when the prayer is heart felt, but also when I'm casually asking to bless the pizza to be good for my body.

In D&C 121:37 the following words were revealed, "… when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."

The use of amen in this context suggests an entirely new meaning from our more common usage. Imagine you are reading this verse for the first time and the word amen was omitted with only a blank line instead. What word would you insert given the context clues of the verse? … How about 'sayonara' or 'game over'?  Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway it seems to suggest that the man no longer holds the priesthood. He ceases to hold it. To paraphrase, "and when the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn, the priesthood or authority of that man is no longer in his possesion." Let's try some older scriptures.

Numbers 5. This is kind of a weird chapter, but it happens to have the first usage of amen in the Old Testament (at least in the KJV). Now I'm not a hunnerd percent sure what's going on here, but I'll try to summarize what's happening. If a man is feeling jealous cause he thinks his wife has been fooling around, he's supposed to take her to the priest and perform what's called a jealousy offering. "And the priest shall charge her by an oath," (verse 19). Hmm, an oath. Isn't receiving the priesthood associated with an oath? Anyway, at some point the woman is supposed to say "Amen, amen," as an acknowledgment that she accepts the terms of the oath (verse 22). If she's guilty, she has to drink some water that will make her tummy swell up and her legs go rotten. If she's innocent, then those things won't happen. Saying amen twice, or saying anything twice in the scriptures is usually a sign of greater emphasis. At least that's what I've heard.

Deuteronomy 27. "And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day" (v. 1). Here Moses is commanded by the Lord to give a series of commandments to the people. "...Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God" (v. 9).  Pretty significant day for the Israelites. Lets make some oaths! Each commandment is phrased with a cursing if disobeyed. For example, "Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen" (v. 15). He goes on to name 12 other commandments (that's 13 total), each with an injunction to say, "amen" as a way to accept the terms of the curse, the final one being, "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen" (v. 26). So again amen is used as a binding verbal agreement, that the terms the Lord has laid out are accepted by the individual.

Isaiah 65:16. Here's a sneaky one. "That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes." Where is the amen? It's hidden! Twice actually. See if you can find it in the Hebrew. Remember it reads right to left...

אֲשֶׁ֨ר הַמִּתְבָּרֵ֜ךְ בָּאָ֗רֶץ יִתְבָּרֵךְ֙ בֵּאלֹהֵ֣י אָמֵ֔ן וְהַנִּשְׁבָּ֣ע בָּאָ֔רֶץ יִשָּׁבַ֖ע בֵּאלֹהֵ֣י אָמֵ֑ן כִּ֣י נִשְׁכְּח֗וּ הַצָּרֹות֙ הָרִ֣אשֹׁנֹ֔ות וְכִ֥י נִסְתְּר֖וּ מֵעֵינָֽי

Here's the word again for reference.

For some reason, the word truth was translated in place of the word amen. So the phrase 'God of truth' could aptly be read as 'God of amen'. And if it's a name title, it would be written 'God of Amen'. I guess by now you could have just googled the word amen and found that it means truth, but where's the fun in that? So amen is associated with truth. Very good. Good to know. When used as an adverb it means truly or verily. Verily comes from the latin veritas which also means truth. The word truth comes from Old English treowth, meaning steadfastness, loyalty, constancy, or faithfulness. So without hesitation, I declare, the words amen, truth, and faith to be so closely related they may as well be synonyms. Is that a stretch? Yeah, that's a stretch, but they are crazy close. I plan to address faith in another post, but suffice it to say…

Keep in mind I offer this thought as a humble opinion, not to suggest I'm smarter or better than anyone. Not like this Mandy guy.

Okay, let's round up the cattle. Amen was used by women accused of marital infidelity to affirm the conditions of an oath and a curse. It was also used by the Israelites to accept the terms and consequences of not keeping certain commandments. It seems to be used in that same context in D&C 121:37 where if one is not true to the terms laid out in the oath of the priesthood, then a curse will follow–possibly the curse laid out in D&C 84:41 which is stated shortly after describing the oath. Amen is associated with truth and correctness. Moving on...

D&C 88. The setting is Kirtland as Joseph Smith was commanded to institute what was called the school of the prophets. It was meant to be a school of instruction for all the officers of the church "beginning at the high priests, even down to the deacons" (v. 127). It seems it was meant to be a type of seminary for all affiliated with the priesthood in order for each individual to become a prophet. Sounds fun! Anyway, a certain custom was to be instituted as a salutation and as a sign that they come with honesty and good intention upon entering the room. As they enter the room, the teacher approaches them with uplifted hands and says, "Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen" (v. 133). The student then responds to the teacher in the same manner. "And he that cometh in and is faithful before me, and is a brother, or if they be brethren, they shall salute the president or teacher with uplifted hands to heaven, with this same prayer and covenant, or by saying Amen, in token of the same" (v. 135, emphasis was totally added by me). Well that's kind of neat. In this context, amen is used as a substitute word that is just as good as saying the whole thing. It acts as an acknowledgement of what the teacher just recited. It ratifies the terms, declares them to be true, and witnesses the agreement of a covenant. All with a single word! It is used as a token. (Should there have been a paragraph break in here somewhere? I never know. It all feels like one thought.)

The Book of Mormon seems to exclusively use amen at the end of a chapter, a sermon, or a prayer. It is interesting to note the short phrase that is often used just before the final word. "And thus it is. Amen" (1 Nephi 9:6, 1 Nephi 14:30, 1 Nephi 22:31, Alma 13:9, Helaman 12:26). "…and I must obey. Amen" (2 Nephi 33:15). "Thus hath the Lord commanded me. Amen" (Mosiah 3:27). "And thus it is written. Amen" (Alma 6:8). "And thus I have spoken. Amen" (Alma 7:27). "And may God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I have spoken. Amen" (Alma 29:17). "And may God grant unto you even according to my words. Amen" (Alma 42:31). "As the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen" (3 Nephi 6:26). "And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen" (Either 4:19, the Savior speaking). In all these instances, it seems it is being used to either emphasize the truth of the matter, declare the acceptance of a commandment or the will of God, or as a way to petition the Lord to make it so. It also seems that in each case amen could be used as a substitute for the attached phrase kind of like the example in the school of the prophets. I particularly like the usage in Alma 29:17. It feels appropriate to envision this context when we speak amen at the end of a prayer.

Jesus used it at the end of what we call the Lord's prayer. Paul puts it at the end of all his epistles. I like the context written by John the Revalator where it is used as a shout of adoration towards God. "And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia" (Rev. 19:4), praising God for His perfect faithfulness, constancy, and truth. I like to think now when I end a prayer, that it is a form of worship and praise to say amen, as well as a declaration of the truth spoken from the heart. I believe there are times when it should be spoken softly, and I believe there are times when it should be shouted with joy.

I don't think we are required to say amen all the times that we do. I think most do it out of cultural tradition. In fact, it's probably safer to reserve it for when you actually mean it and refrain from using it when you've just been woken up during testimony meeting and you want to prove that you weren't sleeping. I love it when a word has a rich, sharp meaning that when spoken in the right spirit and context pierces your earballs right into your heart. I mourn when a great word is lost in cliché and mindless tradition. We're all guilty of it.

Well that's all I've got. I've provided just a few usages in context. There are many more. It's likely that I haven't even scratched the surface of the word. I've toyed around with a few additional theories, but I wasn't prepared to present them mostly because I wouldn't know how to explain it. I've offered a lot of opinions and suggestions, but you don't have to take my word for it, da na Na! (Reading Rainbow reference)(3 points for triple 'R' combo)

introduction

Courtesy of the Art of Manliness website

Here's something a guy said, "Language is the most salient model of Heraclitean flux. It alters at every moment in perceived time. The sum of linguistic events is not only increased but qualified by each new event. If they occur in temporal sequence, no two statements are perfectly identical. When we think about language, the object of our reflection alters in the process. In short: so far as we experience and 'realize' them in linear progression, time and language are intimately related: they move and the arrow is never in the same place." (George Steiner, After Babel)

Language is a transient kind of creature. Her words, despite all they say, don't really 'get a say' in how they are used. They can be misused over long periods of time and their definition is altered. They can be used too narrowly or too generally and create ambiguity. In some cases, words have even been inverted to the exact opposite of the original meaning. It is literally a pain in the butt (wink).

And so it is my intent to help redeem a few words. Associated with religion, Christianity in particular, are a host of words that range from being slightly offset to completely displaced in our modern usage. So the words I will address in this blog are those found in the religious records subscribed to by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. These scriptures include: The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.

Some words will make for better candidates than other words for this blog. I have a growing list of words that seem to speak to me. They usually carry with them a lot of doctrinal weight. I probably won't be addressing any words merely to satisfy curiosity. If it seems like it would further my understanding of the Lord's will for his children, then it makes a good candidate. I welcome suggestions for future posts. If I don't like your suggestion, I'll politely tell you it's a dumb suggestion. And then you can call me dumb. It'll be fun.

I don't think I'll be able to give an exhaustive account of each word I choose. At best it will be a superficial study of it's origin, context, and implications. I'm not an accomplished scriptorian.  I'm not a scholar by any means. I'm actually pretty stupid. Once, a Brazilian man told me that I didn't look very intelligent. But he followed it up by saying that I looked useful! I studied Linguistics in college and dabbled in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Arabic.  I only confess this to illustrate my love for language and its history. I don't speak or write these languages with any worthy amount of competency. 

To conclude this introduction, I feel that the world we live in is in disarray and backwardness. Many recent events are causing me to consider that this planet is about to experience some devastating changes. I don't know if any kind of material preparation is going to matter much when it all goes down. I am, however, convinced that the scriptures and prophets have warned us to prepare spiritually. I don't want to be caught with my loins down when things start to happen. It's time to gird 'em up!