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What is the world like without Aten?

1) A dark and gloomy place
2) A place filled with chaos
3) A place without light and warmth
4) A place devoid of life

1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

Without Aten, the ancient Egyptian sun disk symbolizing the sun, the world in ancient theological context would be a place devoid of light, warmth, and life, reflecting chaos and darkness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The world without Aten, according to ancient Egyptian theology, could be analogous to a place devoid of light and warmth, given that Aten was regarded as the sun disk, central to the warmth, light, and life-sustaining properties that the sun provides. When Akhenaten introduced Atenism, exalting Aten as the supreme god, the Egyptian religious landscape was reoriented around the idea that this single god was responsible for the creation and maintenance of life. This monotheistic view held that the ignorance of Aten would amount to a world that is dark, cold, and chaotic—a scenario in which the sun no longer provided life-giving energy. After Akhenaten's death, while the full pantheon of gods was quickly reestablished, the ideas of Aten as a supreme being influenced later theological and philosophical thoughts. The sun god was symbolically interpreted as the 'soul' and the world as its 'body', reinforcing the belief that without the sun, and by extension without Aten, the world would indeed be a place devoid of life and order.

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