Early Jewish Monotheism and Egyptian Atenism – One And The Same?

• By tedloukes
• History & Tradition
• 1

The religious influences upon both Akhenaten and his brother Tuthmose from the temples of Heliopolis went a long way in fashioning their comparative belief systems. By encouraging the older solar beliefs, the priests of Iunu opened up the world of the ancient religions where fundamentally there was one source, the original first creator god. By distancing himself more and more from the priesthood, their father, Amenhotep III, set the precedent for both princes to completely separate themselves from the sphere of the comparatively modern Amun-Ra.

The concept of a single creator god, unseen and omnipresent was the basis of the religion that Moses attempted to force upon the Israelites in the desert and he could be tyrannical in his insistence that his way was right. One only has to look at the incident of the Golden Calf to see Moses’ overreaction.

The Golden Calf from The Bible and its stories (CC0)

Massacre Of The Golden Calf

While Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites grew impatient and implored Aaron to fashion gods for them. Aaron collected gold and jewelry from the people and made an idol in the shape of a calf or bull. He then built an altar before this golden idol for the waiting Israelites to make burnt offerings. Moses was so angry at this return to the old ways that he called for all those still loyal:  “‘Who is for Jehovah? - unto me!' and all the sons of Levi are gathered unto him; and he saith to them, ‘Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Put each his sword by his thigh, pass over and turn back from gate to gate through the camp, and slay each his brother, and each his friend, and each his relation'”(Exodus 32 Young’s Literal Translation).

Moses destroying the tables by James Tissot (1896–1902)(Public Domain)

Three thousand people were slain as a direct result of the people falling back on their old gods in a moment of weakness. Despite the Israelites being his ‘chosen’ people, it is hard not to imagine that the former prince of Egypt still carried that disdain that all Egyptians seemed to hold for foreigners. To Moses the right way was also an Egyptian way, and what was to eventually become Judaism started out with a strong Egyptian flavor.

‘Eventually’ because the Israelites did not really buy into the idea of monotheism until much later. The first books of the Bible only started to appear in a compilation form around 800 or 900 years after these events. Before then, stories were handed down orally, allowing much to be changed, over embellished, or conveniently left out, depending on who was telling the story.

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