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Graylight · 51-55, F
Amun is one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt, but is not related to the word “amen.”
“The word ‘amen’ used in Christian and Jewish prayer is of Hebrew origin, not Egyptian,” Andrew McGowan, dean of Yale University’s Berkeley Divinity School, told AFP by email.
McGowan said the similarity of the sound of “Amun” and “amen” is a coincidence.
“There is no connection with the personal name Amun or Amen, originally the name of a local Theban deity who later becomes identified with the sun god Ra.”
Jan Ziolkowski, a professor of Medieval Latin in the Department of the Classics at Harvard University, agreed about the origin of “amen.”
He said by email: “Amen entered Western languages from Church Latin, which took it from Greek, which in turn derived it from Hebrew. In Hebrew, it is a noun that means certainty or verity, related to a verb meaning to confirm.”
He explained that “the word is found in the Hebrew Bible to mark the end of prayers or professions of faith.”
And Paul Duff, a religion professor at The George Washington University, also said via email that he was “extremely skeptical” of the claim and that he had “never heard anything about (amen) being connected to Amun Ra.”
https://factcheck.afp.com/amen-hebrew-not-egyptian-origin
“The word ‘amen’ used in Christian and Jewish prayer is of Hebrew origin, not Egyptian,” Andrew McGowan, dean of Yale University’s Berkeley Divinity School, told AFP by email.
McGowan said the similarity of the sound of “Amun” and “amen” is a coincidence.
“There is no connection with the personal name Amun or Amen, originally the name of a local Theban deity who later becomes identified with the sun god Ra.”
Jan Ziolkowski, a professor of Medieval Latin in the Department of the Classics at Harvard University, agreed about the origin of “amen.”
He said by email: “Amen entered Western languages from Church Latin, which took it from Greek, which in turn derived it from Hebrew. In Hebrew, it is a noun that means certainty or verity, related to a verb meaning to confirm.”
He explained that “the word is found in the Hebrew Bible to mark the end of prayers or professions of faith.”
And Paul Duff, a religion professor at The George Washington University, also said via email that he was “extremely skeptical” of the claim and that he had “never heard anything about (amen) being connected to Amun Ra.”
https://factcheck.afp.com/amen-hebrew-not-egyptian-origin
