Aton became the only object of worship tolerated by the Pharaoh, and his
domain was extended beyond the boundaries of Egypt. Not only was the
Egyptian capital moved to a city dedicated to Aton, but other cities
were dedicated to him in Nubia and in Asia. The _Hymn to the Aton_
expresses the same type of universalism, envisioning Aton (the sun) as
the god who blesses all people everywhere. While the Nile might have
served as a god to unite all Egyptians, the sun was a deity who might
unite all men in a common brotherhood. This, at any rate, seems to have
been Akhenaton's dream.
There remained, however, illogical elements in the monotheism of
Akhenaton. The Pharaoh himself was still a god, and Akhenaton had no
doubt that he was the divine son of Aton. While Akhenaton and the royal
family paid homage to Aton, others stood in awe before the Pharaoh.
There were elements in the Amarna faith which militated against this,
particularly the realism which enabled the citizens of Akhetaton to
caricature their king, but the concept of a divine Pharaoh persisted in
the Aton cult.
No image represented Aton in human shape, as the "thousand gods" of
Egypt had been represented. Instead, worship was directed toward the
disk of the sun which exerts a life-giving influence through its rays
which produce a brilliance and warmth that no man can fail to
experience. The symbol of the god Aton was a solar disk from which rays
of light descended, terminating in human hands, some of which hold the
Egyptian sign of life (_ankh_). In this symbolism, the sun graciously
bestows life upon the worshiper of Aton. Sometimes the royal uraeus,
symbol of kingship, hangs from the sun disk, and often it rises from the
bottom of the disk toward the center. Aton is thus depicted as ruler as
well as deity of all upon whom he shines.
While the Aton temple was not basically different from other shrines of
ancient Egypt, it boasted no image and conducted its most solemn rites
in the open, under the direct rays of the sun. This formed a distinct
contrast to the cult of Amon who was called "the hidden one," and who
had his shrine in the innermost and darkest part of the temple. If
Amonism stressed the mysterious in religion, Atonism spoke of the
deity's nearness and presence in the affairs of daily life. Atonism had
no dark courts or mysterious rites. Its ritual was quite simple, with
hymns sung by the temple choir and the presentation of gifts of meat and
drink by worshipers. The odors of perfume and the presence of flowers
added aesthetic qualities to the simple acts of worship. On the occasion
of royal visits, which must have been quite frequent, the king
personally consecrated the offerings.
[Illustration: The Beneficent Aton. The sun disk is depicted with rays
extended toward Akhenaton and his wife Nofretete. From the tomb of
Ramose.]
Atonism never became the popular faith of Egypt, but it did spread
beyond the confines of Akhetaton. Memphis had an Aton temple, and Aton
reliefs have been found at Heliopolis. Modern students of religion
sometimes charge that the Aton faith was devoid of ethical content, but
this is an argument from silence. All of its literary remains consist of
devotional literature--hymns extolling the glories of Aton and tomb
inscriptions which describe the piety of his faithful worshipers.
Whether or not Atonism was self consciously pacifist in orientation may
be debated. A universal faith minimizes the differences among men, and
Akhenaton's failure to intervene in the affairs of his Asiatic subjects
may indicate that he hoped that a peaceful policy would resolve
international tensions. Perhaps we should conclude that Akhenaton chose
to devote himself to religious matters, and that the chaos in Asia was a
result of neglect rather than self-conscious policy.
The Amarna tomb inscriptions give extravagant praise to Aton and his
son, the Pharaoh:
How prosperous is he who hears thy doctrine of life and is sated with
beholding thee, and unceasingly his eyes look upon Aton every day.
Thou art my great servant who hears my doctrine. My heart is content
with every commission thou performest and I give thee the office in
order that thou mayest eat the victuals of Pharaoh, the lord in the
house of Aton.[9]