Is Atenism a true monotheistic religion?

Not at all. In fact, Atenism wasn’t monotheistic—unless you only count Akhenaten and his family as the monotheists. Everyone else in Egypt was told that they couldn’t worship Aten. That they should render all reverence and offerings to the royal family, who would then intercede with Aten on their behalf.

Why was Akhenaten monotheistic?

Akhenaten’s exclusive worship of the sun god Aton led early Egyptologists to claim that he created the world’s first monotheistic religion. However, modern scholarship notes that Akhenaten’s cult drew from aspects of other gods—particularly re-Harakhte, Shu, and Maat—in its imagining and worship of Aton.

Is Judaism truly monotheistic?

Judaism is traditionally considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world, although it is believed that the earliest Israelites (pre-7th century BCE) were polytheistic, who evolved into henotheistic and later monolatristic, rather than monotheistic.

Are ancient Egyptians monotheistic?

The religion of Ancient Egypt was a polytheistic (many gods) religion with one short period of monotheism (one god). Their religion hosted about 700 different gods and goddesses. In addition, it was not uncommon for deities to be combined to form a new deity. the pharaohs.

Who is the founder of Atenism?

Akhenaten
Atenism was one of the earliest monotheistic religions. It was the worship of the light emanating from the sun god (or rather sun disk), Aten. It was started by the 18 dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten.

Which pharaoh was monotheistic?

As a pharaoh, Akhenaten is noted for abandoning Egypt’s traditional polytheism and introducing Atenism, or worship centered around Aten.

How long did Atenism last?

Atenism was one of the earliest monotheistic religions. It was the worship of the light emanating from the sun god (or rather sun disk), Aten. It was started by the 18 dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten. It lasted 20 years, until Akhenaten’s death.

What are the similarities between Atenism and Christianity?

One of the most interesting commonalities between the religion of Atenism and the religion of Christianity is that Akhenaten referred to himself as a son of Aten, providing himself with the most special relationship a king could have with the gods. This father and son paradigm is echoed in Christianity, where Jesus is the son of “God the Father.”

When was the first monotheistic religion created?

Intentionally erased from history until the 19th century, Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten established the first known monotheistic religion called Atenism, which was rediscovered in the late 18th century and integrated by 19th and 20th century religious philosophers into the histories of the three Abrahamic religions.

What was Atenism and why was it so popular?

Atenism’s popularity was short-lived, perhaps even beginning to wane while Akhenaten was still alive. But its initial appeal is easy to imagine. For centuries, Ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death; their great monuments, elaborate spells and mummification rituals were meant to assure a pleasant afterlife.

When did Atenism become the official religion of Egypt?

In the 14th century BC, Atenism was Egypt’s state religion for around 20 years, before subsequent rulers returned to the traditional gods and the Pharaohs associated with Atenism were erased from Egyptian records. Aten, the god of Atenism, first appears in texts dating to the 12th dynasty, in the Story of Sinuhe.