"Amen": the meaning of the word, the importance of the concept

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In the Orthodox Church, it is customary to serve in Church Slavonic, which is similar to Russian only upon careful study. The sound of the language in which they serve in the temple is very different from the usual Russian ear.

But in fact, there are not so many differences. It is enough to learn the translation of just a few words and the service will become much clearer. For example, the word "amen", the meaning of which is unclear, in translation from ancient Greek means "truly". Many prayers and hymns end with this word. The person, as it were, certifies that he fully agrees with what he has just said, he is sure of this.

Coming to any service, the worshiper will most often see not a priest, but a deacon. It is precisely the deacon who comes out of the altar most often and cries out: “Packy, again, let us pray to the Lord in peace …”. Of the whole call, only “let us pray to the Lord” is clear, but in fact everything is not at all difficult: “packs” - again, and the word “peace” is known to the majority. It means a society of people, that is, "the whole world", means "all together."

Orthodox prayers will not present any difficulty if they are translated and comprehended, concludedthe word "amen". The meaning of prayer can be understood by almost everyone in a few minutes, but it seems that the main problem of modern man is different. An Orthodox person strives for humility and comprehension of the inner movements of his soul. The shortest and most common prayer in Orthodoxy is: “Lord, have mercy! Amen!”, the meaning of this short prayer in theory is clear to everyone. The word "have mercy" suggests inexcusable guilt on the part of the supplicant and mercy on the part of the master. It is not so difficult for a person of the 21st century with his pride to understand such words as “stomach” (life) or “amen”, the meaning of basic prayers, as to realize what he has done wrong before God.

How to find out what sin is? Sin is the violation of the will of God, and the will of God is reflected in the commandments. This concept has nothing to do with the concept of "justice", and even more so "tolerance". The commandments were given in the Old Testament, before the birth of Christ. After Christ came into the world, believers should love each other, act even better than the righteous of the Old Testament. In fact, now even believers cannot say that they keep all 10 commandments of the Old Testament.

Being strict with yourself, loving others, striving to please God are the hallmarks of a true Christian.

But to achieve all this on your own is not possible. Christians have too strict requirements for themselves, the flesh is too weak. That is why people turn to God: “Have mercy! Amen! The meaning of this prayer is in asking for help in the matter of spiritual organization. Himselfwithout the help of God, do not cope.

The meaning of the word "amen" is slightly different in different languages. According to some assumptions, "amen" is an acrostic for the phrase "God is the faithful King", and the one who pronounces this phrase, thereby confesses the true God.

What does the word "amen" mean in ancient Russian texts of historical content? This is again a confirmation that the above is true.

Currently, discussions are underway on the use of the Russian language in worship and when reading the Holy Scriptures in the temple.

It is unlikely that such a transition is reasonable, and it will not lead a crowd of Orthodox people to the temple. The one who wants to understand will understand and learn, and the one who is indifferent to all this will not engage in spiritual life, no matter what language prayers are read.