Atenism
/ˈeɪ.tən.ɪzəm/noun
The religious system centered on the worship of the Aten promoted by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten during the 14th century BCE.
Did you know?Aten was depicted as a solar disk whose rays ended in tiny hands, symbolically extending divine power—and the ankh of life—to the royal family.
Etymological Timeline
Second Millennium BCE
Ancient Egyptian
jtn
“The Aten, literally the visible solar disk or sun disk”
14th Century BCE
Ancient Egyptian
Jtn
“The elevated solar deity promoted by Pharaoh Akhenaten, whose rays were shown reaching the royal family”
14th Century BCE
Ancient Egyptian
Akhenaten
“The pharaoh formerly known as Amenhotep IV; his name means approximately “effective for the Aten””
19th Century
English
Atonism
“An early scholarly form referring to the religion of the Aten”
20th Century
English
Atenism
“The modern scholarly term for Akhenaten’s Aten-centered religious reform”