Amenhotep III

From Philosopedia

Amenhotep III [King] (14th Century B.C.E.)

One of the oldest individuals listed as a “heretic,” Amenhotep III succeeded his father, Thutmose IV, to the ancient Egyptian throne approximately in 1411 B.C.E. and ruled until 1372 B.C.E. He built extensively at Karnak, Thebes, and Luxor. His wife, Queen Tiy, had deserted the gods of Egypt for the solar deity of the Mitanni, an Aryan people of Asia Minor, and she persuaded her son, Ikhnaton (who ruled 1375—1358 B.C.E.), to adopt it.

Ikhnaton, five centuries before the first prophet appeared in Judea, therefore embraced monotheism, a fact overlooked by those Hebrews who claim it was the Hebrews who were the first monotheists. For Ikhnaton (whose original name had been Akhenaton), the sun, Aton, was god and god alone, and he was Aton’s physical son. The solar monotheism was absolute, and in his fanaticism Ikhnaton defaced every monument on which appeared the name of Amon, the previous greatest god of Egypt. His subjects and priests were outraged by his destruction of their traditions, and polytheism returned.

Amenhetep IV has been called “the Heretic King,” but Joseph McCabe and others speak of several rulers at that time as being “heretics.” {CE; RE}