Great Hymn Of Aten Research Paper

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The Great Hymn to the Aten and Early Monotheism
The Great Hymn of the Aten is the earliest view of monotheism. The King praises Aten as the one single god. He calls him the sun god, but he is really the god of everything. King Akhenaten praises him for every good thing that is happening in his kingdom. In the story, he refers to Aten as the “giver of breath” (Norton 50) and even “sole god” (Norton 65). Throughout the hymn, the King never speaks of another god. The King is so devoted to Aten that he renames himself to Akhenaten, which means “He who is effective for Aten” (Norton 29).
Professor Mark Damen of Utah State University states that the religion of Aten came before the creation of Christianity. He says, “The ancient Hebrews were not …show more content…

The dictionary definition of iconoclastic is “attacking or ignoring cherished beliefs and long-held traditions” (“The Definition of Iconoclastic”). This is the perfect word to describe the unpopular ruler. Akhenaten was the one who ignored past beliefs and started something new. Before his time, everyone praised multiple gods. Akhenaten says, “You yourself are lifetime” (Norton 114). This statement means that life begins and ends with Aten. Aten is also in control of everything in between life and death. The ruler is telling Aten that he does not have any time or need for other gods. He only praises one god and that is Aten. He completely ignored what his people wanted and did something that was crazy at that …show more content…

This is actually a rhetorical statement because the King believes that Aten does all the deeds for his people. Since Aten in the only god, he does it all. Akhenaten reinstates this point again and says “O Sole god whom beside you there is none!” (Norton 65). He makes this statement once more by also saying, “You made the earth as you wished” (Norton 66). This means that because he is the sole god he decided how he wanted the Earth to look. He also decided how he wanted the people to look and act like. There are no other gods for him to argue with. “You alone” (Norton 65) is what Akhenaten also says. This proves the point that he is the only god. He did not need any help to create anything. That is why the Egyptian subjects of King Akhenaten praised

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