"Ahhhhhhmen"

How should a preacher pronounce "Amen?" A short, brisk "aymen" or a long "ah-men?" Few laymen care, but Rev. Alfred Merrill Eells of Esperance, N. Y. came out flatly last week against what he called "ahhhhhhmen." In The Presbyterian he declared that it is an imitation, taken by the Methodists from the Episcopalians who took it from the Roman Catholics. Wrote Presbyterian Eells: "It gives the impression of affectation. ........It is contrary to devotional custom. . . . It is ant-Scriptural. . . . Christ never used it, the Apostles never used it, and the New Testament Church never used it, . . . God has abundantly answered the Biblical method of prayer. Is there any evidence that He prefers the recent innovation?" The Oxford and Webster dictionaries give preference to "ay-men," Webster stipulating that when sung it should be "ah." Stemming from the Hebrew through Greek, Latin, French and Old English, "amen" means "truly" or "verily"; "Be it so really!"; "It is so in truth"; "finis." Europeans and Russians all use the same word. Its liturgical use by congregations began in apostolic times. Jews and Mohammedans say amen. In Revelations it is used as a title of Christ, meaning "the faithful and true witness." Christ said it to affirm His utterances and no others. As to how He and His followers pronounced amen, the weight of modern scholarly opinion favors "ah-men"--the Aramaic.

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