The word "hallelujah" came to contemporaries from the Aramaic language. It, like the word "amen," has not been translated verbatim, but everyone knows its meaning. Hallelujah means praise God.
The origin of the word "hallelujah"
Many people pronounce the word "hallelujah" and do not think about its meaning and origin. This is what people usually say when they manage to solve a problem, overcome difficulties or avoid danger. Hallelujah is pronounced not only by believers, but also by those who are far from religion, but the expression has a religious origin.
The word comes from the Aramaic language. According to the Jewish interpretation, it consists of two parts: "Hallelujah" and "I". The first part translates literally as "praise", and the second is an abbreviation of the word "Yahweh", which translates as "God". Hallelujah thus means praise God. Some interpret this term as "thank God", "great is our God." The word can have several meanings, but their meaning is the same and it consists in gratitude to God, recognition of his greatness.
In the Hebrew Bible, the word occurs 24 times and 23 times in the book of Psalms. Hallelujah occurs only 4 times in the New Testament portion of the Bible.
When the word is used
Hallelujah is used by both Christians and Catholics. This proves once again that these religions have a common root - Jewish. People who belong to the Catholic religion say and sing "Hallelujah" in the following cases:
- before reading the Gospel;
- while singing psalms;
- after mass.
There are no strict restrictions on the use of the word. It can be pronounced freely when you want, but in the above cases, it must be used. Hallelujah is not only sung in funeral services.
In Orthodoxy, the word is used during:
- Divine Liturgy (when performing the Small Entrance or the Entrance with the Gospel - the passage of the priest or deacon through the side door into the gates of the altar during the service);
- communion of the clergy (a cinematic is performed, which ends with a threefold glorification of God);
- communion of parishioners (prayer of thanksgiving always ends with three glorification of the Lord);
- weddings;
- baptism.
At the end of the reading of the psalms, they also say "hallelujah". On non-holiday days of the central fast in the morning services, "hallelujah" replaces some other words.
During the funeral service, the word is not used in prayers in all churches. Previously it was believed that "hallelujah" is a call to the clergy to speak back. It was pronounced in the imperative plural mood. Singing this word, the priests called upon the parishioners not only to pray, but also to praise God. Hallelujah meant Praise the Lord! Now this is not only an appeal, and an independent exclamation.
For Orthodox divine services, the pronouncement of "hallelujah" is characteristic three times. This symbolizes the worship of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Orthodoxy, there is an unspoken prohibition on pronouncing a word in ordinary life. Many clergy consider this unacceptable. When a person says "Hallelujah" himself or hears it, he seems to be touching God, to the highest values. Expression distinguishes between the earthly and the divine. If you pronounce it in the bustle, in between times, it is wrong. In this case, there is some disrespect for God and a devaluation of prayers. Moreover, you cannot pronounce a word in anger, in a bad mood, and when not very good wishes for another person come true. This behavior is a great sin.
If a person says "Hallelujah" not in prayer, but as an independent exclamation, but at the same time puts a special meaning in the word, sincerely wants to thank the Lord for everything that happens to him, what he managed to achieve or avoid, in such a free expression of love for There is nothing unnatural to God.
In Islam, the word "hallelujah" is not used. Instead, believers use the phrase "La ilaha illaAllah." This translates as "there is no God but Allah."
Church schism associated with the use of the word
The word "hallelujah" has caused serious controversy among the representatives of the Orthodox Church. Many even believe that it led to a split, which divided the believers into 2 camps. Of course, the division was based not only on this factor, but the contradictions turned out to be significant.
Until the 15th century, the word "hallelujah" was sung and did not think about what it meant. Some people, not very close to the church, even believed that it should be pronounced in order for church prayers to be more resonant.
One day the metropolitan received a deed from the cathedral. The crux of the matter was how many times Hallelujah should be sung and whether it should be done. It was customary to say it 3 times during prayer, but some believers believed that once is enough.
Euphrosynus of Pskov went to Constantinople in order to understand this moment. Upon arrival, he said that he had received an answer from the Most Holy Theotokos. In her prayers, she told him that you can sing "Hallelujah" only once. Some time later, the word began to be used 2 times, and then 3 times. In all Greek temples, it was the triple (triple) "Hallelujah" that was sung.
Patriarch Nikon did not oppose this custom and accepted it. But in 1656 the Old Believers appeared. They disagreed with the fact that the word should be used in prayer 3 times. They also questioned the triple baptism.
Thus, the number of uses of the word "hallelujah" led to a serious clash between theologians. The Great Moscow Council was convened to resolve this issue. And after that, the final ban on the severe pronunciation of "Hallelujah" was introduced. At present, in all Orthodox churches, praise to God is used in prayers 3 times. The only exceptions are Old Believer churches. The Old Believers did not accept this rule and still use "Hallelujah" 2 times during services.
Hallelujah of love
More than 30 years ago, a song appeared that can be called a real hymn for all lovers. The work was named "Hallelujah of Love". It was written for the opera Juno and Avos. The song received recognition from the audience and is still considered one of the most beautiful pieces in music.
In those days, religion and everything related to a religious topic was prohibited. The opera tells the story of the love of a Russian nobleman and the commandant's daughter. Their relationship can be called ideal, but the lovers had to go through a lot in order not to lose their love. The name of the song was not chosen by chance. Its meaning is that true love is always under the protection of God. This is how the popular song helped many people to draw closer to God, become interested in a religious topic, and even feel under divine protection. The piece of music also sharpened interest in this word, which was rarely used at that time.
Juno and Avos is not the only piece of music in which God is glorified. Singer Leonard Cohen performed the song "Hallelujah" in 1984. She was a great success. In 1988, he recorded the second version of the work, intended for a wider audience. The text of the original song featured biblical characters, and the second version turned out to be more "secular", more modern arrangements were used in the recording. The Canadian performer explained this by the fact that his goal was to attract the attention of younger listeners to the religious topic and the piece of music itself.
