The First Monotheistic Religion? - Akhenaten's Religion of Light

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Published 2020-08-16
In this video, we talk about the short-lived religion founded by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten.


Thank you very much to the channel "Amazing Places on Our Planet" for allowing me to use his beautiful footage. Link to the channel here: youtube.com/milosh9k


Sources/Further Reading:
Hornung, Erik (2001) "Akhenaten and the Religion of Light". Cornell University Press.


Hoffmeier, James K. (2015). "Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism". Oxford University Press.

#Aten #Akhenaten #Egypt

All Comments (21)
  • "Have you ever seen this strange man before?" Yes, I have watched the opening credits of Stargate SG1 many times.
  • @skepsislamica
    I spent the morning going through your channel. Thank you for blessing us with your knowledge and keep up the good work. โœŒ
  • @neon-kitty
    It's also interesting to consider that the reason why the Aten became so popular during Amenhotep III's and Akhenaten's rule may have been political moreso than spiritual since Amun's priests in Thebes held an immense amount of power. The pharaohs at the time would've needed to stay on their good side and try to appease them. By demoting Amun, the royal court stripped the Amun priesthood of that power and by making themselves the only conduit between the human and the divine, they conferred it on themselves. It's kinda similar to how Henry VIII made himself head of the Church of England after splitting off from Rome. Political and spiritual power combined in one office and one person. Of course, though, we can't know Amenhotep III's and Akhenaten's exact motivations and a lot of Akhenaten's actions do seem to suggest that he did actually believe in this new religion of his so it may have been a mix of the two or it may have started out as political scheming under his father but then turned into genuine belief under Akhenaten. It's impossible to know but it's fun to think about.
  • @Haedox
    Great presentation and writing
  • @katmannsson
    It bugs me more than it should that when people speak of Tutankhamun they almost all skip over his birth name being Tutankhaten.
  • @NickVenture1
    Such a valuable presentation by such a good speaker... SUBSCRIBED..
  • @lwooldridge069
    You are so knowledgeable in theology, cosmology, mystical ancient mysteries....and u explain the stories so well. Gifted you are.
  • Interestingly, the art from the Akhenaten's time is placed in a separate room in the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir square in Cairo. I wonder if they put it similarly into an isolated room once the museum moves to its new building near Giza plateau.
  • @Nitrotix1
    Assassin's Creed brought me here. Beyond the game, I was amazed and intrigued by the detail and depth Ubisoft put into side missions and extra's.
  • Such solid content here - thanks! I tried to visit Amarna while I was visiting Egypt several years ago. Sadly, it's pretty much only possible if you pay off-duty police/soldiers to accompany you. Ditto with Nag Hammadi.
  • Your videos are fascinating. Feel like I just stepped out of a college history class! Thank you! ๐Ÿ™
  • @ofelia829
    This is super interesting. Intelligence connects dots without playing pretentious. Thank you for uploading. Cheers ๐Ÿƒ
  • Yess, solid. I remember hearing about this pharaoh in my younger days. Very interesting stuff. Cheers for that.
  • Magnificent Youtube-channel. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge about all different kinds of religions. Well balanced information given from the point of view of their believers (about what they belief) without apologetics or defending neither offending or banalizing it. The so called 'quality world press' can learn a lot about ''neutral informing the public about religion topics'' as it is given by this young man. You approach every religion with respect and dignity. This needs to become a standard approach of religions. You are a lighthouse keeper avantgardist in this approach...Well done and congratulations!๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘
  • @TheWarrrenator
    This revelation is invaluable to me. Thank you for your work. Itโ€™s like Akhnaten was a royal lightworker. Ra as a literal sun god vs. Aten as divine light.
  • Thank you very much for your video! I enjoyed it very much. Extremely well documented, and excellent narration.
  • @uverpro3598
    Love the way you put the video together. Your narration with the music and the images is thought provoking and spookily mystical.
  • @ImSquiggs
    I just wanna say I freakin' love this channel -- stumbled on it about a week ago and I've just been lost in amazing content since. Thanks friend.