8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
1/45
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
2/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismIntroduction: The History of Monotheism
Eastern societies embrace monotheism
more broadly, more strictly and earlierthan their Western counterparts
e.g. Egypt and Judea
Islam is the strictest form of monotheism yet
cf. pants
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
3/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismIntroduction: The History of Monotheism
most important to historians, the Hebrew
religion is not the earliest form ofmonotheism attested in the historicalrecord
moreover, Hebrew monotheism developedslowly over time, as well see in Section 11
that is, long before Hebrew records confirmthe growth of a monotheistic religion inCanaan, the Egyptians experimented with a
novel form of single-deity worship
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
4/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismIntroduction: The History of Monotheism
during the reign of the mysterious
pharaohAkhenaten the big question then is:
Did Akhenatens religioninfluence or somehowaffect the growth of
monotheism among theancient Hebrews?
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
5/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhenaten
Akhenaten was bornAmunhotep (IV)
ruled Egypt: ca. 1352-1338 BCE died in middle age, of unknown causes
theAmarna Period
at El-Amarna
in Akhenatens
day this city-sitewas calledAkhetaten
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
6/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhenaten
Overview of Pharaohs (Amarna Period)
Akhenaten (1352-1338 BCE) Smenkhare (1338-1336
BCE): virtually unknown
Tutankhuaten, laterTutankhamun (1336-1327
BCE): famous tomb Ay (1327-1323 BCE): ageduncle put on the throne in
the absence of otherlegitimate adult male heirs
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
7/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhenaten
after Ay, the next pharaoh
was Horemheb (1323-1295BCE)
a general not related by
blood to the royal line ofAhmose
the end of the 18th Dynasty
thus, Ay was a transitionalfigure leading the way for
the next dynasty, theRamessids (19th Dynasty)
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhenaten
the most important ruler
of the 19th
Dynasty wasRamses II
during this period, El-Amarna was abandonedand later destroyed
official purge of thememory of Akhenaten
its hard even to find hintsof Akhenatens religion inlater Egyptian culture
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
9/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhenaten
yet we do know about Akhenaten!
in fact, we know more about himand his reign than most Egyptiansdid fifty years after his life
indeed theres more survivingevidence from Akhenatens regimethan the later part of Ramses IIs reign
because of the Ramessidsdestruction ofAmarna culture
ironically, the destruction of Amarna
culture preserved it, cf. Pompeii
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
10/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhetaten
Akhetaten: Akhenatens new capital
a large city builtvery quickly
out oftalatat
over 45,000 found
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
11/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhetaten
but while buildings with small blocks go
up fast, they also come down fast many found inRamses IIs 9th
Pylon (Thebes)
led to excellent
preservation oftalatat, including
remnants of theoriginal paint
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
12/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismAkhetaten
Akhetaten is located in a remote part of
Egypt, in a place where there was noprevious settlement
thus, it was religiously pristine
on the eastern side of the Nile (=sunrise/life) cf. pyramids on the western side (= sunset/death)
Akhetaten: Horizon of the Sun-disk (aten)cf. Akhet-Khufu (Great Pyramid)
a deliberate reinterpretation/recollectionof Old Kingdom solar religion?
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
13/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Early Part of Akhenatens Reign (1352-1348 BCE)
early in Akhenatens life, there are a few
indications of the revolution to come his fatherAmunhotep III died in 1352
Akh. was still calledAmunhotep (IV)
not the eldest son of
Amunhotep III thus, not groomed
for the throne
did he feel rejectedand second-rate?
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
14/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Early Part of Akhenatens Reign (1352-1348 BCE)
artwork is our primary
evidence for theAmarna period
very few written
records
recovered history
based on theinterpretation ofchanges in the art
which is preserved
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
15/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Early Part of Akhenatens Reign (1352-1348 BCE)
central to that is the
evolution of royalportraiture
cf. propaganda in
modern China
a nice side benefit of
Amarna culture is thatthis history has notbeen tampered with
and its beautiful too!
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
16/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Early Part of Akhenatens Reign (1352-1348 BCE)
first sign of things to come: as a new king,
Akhenaten assumed the title Prophet ofRa-Horakhte (Ra of the Horizon) n.b. noAmun, the
principal god of Egypt inthe day
worshipped at Thebes
is this the beginning of arift between Akhenaten
and theAmunPriesthood?
Thebes
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
17/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Later Part of Akhenatens Reign (1348-1338 BCE)
by 1348 BCE, the revolution had begun
sometime between 1352 and 1348, hechanged his name from Amunhotep toAkhenaten
Akhenaten: Agreeable to the Sun-Disk(aten)
is this a declaration of open warfare withthe Amun Priesthood in Thebes?
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
18/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Later Part of Akhenatens Reign (1348-1338 BCE)
by now the city of Akhetaten was being
built also around this time, Akhenaten startedshutting down Amun temples across
Egypt and scratching out Amuns name on
inscriptions! and changing the word gods to god!!
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
19/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Later Part of Akhenatens Reign (1348-1338 BCE)
why this attack on Amun?
what doesnt Akhenaten like about Amun? Amun is the god of
secrets
his temples areroofed and closed
inaccessible toanyone but thegods priests
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
20/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Later Part of Akhenatens Reign (1348-1338 BCE)
did Akhenaten want to open up theprincipal religion of Egypt to a widercommunity of worshipers? n.b. aten temples have no
roofs, are open to the sun cf. a letter to Akhenaten
from the Assyrian King:
Why are my messengers kept in theopen sun? They will die in the opensun. If it does the king good to stand in
the open sun, then let the king standthere and die in the open sun.
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
21/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
the art of Amarna culture is centered onthe aten as a divine presence
n.b. ankh: the symbol of life force
while the aten looks back tothe Ra cult of the OldKingdom, it also looks forward
most often shown as a circle not as a human or animal
cf. Isis with cow horns or Osiriswith a green face (fertility)
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
22/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
this abstract imagery suggests that theaten is the source of all being and thuscannot be restricted to one animal form
thus, it is presented as a universal circle:
mysterious, without limit or division but are the little hands on the
end of the atens beams aconcession to popular taste?
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
23/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
both abstract and nameless, the atencannot then be restricted to one gender
nor can Akhenaten himself!
depicted sometimes without
male genitalia and odd in other ways, too
pot-bellied and slouching with thick lips and a big chin
and a pointed head
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
24/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
did Akhenaten have a birth defect?
eunuchoidism? but he has six daughters byhis principal wife Nefertiti
others by secondary wives?
Akhenatens familyfigures large in
Amarna artwork
we can date thedaughters births
and in some cases,their deaths also
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
25/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
scenes of family affection like the onesbelow are highly unusual in Egyptian art
and there are other unconventional images ofNefertiti and her daughters by Akhenaten
e.g. Nefertiti wearing the blue crown of war(!) or the double crown
usually reserved for
pharaohs and kings
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
26/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
Nefertiti and the daughters are alsoshown with pointed heads and potbellies
which is why Nefertiti iswearing the high hat in her
famous bust so, were Nefertiti and the
daughters also deformed?
probably not!
thus, this must not be
naturalistic imagery, but aform of stylized presentation
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
27/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
what does this highly stylized presentationof the royal family(and only them) mean?
are we supposed to see themas not-completely-human,
super-special, solar aliens? are they our conduit to the
favors of the sun?
cf. Akhenatens hymn to the aten:
do we need these ultra-tanETs to make the sun shine?
There is no other who knows you
except your son, Akhenaten
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
28/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
Egyptians were used to seeing royals asdivine, but the only divinities?
its hard to put all the pieces of theAmarna puzzle together and make
historical sense attracts outlandish theories and weirdoes
and as with the Zapruder film of Kennedysassassination, a formal statement by
Akhenaten of what he was trying to do would
probably only complicate matters further
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
29/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Art and Iconography of the Amarna Period
another question: how did Akhenatenmanage to take on the Amun priesthood?
with the support of the army?
but theres no record of
Akhenaten leading militarycampaigns during his reign
and are we to suppose that the
army worked with an effeminate-looking, secluded, family-oriented,pointy-headed sun freak?
only if they had a common foe!
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
30/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
no tomb or funerary relics belonging toAkhenaten have ever been found
especially in theValley of the Kings
we have located
the tombs of mostNK pharaohs there
was Akhenatenstomb hiddenespecially well and
so has never beenfound? Not likely!
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
31/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
is it possible Akhenaten was not buried?
not likely! his successors were close to him
and non-burial is the most horrific punishmentimaginable to the Egyptians
no hint of assassination either? so what killed Akhenaten?
sunstroke?
mono-theistic-nucleosis?
aten-tion deficit disorder?
and what was the reaction inAkhetaten when the sun still rose?
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
32/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
Akhetaten was not abandonedimmediately upon Akhenatens death
both city and throne were occupied bySmenkhare, his direct heir and successor
Smenkhare is all but a total mystery he only appears in the Amarna records about twoyears before Akhenatens death
marries one of Akhenatens daughters was he a secondary son? (cf. Tuthmosis II)
dies after ruling for two years (1338-1336 BCE)
no known burial or funerary relics
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
33/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
an interesting coincidence: Smenkhareappears at about the very time Nefertitidisappears from the Amarna record
traditional theory: Akhenaten
exiled her from Akhetatenwhen she produced no sons
new theory: Smenkhare wasNefertiti!
if Akhenaten knew he was dying
and he had no sons, she wouldbe the most logical successor
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
34/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
Hatshepsuts regime would have justifiedendowing Nefertiti with male attributes
then she married herown daughter
cf. typical royal marriagebetween half-siblings
cf. Hatshepsut again
but no chance here ofproducing a Tuthmosis III
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
35/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
or is this just another crackpot theory likeso many that accrue around Akhenaten?
why didnt Smenkhare farewell as pharaoh?
because as a general rulesupermodels dont makegood kings?
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
36/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
and how did Smenkhare die? was s/heassassinated?
hard not to believe sinces/he had so many natural
enemies: the Amun priesthood?
the army who didnt want a
woman in charge? her own daughter whowanted a real husband?
sounds like an episode ofThe Guiding Aten
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
37/45
Akhenaten and MonotheismThe Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
Smenkhares successor: the boy-king Tut
probably the most famousEgyptian pharaoh today
born Tutankhuaten
but later changed his nameto Tutankhamun
n.b. addition of Amun moved the capital from
Akhetaten back to Thebes
probably explains theopulence of his burial
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
38/45
The Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
also explains the protection afforded histomb in the first century after his death
but later preservation was pure luck
he died of complications following
a broken femur
and left behind no male heir
two fetuses mummified in his tomb
with Tut, the Amarna period ends
as does the 18th Dynasty which hadbegun with Ahmose
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
39/45
The Aftermath of Akhenatens Reign
but the discovery of Tuts tomb in 1922 byHoward Carterrecovered Amarnaculture, at least for the modern world
but for the ancient world, the sun of
Akhenatens monotheism set with Tutand the Ramessids systematic
deconstruction of Akhetaten and thedamnatio memoriae of its pharaohs
or did it?
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
40/45
Conclusion: Akhenaten and Hebrew Monotheism
did Egyptian aten-worship influence thedevelopment ofHebrew monotheism?
this depends on the answers to twocrucial questions
How alike are Hebrew and Egyptianmonotheism?
Can the Hebrews have had contact withAkhenatens religion?
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
41/45
Conclusion: Akhenaten and Hebrew Monotheism
How alike are Hebrew and Egyptianmonotheism?
not very much!
the aten is abstract but limited to the sun-disk
conversely, the Hebrew God is seen to be manifesteverywhere and in all sorts of different ways
e.g. angels, rainbows, floods, frogs, etc.
conversely, the aten acts like a pharaohsurrounded by a court, motivating all thingsand working through chosen favorites
cf. Akhenaten and his family
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
42/45
Conclusion: Akhenaten and Hebrew Monotheism
Can the Hebrews have had contact withAkhenatens religion?
according to the Bible, they actually were inEgypt during this time: the Egyptian Captivity
long before Israel was an organized state, but theidea could have influenced wandering patriarchs
still, there is little evidence that Akhenatens
religion spread much beyond Akhetaten, noteven very far within Egypt
certainly not to Goshen (Pi-Ramesse) controlled
by the Ramessids so opposed to Amarna culture
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
43/45
Conclusion: Akhenaten and Hebrew Monotheism
on the surface, then, it looks highlyunlikely that atenism could have had anyimpact on Hebrew religion
and after all, how hard is it to suppose that
there is only one god? it may be a revolutionary concept but its not
a very complicated idea at heart
but then compare Akhenatens Hymn tothe Aten and Psalm 104
Psalm 104 Hymn to the Aten
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
44/45
Bless the Lord . . . you who coverest
thyself with light as with agarment . . .
Who layeth the beams of hischambers in the waters; . . .
He causeth the grass to grow for thecattle, and . . . the trees
Where the birds make their nests; asfor the stork, the fir trees are her
house.The high hills are a refuge for the
wild goats; . . .(As) the sunariseth, (the beasts) gather
themselves together . . .There go the ships: there is thatleviathan (whale), whom thouhast made to play therein.
When the land grows bright and you
are risen from the Akhet(horizon) and shining in the sun-disk by day, . . .
All flocks (are) at rest on theirgrasses, trees and grassesflourishing;
Birds flown from their nest, theirwings in adoration of your life-force;
All flocks prancing on foot, all thatfly and alight living as you rise forthem;
Ships going downstream andupstream too, every road open at
your appearance;Fish on the river leaping to your
face, your rays even inside thesea.
Akhenaten and Monotheism
8/22/2019 Akhenaten and Monotheism
45/45
Conclusion: Akhenaten and Hebrew Monotheism
the likeness is not exact but theresemblance is astounding!
how did this happen? what channel ofcultural exchange enabled this?
Does this give us license to reconstruct aroad between Akhetaten and Jerusalem?
and if we do, what are we writing: history ora historical novel?
thats the danger of studying Akhenaten:
going too far, like he did!