Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten: The World's First Monotheist?

The civilization of Ancient Egypt is one of the most admirable and memorable civilizations in the history of humankind. Born from it come mythologies, movies, books, and a rich tapestry of history; as well as numerous innovations in the fields of culture, religion, science, mathematics, and societal construction. Egypt gave us mummies and the pyramids, the first architect and engineer known to history (named Imhotep), and, perhaps, the seeds of the concept of monotheism.

Akhenaten

Akhenaten was the son of Amenhotep III and his chief Queen, Tiy. He ruled Egypt between the years of 1379 and 1362 BCE, a total of approximately sixteen years. He was also the husband of the historically famed beauty, Nefertiti.

The most prominent thought that comes to the mind of historians when they hear the name Akhenaten is "monotheism." That is, the belief in a single god. Akhenaten is often credited with the invention of this religious form.

During his rule, Akhenaten oppressed the older religious beliefs of Egypt by banning all of their gods and by utterly destroying the covenant the people had held with them. He confiscated temples from the powerful priests that had the might to oppose him and his rule -- looting them and closing them up. He removed all mention of the gods' and goddesses’ names from all monuments and writing he could find; he even removed the word "gods" from the language.

In place of the now banished deities Akhenaten pushed his own god forward -- Aten, the Sun-god or solar disk, whom Ankhenaten claimed was a universal, omnipresent spirit and the sole creator of the universe. After establishing his new religion, sometimes called solar monotheism, Akhenaten changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten, which means "Spirit of Aten."

Shortly after the changing of his name, Akhenaten also moved the capital from Thebes to Akhetaton (which is presently the site of Tall al 'Amârinah). Akhetaton was an entirely new city quickly erected with mud-brick walls, houses, and palaces. And it was from here that Akhenaten apparently planned to impose his monotheistic beliefs on the rest of Egypt.

The First Moses?

Some scholars have speculated on Akhenaten's monotheism inspired Moses and Judaism. Sigmund Frued, in his Moses and Monotheism, is perhaps the most famous scholar to voice an opinion on this matter, arguing that Moses might even have been an Atenist priest.

This is a somewhat controversial theory, however, and not fully accepted by historians or religious scholars.

The Fall of Akhenaten, and the Rejection of Solar Monotheism

The amazing revolution of Akhenaten had an enormous affect on the people of Egyptian society, for better and for worse. It brought many industries' extra means of funds to an end and even bankrupted a few. It removed the once powerful and revered priests from their temples and from their comforts, putting them out onto the streets. It warped the entire covenant the Egyptian people had thought they'd had with their old gods and left them lost, confused, and rather discontent.

On the other hand, however, from this change a new religious literature arose. And -- perhaps more importantly -- an entire revolution in art took place; artists once confined to ritualistic forms of art now turned to a more realistic form of art. Alas, the good would vanish with the bad the moment the old ideologies were back in place, which was almost the instant Akhenaten took his last breath.

Akhenaten died in his 17th year as Pharaoh, and without him his religious movement fell apart. He was suceeded by Tutankhaten (popularly known as "King Tut"), who may have been his son. Tutankhaten changed his name from Tutankhaten, which means "living image of Aten," to Tutankhamun, which means "living image of Amun," and reversed the religious revolution, restoring the old order.

The New English Bible with the Apocrypha, New York, Oxford University Press, 1971.

Who’s Who in the Bible by Joan Comay and Ronald Brownrigg, New York, Bonanza Books, 1980.

World Civilizations by Philip J. Adler; published at Belmont, California by Wadsworth/Thomsan Learning, 2003.

Mar 12, 2009 7:30 PM

Guest :

He was obsessed with his new religious ideology and as a consequence the empire suffered. If he is such a monotheist, why, in his Hymn to Aten, does he see himself as the son of the sun disc, which I might add, was part of the traditional belief system and can be dated back to to Heliopolis in the early Old Kingdom. Weren't his beliefs more of an attack on the priests of Amon in Thebes? Finally, didn't Abraham predate Akenaten? Maybe Akenaten was influenced by the Hebrews that entered Egypt during the Second Intermediate Periods rather than the other way around.

Mar 12, 2009 8:54 PM

Robert Marcell :

An excellent, thoughtful comment. Yes, the empire did suffer under Akhenaten's rule, commercially as noted in the article, and in other ways as well; His religious ideology was imposed upon his people, and never fully embraced by them. The fact that Atenism was so quickly rejected and replaced after Akhenaten's death is the most telling evidence of the population's general dislike for it.

There have been some theories put forward that Akhenaten's adoption of his solar monotheism was politically motivated as well. His portraits and busts seem, to some scholars, to reveal physical deformities, which would have made him ineligible as an heir, and there is speculation that he may have been an illegitimate son to Amenhotep III. It can be proposed that he attempted to overthrow the old order so that the immensely powerful priest caste could not oppose his claim to the throne.

Abraham, if he is a historical figure, would have predated Akhenaten by a few hundred years, by Jewish dating, yes. The controversial theory proposed by some -- Sigmund Freud, Jan Assmann, N. Shupak, and others -- that Moses was inspired by Akhenaten's religion, does not have more than a speculative foundation at this time.