Who was the first pharaoh to practice monotheism?

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 is the Egyptian ruler Akhenaten best known for?

Akhenaten came to power as the pharaoh of Egypt in either the year 1353 or 1351 BCE and reigned for roughly 17 years during the 18th dynasty of Egypt’s New Kingdom. Akhenaten became best known to modern scholars for the new religion he created that centered on the Aten.

How did Akhenaten change religion in Egypt?

In the fourth year of his reign, he changed his name to Akhenaten. He created a new monotheistic religion devoted to a single god named the Aten. However, the pharaoh’s loyalty was not enough, and soon Akhenaten required that all of Egypt adopt his new god and abandon their old pantheon in favor of sun worship.

How was monotheism developed?

How did monotheism start? The first evidence of monotheism emerges from Egypt in the 14th century BCE (1353-1336 BC) during the reign of Akhenaten. The king was known to have worshiped Aten, the sun disk god (Figure 1). The worship of Aten constituted the first monotheistic religion in the world.

What was King PIYE’s major accomplishment in Egypt?

He invaded Egypt from the south and ended the petty kingdoms of the 23rd dynasty (c. 823–c. 732 bce) in Lower Egypt. According to Egyptian tradition, his brother Shabaka founded the 25th dynasty, but Piye laid the foundations.

Why was Akhenaten different from other pharaohs?

As a pharaoh, Akhenaten is noted for abandoning Egypt’s traditional polytheism and introducing Atenism, or worship centered around Aten. After his death, Akhenaten’s monuments were dismantled and hidden, his statues were destroyed, and his name excluded from lists of rulers compiled by later pharaohs.

How did Akhenaten reform affect the priest of the old religion?

Akhenaten ordained new priests, or simply forced priests of Amun into the service of his new monotheism, and proclaimed himself and his queen gods.

How were Tutankhamun’s religious reforms different from his father?

Tutankhamun’s father was a religious radical. He changed the entire religion of Ancient Egypt to worship only the sun god Aten. He did away with over a thousand years of traditional Egyptian religion and forced people to change the way they worshiped.

What is the first monotheistic religion?

Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, having originated in ancient Persia. It contains both monotheistic and dualistic elements, and many scholars believe Zoroastrianism influenced the belief systems of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.