The Religious Reforms of Akhenaten

Paper Summary:

This essay examines the religious reforms implemented throughout King Akhenaten's reign of Ancient Egypt often termed the Amarna Period (c. 1360 - 1343 B.C.). It investigates how these reforms differed from the traditional religion that was practiced in Ancient Egypt at the time as well as the rationale and motives behind them. It examines the impact of these reforms and why, in the end, they were only temporary in nature, not lasting beyond Akhenaten's reign.

From the Paper:

"As discussed, there were numerous religious reforms put forward by Akhenaten during his reign. However not all were successful. Indeed there were many problems with the changes Akhenaten implemented. His reforms were introduced with such force that they met with strong resistance. Despite Akhenaten's desire for there to be one god, the Aten, and his attempts to remove all other deities, the Egyptian people continued to worship the traditional gods (Ashcroft 2003, Stange 2000). Akhenaten's worship of the Aten was not as shared or supported by the Egyptian people as the Aten, as sole god, did not satisfy all of the Egyptian's religious requirements. R. David suggests the reason behind this is that "the Aten had no moral philosophy or attractive mythology which could inspire the general worshiper" (David 1993:157)."

More papers on The Religious Reforms of Akhenaten:

• Comparison Essay # 46308 : "Pharaoh Akhenaten and Martin Luther"
• Essay # 137962 : "Comparing and Contrasting the Religious Symbolism of Religion and Governance in the First Phase Yungang Grottoes"
• Essay # 19827 : "The Religious Symbolism of Spirit"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: