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. Akhenaten and the religion of light erik hornung haftad. Jul 01, 2001 the religion that akhenaten developed following this beginning elaborated the role of the sun as light. 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. Aldred has speculated that monotheism was akhenatens own idea, the result of regarding aten as a selfcreated heavenly king whose son, the. Akhenaten aka akhenaton is one of ancient egypts most controversial and notable pharaohs. Akhenaten, an egyptian, is perhaps the 1st monotheist in history. 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. Click download or read online button to get akhenaten book now. Akhenaten made light the absolute reference point, hornung writes, and it is astonishing how clearly and consistently he pursued this concept. The religion that akhenaten developed following this beginning elaborated the role of the sun as light. With the exception to the royal family of light out of the desert. Akhenaten first known as amenhotep iv was a pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of egypt. In pagan religion, the gods and goddesses were identified with forces in nature.
Erik hornung, one of the worlds preeminent egyptologists. 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. Called the religious revolutionary, he is the earliest known creator of a new religion. 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. Thereligion download thereligion ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Jun 29, 2017 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. The son of akhenaten s daughter, known further as the son or moses, decided to flee egypt.
Pdf on oct 16, 20, riana rabie and others published the revolution of atenism. Akhenaten and mosestwo names that stand for the abolition of polytheism and the introduction of monotheism, a turn not only in religion but in the general intellectual orientation of humanity that changed the ancient world and brought about the world in which we are still living. Akhenaten and the religion of light by erik hornung goodreads. The followers of akhenaten s religion are persecuted after akhenaten s death. Akhenatens reign is one of the most celebrated and intriguing time periods in ancient egyptian history. It was represented by the sun disk, the aten, whose elaborate name was enclosed in cartouches beginning early in the kings reign. However, modern scholarship notes that akhenatens cult drew from aspects of other godsparticularly reharakhte, shu, and maatin its imagining and worship of aton. Moses and akhenaten one and the same person by ahmed. 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. Akhenatens religion of light reflect in amarna art. Click download or read online button to thereligion book pdf for. The effect of these doctrines can be seen in the sun worship of pharaoh akhenaten, who became an uncompromising monotheist. Akhenaten s reign is one of the most celebrated and intriguing time periods in ancient egyptian history.
Seizing on the striking similarities between the religious vision. Akhenaten and the religion of light internet archive. Manichaeans believe that akhenaten was none other than moses and that tutenkhaten was a manifestation of jesus yisho of ancient times. 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.
Akhenaten simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In akhenaten and the religion of light, erik hornung gives a compact, excellent evaluation of the atencentric religion that akhenaten introduced. A religious reformer he made the aten, the sun disc, the center of egypt. 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. Akhenaten and the religion of light request pdf researchgate. The war brought egypt shadows of gloom and grief line 12, 38, darkness and death. Hornungs focus is on what can be known, rather than the mysteries, questions and fringe. Oct 30, 20 akhenaten is credited by historians as establishing the monotheistic religion called atenism which worships god which is symbolized by the aten. 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.
Some historians, including ahmed osman a muslim author, prof. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. These constituted a restructuring of egyptian life in religion, art, language, literature. Akhenaten was most wellknown for his rejection of the highly polytheistic religion and culture of egypt, and introducing monotheistic worship of a single god.
Its a fitting scene for this ancient pharaoh, who ruled the kingdom between 52 and 36 b. It was probably after the gods final name change that akhenaten ordered the closure of the temples dedicated to all other gods in egypt. Biblical religion involves a different conception of what this one god is. Called the religious revolutionary, he is the earliest known creator of. The cult he founded broke with egypts traditional polytheism and focused its worship on a single deity, the sun god aten. 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. Hornung also addresses such topics as the origins of the new religion. Aug 30, 20 akhenaten was a pharaoh of egypt who reigned over the country for about 17 years between roughly 53 b. Yar an independent author and others, have identified akhenaten as moses of the hebrew bible. Lise manniche, the akhenaten colossi of karnak, 2010. 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. Amenhotep iv changed his name to akhenaten and defied tradition by establishing a new religion that believed that there is but one god. This can be illustrated by the case of the pharaoh akhenaten 5236 b. Akhenaten and the religion of light book, 2001 worldcat.
Akhenatens exclusive worship of the sun god aton led early egyptologists to claim that he created the worlds first monotheistic religion. 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. In the manichaean religion, akhenaten is viewed as one of the divine messengers, one of the pharaohs of light. Even in akhenaten s religion, whether it was fully monotheistic or not, aten was identified closely with the sun. Hornungs focus is on what can be known, rather than the mysteries, questions and fringe theories. The aten continued to be represented as an anthropomorphic, falconheaded deity in these initial depictions. Download pdf thereligion free online new books in politics.
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. Akhenaten and the religion of light by erik hornung. Journal of the american medical association 303, 7. Akhenaten and the religion of light university of toronto. Akhenaten is the father of tutenkhaten and the husband of nefertiti. In order to answer the research question the following discussion begins. By the time akhenaten took the throne, his family had been ruling egypt for nearly two hundred years and had established a huge empire dominating.
Erik hornung akhenaten, also known as amenhotep iv, was king of egypt during the eighteenth dynasty and reigned from 75 to 58 b. The hymns were probably liturgical texts designed to be recited or chanted during venerations in the temples of the capital. He is known for trying to create a monotheistic worship of the egyptian sun god, aten and destroying the temples of amun. Internet accessrestricteditem true addeddate 20140324 17. Wilkinson, the complete gods and goddesses of ancient egypt, 2003. Akhenatens new religion tore the people of egypt between their loyalty to the pharaoh and their desire to. Freemasons, and engineers, this historical account brings to light an otherworldly inspiration behind the apparently worldly endeavors by which we habitually define western. Akhenaten and the religion of light by erik hornung book resume. This work offers a concise account of akhenaten and his religion of light. Main description akhenaten, also known as amenhotep iv, was king of egypt during the eighteenth dynasty and reigned from 75 to 58 b. Judaism is the 1st organized monotheistic religion, and its becoming one is associated with the exodus from egypt. Among the ancient ruins in amarna, egypt, lies a giant statue of akhenaten. 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. To its rest goes all else that moves, but never do the waters cease flowing or the sun rising.
Read download moses and akhenaten pdf pdf download. Even in akhenatens religion, whether it was fully monotheistic. 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. Akhenaten amenhotep iv the encyclopedia of ancient. Akhenaten and the religion of light, translated by david lorton ithaca. Akhenaten and the religion of light susan tower hollis.
Egypt cult of the sun god and akhenatens monotheism. Akhenaten and the religion of light by hornung, erik. It was the first known attempt at monotheism in the world. Moses and akhenaten one and the same person by ahmed osman. Akhenaten is credited by historians as establishing the monotheistic religion called atenism which worships god which is. Monotheism appears not through amalgamation and syncretism but rather through the annihilation of other gods. Publication date 1999 topics akhenaton, king of egypt, sun worship egypt, egypt religion publisher. Before much of the archaeological evidence from thebes and from tell elamarna became available, wishful thinking sometimes turned. This is an ironic consequence given that akhenatens religion focused on light and life. Akhenaten is one of egypts most wellknown pharaohs. Akhenaten, also known as amenhotep iv, was king of egypt during the eighteenth dynasty and reigned from 75 to 58 b.
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