The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (169 page)

(Heb., ‘So be it’). An individual or congregational endorsement of a
prayer
or
blessing
. In Islam, the form is
m
n, spoken as a form of inclusion and assent to the words of prayer.

 
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Ame no Koyane
.

One of four
kamis
of the Kasuga shrine in
Nara
. Ame no Koyane cooperated with
Amaterasu
and
Hachiman
to establish and then endorse the Japanese imperial system.

 
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American Jewish Committee
.

Oldest Jewish defence organization, founded in 1906. It was formed in response to the extensive Russian
pogroms
of the time, and it lobbied for a liberal US immigration policy. From this committee grew the American Jewish Relief Committee and other philanthropic organizations, and it has sponsored numerous publications including
The American Jewish Yearbook
.

 
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Amesa Spentas
.

The ‘Bounteous’ (or Holy) Immortals in Zoroastrianism.
Zoroaster
mentions a number of heavenly forces, the creations of, and therefore subservient to,
Ahura Mazda
, but powers through which Ahura and his worshippers are linked. In the later tradition they form a coherent system of seven beings, although there is some difference about which figures are included in the seven, notably whether Ahura is himself one of the seven or not (in which case the ancient figure of Sraosa becomes one instead). Each of the seven protects one of the seven creations which is represented in major rituals by its symbol. The Amesa Spentas are, therefore, part of theology and liturgy. Apart from Ahura Mazda, and his unique Holy Spirit (Spenta Mainyu) each of these forces represents both an aspect of Ahura and a feature of the good Zoroastrian. The six other than Ahura are:

(i) Vohu Manah, the Good Mind;
(ii) Asa, righteousness or truth;
(iii) Armaiti, spoken of as feminine, represents devotion; she is the personification of faithful obedience, harmony, and worship, and is said to have appeared visibly to Zoroaster;
(iv) Khsathra, the personification of Ahura's might, majesty, dominion, and power;
(v) and
(vi), Haurvatat and Ameretat, two feminine beings, always mentioned together in the texts, representing wholeness, totality, or fullness (often translated as integrity). Haurvatat is the personification of what salvation means to the individual. Ameretat, literally deathlessness, is the other aspect of salvation—immortality

.

 
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(Heb., ‘people of the land’). In biblical Hebrew, the term refers to the general population, particularly that of Palestine, which harassed the returning Jewish
exiles
. In the era of the second
Temple
, the ‘am ha-arez were contrasted with the observant
pharisees
, and in rabbinic times the term was pejorative to indicate those who were not scholarly and well-versed in
Torah
.

 
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