Akhenaton's Hymn to the Aton
The New Kingdom's Eighteenth Dynasty (1540-1293 B.C.), was an era for expansion of religious reform (Noble et al 28). "It was a time of opportunities and of conflict" (Noble et al 30). The passage "Akhenaton's Hymn to the Aton," written in Ancient writing was translated by John L. Foster with permission from the Biblical Society of Literature in 1995 Press. It was an enlightening and free spirited hymn that described the universal power of Aton. This hymn was written by "the pharaoh who wanted to transform Egypt's religious practices into a monotheistic faith based on the worship of Aton, the god of the sun disk" (Homework handout 1). This ruler was no one other than Akhenaton also referred to Amenhotep IV during the time.In "Akhenaton's Hymn to the Aton," Akhenaton described, in Praise of the living Horakhty who rejoices the Horizonta in his Name if the divine Light which is in the Sundisk, living eternally and forever, the living Aton" (Brophy et al 63). "Aton was the personification of the sun's power as manifested in the sun disk" (Brophy et al 63). He created the existence of life form on earth as well as things that are invisible to human eyes. Akhenaton described Aton as an incredible god from beyond who gives origin o
f lives. "Yet your (refers to Aton) rays encompass the lands to the limits of all which you have created; Though you are far, your rays are over the earth, and you are in the faces of those who watch your journeying" (Brophy et al 63). Akhenaton meant that the Sun god has the power to cover the land with his rays. Even thought the sun is high in the sky, it can be view by everyone, and be with us every where. Aton is not only exclusive in Egypt, instead it spread to all the foreign lands far away, yet you (Aton) made their lives possible (Brophy et al 65). Then, Akhenaton continued to analysis how Aton is also the creator of daily life. As the sun (Aton) rise in the morning, earth fills with hopes and beauty. The people get dress and prepare to take on their new day and went to work. During the day, nature came into a beautiful start. Herds are in the meadows, trees and vegetable are growing healthy, birds fly freely from their nest, ship goes up and down stream, while fish swim freely in the sea, "each path lies open because of your (Aton) presence" (Brophy et al. 64). However, as the sun sets at the end of the day, everything went into silence. "Sleepers are in their bedchambers, darkness appears on earth like death, and insects and snakes bite and sting he who created them is at rest in his tomb" (Brophy et al 63). The next theme of the hymn is the creation of human being. "It is you who create the seed in women, shape the fluids into huma! Finally, this hymn is to gain hopes, strengths, an
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Approximate Word count = 1015
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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