Akhenaton the Heretic King

¶ … Heretic King-Akhenaten Akhenaten is probably one of the most controversial pharaohs to have gained prominent place in history of Egypt because he was responsible for dismantling past religious beliefs and introducing monotheism in his country during his eventful reign. Several books have been written on Akhenaten's reign and his beliefs and most historians have glorified him as an enlightened pharaoh who wanted to end idol worshipping and introduce a new religion based on the principles of monotheism.

While most historians agree on Akhenaten being a great ruler and an enlightened king, Donald Redford, strongly disagrees with such opinions in his book, Akhenaten -- the Heretic King. This book seeks to destroy all previously held views about the so-called great king and his reign. While we may choose to disagree with the views expressed in the book, the author has done his job very well and has presented evidence from history to back his argument.

Akhenaten -- the Heretic King revolves around the thesis that Akhenaten was indeed a ruthless tyrant who possessed poor administrative skills and completely lacked a sincere desire to transform the country. The author further maintains that Akhenaten did not care about his public and was not exactly a shrewd soldier and this is what led to his ultimate downfall. The book uses Amarna letters as its main source of information and evidence.

These letters contain detailed information on various aspects of Akhenaten's rule and what we get in the book comes from this primary source. However we must remember that interpretation of the information contained in these letters is highly original since the author has done it himself. Therefore the way he perceived a certain issue or interpreted a certain situation may or may not be accurate and this is what makes the book somewhat controversial in history circles.

With comments like the one below, the author largely disturbed the firmly held old views regarding the king and his skills as a ruler: Akhenaten] was largely responsible for the breakup of the Egypto-Mitannian entente, just at a time when such a rupture ill behooved either state. Shortly after Amenophis III's death, Queen Tiy has expressed in a letter to Tushratta anxiety about future relations. The tone of concern was strange, as Akhenaten had exchanged gifts with Tushratta and was soon to marry his daughter." (p.

41) The first few chapters of the book deal with the background of Akhenaten's reign, his family history and how it ascended the throne. The author tells us about Akhenaten's father and the family in which the heretic king was born. This section doesn't present anything controversial, debatable or shocking. However with Akhenaten's ascension to the throne, the book takes an interesting turn as author makes several insightful and very original observations regarding this period.

A large part of this book is devoted to Akhenaten's change of religion and his personal religious beliefs, which bring us to the Aten controversy. When Akhenaten came to power after the death of his father, Amenophis III, he became rather obsessed with religious flaws in his country. For one, he discarded polytheism and instead introduced the concept of One God and secondly, he also set out to destroy statues and idols that were considered sacred by most Egyptians.

Akhenaten declared Aten to be the only God and this made him a sun-worshipper because Aten was the Sun God. However the controversy doesn't end here because while many believe Aten was the Sun God that Akhenaten worshipped, there is evidence that suggests that this sun God was none other than Akhenaten's own father or at least that is what Akhenaten believed. "What it was Akhenaten tells us plainly enough: The Disk [Aten] was his father, the universal king."(p.

3) However the author doesn't end his debate here and further suggests that Akhenaten was not even a monotheist, he was a non-believer, an absolute atheist. What makes the author suggest this may puzzle most readers but Redford firmly maintains that the change of religion introduced by Akhenaten was a demonstration of his arrogance and his lack of faith. In other words, Redford feels that while Akhenaten introduced the idea of one God, his religious reforms were grounded in glorification of his own family and himself.

By declaring his father to be the personification of the Sun God, he was exalting his own status. Apart from his religious beliefs, the author also severely criticizes the military skills of Akhenaten saying: "Though able to employ brutal though effective expedients in politics, Akhenaten refused to apply himself to the necessary organization required to send forth an efficient expeditionary force. Though able to draw up a hard-hitting indictment, pharaoh relented too easily." (Redford, p.

202) Thus while the author chooses a much talked about person as his subject for this book, he also chooses to give us an account of Akhenaten's.