In order to answer the research question the following discussion begins. He ruled for 17 years during the 18th dynasty and came to be known by some fascinating names, including great heretic, the heretic pharaoh, and rebel pharaoh. Perhaps akhenaten wished to open up egyptian religion to a wider clientele, not just the clergy, and so he constructed a capital which was the antithesis of amun worship, exposed as much as possible to the full light of day, as the buildings of akhetaten are. During his reign, the pharaoh akhenaten was able to abolish the complex pantheon of the ancient egyptian religion and replace it with a single god, aten, who had no image or form. Aldred has speculated that monotheism was akhenaten s own idea, the result of regarding aten as a selfcreated heavenly king whose son, the pharaoh, was also unique. Before much of the archaeological evidence from thebes and from tell elamarna became available, wishful thinking sometimes turned. Called the religious revolutionary, he is the earliest known creator of a new religion. Jun 29, 2017 the effect of these doctrines can be seen in the sun worship of pharaoh akhenaten, who became an uncompromising monotheist. Akhenaten decreed that the only god was the solar god aten, represented as a sun disk, and he eliminated all worship and rituals related to the old gods. To its rest goes all else that moves, but never do the waters cease flowing or the sun rising. Akhenaten and the religion of light, translated by david lorton ithaca. Some historians, including ahmed osman a muslim author, prof. Amenhotep iv changed his name to akhenaten and defied tradition by establishing a new religion that believed that there is but one god.
Akhenatens new religion tore the people of egypt between their loyalty to the pharaoh and their desire to. Hornungs focus is on what can be known, rather than the mysteries, questions and fringe theories. Moses and akhenaten one and the same person by ahmed. This can be illustrated by the case of the pharaoh akhenaten 5236 b. Request pdf on jul 1, 2001, susan tower hollis and others published akhenaten and the religion of light find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Publication date 1999 topics akhenaton, king of egypt, sun worship egypt, egypt religion publisher.
Moses and akhenaten one and the same person by ahmed osman. Click download or read online button to thereligion book pdf for. Called the religious revolutionary, he is the earliest known creator of. Among the ancient ruins in amarna, egypt, lies a giant statue of akhenaten. He is also known as akhenaton or ikhnaton and also khuenaten, all of which are translated to mean successful for or of great use to the god aten. Monotheism appears not through amalgamation and syncretism but rather through the annihilation of other gods. Jul 01, 2001 the religion that akhenaten developed following this beginning elaborated the role of the sun as light.
Akhenaten was a pharaoh of ancient egypt and the founder of the city of aten akhetaten amarna, dedicated to the one god referred to as aten. Wilkinson, the complete gods and goddesses of ancient egypt, 2003. Oct 30, 20 akhenaten is credited by historians as establishing the monotheistic religion called atenism which worships god which is symbolized by the aten. Akhenaten s reign is one of the most celebrated and intriguing time periods in ancient egyptian history. The son of akhenaten s daughter, known further as the son or moses, decided to flee egypt. Akhenaten and the religion of light book, 2001 worldcat. Akhenaten raised the aten to the position of sole god, represented as a disk with rays of light terminating in hands which reach out to the royal family, sometimes offering the hieroglyphic sign.
The aten continued to be represented as an anthropomorphic, falconheaded deity in these initial depictions. A natural leader, he decides not to flee alone, but to create a new nation, become it leader, and install the religion of aton with it. Aug 30, 20 akhenaten was a pharaoh of egypt who reigned over the country for about 17 years between roughly 53 b. The war brought egypt shadows of gloom and grief line 12, 38, darkness and death. Judaism is the 1st organized monotheistic religion, and its becoming one is associated with the exodus from egypt. He is known for trying to create a monotheistic worship of the egyptian sun god, aten and destroying the temples of amun. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Its a fitting scene for this ancient pharaoh, who ruled the kingdom between 52 and 36 b.
Egypt cult of the sun god and akhenatens monotheism. Akhenaten was most wellknown for his rejection of the highly polytheistic religion and culture of egypt, and introducing monotheistic worship of a single god. Internet accessrestricteditem true addeddate 20140324 17. Feb 17, 2011 akhenaten raised the aten to the position of sole god, represented as a disk with rays of light terminating in hands which reach out to the royal family, sometimes offering the hieroglyphic sign. Even in akhenaten s religion, whether it was fully monotheistic or not, aten was identified closely with the sun. Seizing on the striking similarities between the religious vision of this heretic pharaoh and the teachings of moses, sigmund freud was the first to argue.
Akhenatens new religion tore the people of egypt between their loyalty to the pharaoh and their desire to be faithful to their ancestors religion of. The cult he founded broke with egypts traditional polytheism and focused its worship on a single deity, the sun god aten. There were some claims, for example in the 1st 2 chapters of moses and monotheism by freud, that early judaism was basically a spinoff of akhenatens religion. Akhenatens new program involved the worship of one god the sundisc, aten. Akhenaten and the religion of light university of toronto. Akhenaten and the religion of light susan tower hollis. Akhenaten and the religion of light internet archive. Akhenaten simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Akhenatens reign is one of the most celebrated and intriguing time periods in ancient egyptian history. Journal of the american medical association 303, 7. Download pdf thereligion free online new books in politics. Erik hornung, one of the worlds preeminent egyptologists. The effect of these doctrines can be seen in the sun worship of pharaoh akhenaten, who became an uncompromising monotheist. Request pdf on jul 1, 2001, susan tower hollis and others published akhenaten and the religion of light find, read and cite all the research you need on.
Akhenaten amenhotep iv the encyclopedia of ancient. The followers of akhenaten s religion are persecuted after akhenaten s death. Apr 26, 2018 akhenaten was most wellknown for his rejection of the highly polytheistic religion and culture of egypt, and introducing monotheistic worship of a single god. Akhenaten first known as amenhotep iv was a pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of egypt. Click download or read online button to get akhenaten book now.
Erik hornung akhenaten, also known as amenhotep iv, was king of egypt during the eighteenth dynasty and reigned from 75 to 58 b. The religion that akhenaten developed following this beginning elaborated the role of the sun as light. Akhenaten is one of egypts most wellknown pharaohs. Akhenatens exclusive worship of the sun god aton led early egyptologists to claim that he created the worlds first monotheistic religion. During his reign, the pharaoh akhenaten was able to abolish the complex pantheon of the ancient egyptian religion and replace it with a single god, the aten, who had no image or form. In the manichaean religion, akhenaten is viewed as one of the divine messengers, one of the pharaohs of light. Akhenaten and the religion of light by erik hornung goodreads. Pdf on oct 16, 20, riana rabie and others published the revolution of atenism. Akhenaten is the father of tutenkhaten and the husband of nefertiti. In pagan religion, the gods and goddesses were identified with forces in nature. Hornungs focus is on what can be known, rather than the mysteries, questions and fringe. With the exception to the royal family of light out of the desert.
Read download moses and akhenaten pdf pdf download. It was the first known attempt at monotheism in the world. This short and eminently readable translation of erik hornungs 1995 volume, echnaton. Akhenaten aka akhenaton is one of ancient egypts most controversial and notable pharaohs. Yar an independent author and others, have identified akhenaten as moses of the hebrew bible. Biblical religion involves a different conception of what this one god is.
It was represented by the sun disk, the aten, whose elaborate name was enclosed in cartouches beginning early in the kings reign. Akhenaten and the religion of light request pdf researchgate. Akhenaten and the religion of light by hornung, erik. Seizing on the striking similarities between the religious vision. This work offers a concise account of akhenaten and his religion of light. These constituted a restructuring of egyptian life in religion, art, language, literature. The later, more restricted form of the atens twin royal cartouches akhenatens new religion, which inaugurated theocracy and systematic monotheism, manifest itself with two central themes surrounding light and the king. In the general care for naturalism, which guides the new religion, akhenaten orders that, from now on, all religious texts shall be written in the current language that we call neoegyptian. Aldred has speculated that monotheism was akhenatens own idea, the result of regarding aten as a selfcreated heavenly king whose son, the. A religious reformer he made the aten, the sun disc, the center of egypt. However, modern scholarship notes that akhenatens cult drew from aspects of other godsparticularly reharakhte, shu, and maatin its imagining and worship of aton.
Perhaps because it was originally a lecture, it is light on original scholarship and long on a restating of previous work by other scholars. Akhenaten and the religion of light by erik hornung book resume. Akhenaten is credited by historians as establishing the monotheistic religion called atenism which worships god which is. Lise manniche, the akhenaten colossi of karnak, 2010. Even in akhenatens religion, whether it was fully monotheistic. Manichaeans believe that akhenaten was none other than moses and that tutenkhaten was a manifestation of jesus yisho of ancient times. Akhenaten and the religion of light erik hornung haftad. Akhenaten and the religion of light by erik hornung. Thereligion download thereligion ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. The hymns were probably liturgical texts designed to be recited or chanted during venerations in the temples of the capital. Hornung also addresses such topics as the origins of the new religion. Akhenatens religion of light reflect in amarna art. Akhenaten made light the absolute reference point, hornung writes, and it is astonishing how clearly and consistently he pursued this concept. This is an ironic consequence given that akhenatens religion focused on light and life.