Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’re going to look
at a controversial theory, one that centers on Aten, the Egyptian god who personified the
solar disc, and on Akhenaten, an 18th dynasty pharaoh who ruled in the 14th century BCE.
This theory presents Akhenaten as the founder of Monotheism and, thus, as potentially a profound
influence on nascent Judaism, which, according to the Old Testament, burgeoned around the same time.
Though Judaism is a relatively small religion today (there are only about 14 million devotees),
both Christianity and Islam, which combine for about four billion devotees world wide,
are derived from it, so if Judaism was influenced by ancient Egyptian monotheism,
it would mean that the group of religions that account for more
than half of the modern world’s religious population was also influenced by it.
First, we’re going to look at the abrupt transition from polytheism to monotheism,
at what this new religion entailed, meaning who was worshiped and how,
and at how it proved short-lived after the empire reverted back to its polytheistic roots,
once again embracing a multitudinous framework of the divine. Second,
we’re going to dive into how an ancient form of Egyptian monotheism, as posited by some scholars,
might have influenced early Judaism and, by extension, all of the Abrahamic religions,
meaning also Christianity and Islam. Perhaps the most extreme theory in this area of study
is the one posited by Freud. It paints Moses as an Egyptian priest
who exported Egyptian monotheism, thereby using it as the foundation from which Judaism was built.
Let’s get into it.
Amenhotep, who reigned from 1353 - 1336 BCE was one of the 14th century pharaohs
of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Under this name he ruled for fives years,
but after that time, he would usher in sweeping changes, both radical and unprecedented,
to the religious landscape of the empire, which, hitherto, was polytheistic,
worshiping a pantheon comprising hundreds of Gods, with Amun-Ra as the most popular creator God.
Almost overnight the old gods were replaced by Aten, and Amenhotop changed his name to Akhenaten,
which is thought to mean something like “one effective on behalf of Aten”.
By abolishing the previous polytheistic infrastructure with the mandated worship
of a single god, Akhenaten established the first ever monotheistic state religion,
and according to many, introduced monotheism itself to the world. Exclusive worship of Aten
lasted for the remaining 12 years of Akhenaten’s rule, during which time he earned the infamous
moniker, the ‘heretic king’. These years are known as the Amarna period because he moved the location
of the capital city, which was traditionally located in Thebes. He had a new city built,
also naming it Akhetaten, but ultimately it would become eponymously known as Amarna,
the namesake for one of the most discussed and debated periods in Ancient Egyptian history.
Aten was an old god, and he was worshiped as the solar disk from at least the beginning
of the New Kingdom. Originally, and in the beginning years of Akhenaten’s rule,
Aten was linked with several other aspects of the creator sun god. Later, these other
aspects were eliminated, and Aten, as propped up by Akhenaten, became the sole point of worship.
He became “the light that comes from the solar disk”, and he became depicted as a
solar disk emanating rays of light tipped with hands holding the symbol of life, the ankh,
which is similar in appearance to the cross. Also, there was a Uraeus, which is a cobra head,
protruding in the bottom center. Now Aten was the god of light, maker and master of the world, which
existed and continued to exist through his power and benevolence. Unlike the cosmogonies of other
polytheistic religions, either contemporary to this time or bygone, there wasn’t some complex and
elaborate story involving multiple generations of gods that explained how the universe was created:
it was simply said that “he made everything according to his heart”. This was described as
a continuous, cyclical process in which creation was renewed by the rising sun each morning.
Because of how simplistic the religion built around this monotheistic version of Aten was,
much was left unexplained when what was elucidated through preexisting myths wasn’t carried over.
Core, abstract concepts like evil and suffering weren’t accounted for,
and the afterlife ceased to exist. Supposedly, as reckoned by the teachings of Atenism,
what awaited those who died was eternal service dedicated to Aten in his temples.
One theory suggests that Akhetaten replaced the other gods with a single
point of worship to subdue the priesthood, which, at that time, centered on Amun-Ra
and was almost equal to the throne in terms of wealth and influence,
though there is a simpler and less cynical possibility: that he experienced a religious
revelation and genuinely believed his actions were for the good of all Egypt
Temples were closed, ceremonies banned, daily practices prevented, even paintings and engravings
were expunged, covered with fresh art and writing or entirely effaced with hammer and chisel. Amun
was the main target, but every god was affected. Huge new temples were built, open to the sky
so that the light of Aten shone down on those who honoured him. Priests with forewarning were able
to hide statues and scripture from soldiers, so there wasn’t total obliteration. New priests were
empowered, and the priests of Aman were compelled to serve the new religious hegemony that had risen
and dominated so quickly. Despite this, though, it was purported that Aten was only directly
connected to and only directly blessed the royal family. And direct communication with Aten was
even more exclusive. Akhenaten made himself the earthly incarnation of Aten, a god in the flesh,
so he was the only person who could speak with him. Everyone else was tertiary, receiving life
from Akhenaten and his principal queen, Nefertiti, through complete and unquestioned loyalty
Ultimately, Atenism lasted only as long as Akhenaten’s rule. After he died, everything
more or less went back to the way it was before. Akhenaten became infamous, rather than famous,
and those who came after him castigated him and condemned his legacy by declaring him a heretic.
The pharaohs who followed denounced everything about the monotheism of Akhenaten’s reign,
razing temples, destroying monuments, and scouring his memory from history’s great tapestry.
This was done to such an extent that Akhenaten was utterly forgotten until evidence of him was found
when Amarna, the capital city he established that was subsequently abandoned after his death,
was discovered in the 19th century CE.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of Atenism, we can look at some
of the theories that connect the tumult and turbulence of this relatively ephemeral period
to the group of Abrahamic religions as a whole.
Atenism is the first monotheistic religion for which there is historical and archeological
evidence. Because of this, and because of the proximity of Egypt and Israel - if you didn’t
know, they’re literally right next to each other - this has led some scholars to believe that Atenism
had some degree of influence, ranging from minor to profound, on the emergence of early Judaism,
mainly in its adherence to a single supreme deity, but in other ways as well.
One of the most interesting theories in this arena is the Egyptian priest theory posited by Freud.
It begins with Amenophis, a figure identified with Amenhotep III, who desired to witness
the gods with his own waking eyes. After consulting an oracle, he was told that his
dream could only be realised if all the lepers of Egypt were banished. He does as instructed,
so the Lepers are banished to the city of Avaris, where Osarsiph, a priest, rises up,
leads the lepers, rebels against the pharaoh, and invites the Hyksos, a Semitic people, into Egypt.
What was just described is based on the work of Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian who lived
in the 1st century CE, which, in turn, was based on the account of Manetho, an Egyptian priest,
something that has been lost to history. This story was also described by Tacitus,
a Roman historian. In his version, the exiled Lepers languish in the desert, listless and
leaderless, until one of their number, Moses, galvanizes and shepherds them to a new land.
Moses then teaches this mass of refugees a new mode of religion, monotheism.
Some, such as Freud, have linked this alternative telling of Moses’ story
to the events that transpired during the rule of Akhenaten, namely the rise of Monotheism through
the preeminence of Atenism, which centered on the worship of Aten as the single supreme god.
Freud delineates what he believes to be the most logical explanation. He explains that
Moses is an Egyptian name and that it’s more likely Moses was Egyptian, not a son of Hebrew
descent who found his way into the royal palace. He goes on to say that If Moses was Egyptian,
then it was a fragment of Atenism, not the seed of Judaism, that he disseminated to his followers.
In this version, Moses is eventually murdered by his followers, pervading them with a collective
guilt that would come to shape many aspects of Judaism and, thus, Islam and Christianity.
One piece of evidence that potentially corroborates Atenism as having influenced
early Judaism are the parallelisms between a Hymn to Aten and Psalm 104. I’ll include both
in the description so that, if you want, you can examine them line-by-line and judge for yourself.
Some say that the degree of similarity rules out coincidence as a possibility,
others that it’s nothing more than a product of cultural similarities
engendered by hundreds of years of existing as neighbors.
And that’s it for this video! If you enjoy the content please
LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to the channel
As always, leave your video suggestions down below