Living on Ma’at: An Atenist Egypt TL
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The Priesthood of the Aten
In the years prior to Akhenaten’s ascendency, the priesthood of Amun had grown quite powerful, perhaps rivaling even the king. Preventing the Atenist priesthood from becoming as politically involved as those of Amun was a major concern of Akhenaten’s when designing the Atenist clergy. It was then than he came up with a revolutionary new idea; the universal priesthood of all believers. All male Atenists would, on their fourteenth birthday, be formally induced into the priesthood of the Aten. This induction involved being separated from society, ritually enacting the contests of Heru and Sutekh with the inductee as Heru and an older member of the community as Sutekh[1]. Afterwards, the inductee would be returned to the village sun-temple, where his sidelock of youth[2] was shaved off and he was ritually circumcised[3]. Finally, he was given the linen garments of the priesthood[4]. With the creation of a universal priesthood, rather than a hereditary one, as had previously been the case, Akhenaten had delegated the responsibility of maintaining the temples[5] from a relatively small, elite class to all those who lived on Ma’at.
Despite being supposedly a “universal priesthood” of all believers, the Atenist priesthood was not available to women. Rather, Atenist women became chantresses of the Aten, charged with singing hymns during sun-temple services. Girls were trained from a young age to properly sing various hymns, particularly the Great Hymn to the Aten. Chantresses were expected to sing their hymns to exact perfection, so that even today, the hymns performed in sun-temples sound exactly as they would have in Akhenaten’s time[6]. Unlike the priesthood, chantresses are not formally inducted, but rather gradually develop into the role. Atenist girls begin training to sing hymns around six years old, and were expected to be fully capable by the time they reached puberty.
Within the context of the priesthood, there existed a system of deference towards community elders. The old men of a community would often hold leading positions in the temple priesthood. It was expected that once someone became to old to work, then they should dedicate the rest of their life to the Aten. These community elders would be sought after for their advice. They would often form kenbut, or law courts, where they would solve internal disputes in the context of Ma’at. Each village had its own kenbet, and over time the kenbet grew to become a pillar of the Atenist community[7].
Attention must also be payed to the scribehood. Prior to Akhenaten, scribes where often priests. However, at Akhenaten’s urging, the Egyptian aristocracy now sent their sons to train to be scribes. Over time, the scribehood became a purely secular profession, albeit a highly esteemed one. Egypt developed two scripts; the older hieroglyphic script used to write religious texts, and the simpler hieratic script used to write everything else. The hieroglyphic script is considered sacred by Atenists, as it was the script which Akhenaten used to write the Sebayt[8]. In addition, hieroglyphics are also frequently used for artistic purposes. For example, sun-temples and other great works of architecture are often decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions, and hieroglyphic-based artwork is common. Sun-temples frequently employ stylized hieroglyphic inscriptions to avoid the Atenist prohibition against idolatry.
Hieratic script, meanwhile, originated as a cursive form of the older hieroglyphic script and is used for day-to-day enscriptions. It is this script which is studied by scribes and used in everyday life. The hieratic script would be standardized by future kings after Akhenaten, and this standardized script was the one which all scribes were to study. Scribes’ responsibilities included anything which involved writing. Scribes would often be hired by various noblemen to write things down for them. Scribes often operated on a for-profit basis, alternating between various employers. The Egyptian state employed thousands of scribes, but was still required to pay them and they left the states employment once their job was completed. The scribehood, like the priesthood, had been irrevocably changed by the advent of Atenism. It seemed Egyptian society as a whole was rapidly changing. Only time would tell what the results of these changes would be.
[1]Atenist ITTL also draw a parallel between the contests of Horus and Set with Akhenaten’s struggle against the priests of Amun
[2]The sidelock of youth was a hairstyle worn by children in Ancient Egypt
[3]Circumcision as a coming-of-age ritual seems to have been practiced in Ancient Egypt
[4]Said linen garments are only required to be worn when attending a sun-temple
[5]Egyptian priests did not preach or give sermons; their sole responsibility was performing various rituals
[6]Think of how Vedic mantras have to be sung exactly as they would have sounded when they were composed
[7]Compare OTL Judaism or Islam where legal and religious experts serve as the clergy
[8]For this reason, Late Egyptian(Classical Egyptian ITTL) is used as a liturgical language and considered sacred by TTL’s Atenists
Despite being supposedly a “universal priesthood” of all believers, the Atenist priesthood was not available to women. Rather, Atenist women became chantresses of the Aten, charged with singing hymns during sun-temple services. Girls were trained from a young age to properly sing various hymns, particularly the Great Hymn to the Aten. Chantresses were expected to sing their hymns to exact perfection, so that even today, the hymns performed in sun-temples sound exactly as they would have in Akhenaten’s time[6]. Unlike the priesthood, chantresses are not formally inducted, but rather gradually develop into the role. Atenist girls begin training to sing hymns around six years old, and were expected to be fully capable by the time they reached puberty.
Within the context of the priesthood, there existed a system of deference towards community elders. The old men of a community would often hold leading positions in the temple priesthood. It was expected that once someone became to old to work, then they should dedicate the rest of their life to the Aten. These community elders would be sought after for their advice. They would often form kenbut, or law courts, where they would solve internal disputes in the context of Ma’at. Each village had its own kenbet, and over time the kenbet grew to become a pillar of the Atenist community[7].
Attention must also be payed to the scribehood. Prior to Akhenaten, scribes where often priests. However, at Akhenaten’s urging, the Egyptian aristocracy now sent their sons to train to be scribes. Over time, the scribehood became a purely secular profession, albeit a highly esteemed one. Egypt developed two scripts; the older hieroglyphic script used to write religious texts, and the simpler hieratic script used to write everything else. The hieroglyphic script is considered sacred by Atenists, as it was the script which Akhenaten used to write the Sebayt[8]. In addition, hieroglyphics are also frequently used for artistic purposes. For example, sun-temples and other great works of architecture are often decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions, and hieroglyphic-based artwork is common. Sun-temples frequently employ stylized hieroglyphic inscriptions to avoid the Atenist prohibition against idolatry.
Hieratic script, meanwhile, originated as a cursive form of the older hieroglyphic script and is used for day-to-day enscriptions. It is this script which is studied by scribes and used in everyday life. The hieratic script would be standardized by future kings after Akhenaten, and this standardized script was the one which all scribes were to study. Scribes’ responsibilities included anything which involved writing. Scribes would often be hired by various noblemen to write things down for them. Scribes often operated on a for-profit basis, alternating between various employers. The Egyptian state employed thousands of scribes, but was still required to pay them and they left the states employment once their job was completed. The scribehood, like the priesthood, had been irrevocably changed by the advent of Atenism. It seemed Egyptian society as a whole was rapidly changing. Only time would tell what the results of these changes would be.
[1]Atenist ITTL also draw a parallel between the contests of Horus and Set with Akhenaten’s struggle against the priests of Amun
[2]The sidelock of youth was a hairstyle worn by children in Ancient Egypt
[3]Circumcision as a coming-of-age ritual seems to have been practiced in Ancient Egypt
[4]Said linen garments are only required to be worn when attending a sun-temple
[5]Egyptian priests did not preach or give sermons; their sole responsibility was performing various rituals
[6]Think of how Vedic mantras have to be sung exactly as they would have sounded when they were composed
[7]Compare OTL Judaism or Islam where legal and religious experts serve as the clergy
[8]For this reason, Late Egyptian(Classical Egyptian ITTL) is used as a liturgical language and considered sacred by TTL’s Atenists
The introduction of a universal priesthood and a mandate to rule will significantly change the EgyptIan civilization’s worldview. I originally intended to have a hierarchical priesthood, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Akhenaten(who wants to limit the power of the priests of Amun) would probably prefer something a bit more decentralized, and then I thought of the universal priesthood. Needless to say, the idea that sacred rituals are open to all believers rather than an elite priest class(and that everyone is subject to the laws of Ma’at, from the highest king to the lowliest slave) will massively increase Atenism’s appeal with the lower classes, and will help it spread from Akhenaten’s court to all of Egypt and beyond. This appeal with the common people may also cause some problems for other Near Eastern kingdoms.
It also make the religion to easily survive the pharaoh as now will have a popular base will not allow to put the genie back into the bottle,and as you said, other cultures might be like hey if Egyptians do it why not us? That's the Godzilla has been unleashed into the antiquity now
If any future pharaoh tries to restore the old polytheistic faith and do away with Atenism, it will most likely have the same result as Julian the Apostate’s failed attempt to restore paganism after Constantine.
angry Hittite noises
Ma’at and Heka
There are two concepts, both taken from earlier Egyptian religion, which are central to Atenism. The first is Ma’at. Ma’at refers to the order of the universe. The Aten is regarded as the originator of Ma’at, and the goal of Atenism is to live on Ma’at. Over the years, various Atenist philosophers and theologians discussed and debated how best to live on Ma’at. They had a few sources. The most obvious was the Sebayt; is was specifically written by Akhenaten to instruct the cattle of the Aten how to live on Ma’at, and the word “sebayt“ even means “instruction” in Egyptian. Another source were various apocryphal stories from the life of Akhenaten. The exact details of Akhenaten’s life were not a major focus in the Sebayt; it is framed as a series of dialogues between Akhenaten and the Aten. Various important details, such as his childhood, his coronation, his revelation, the founding of Akhet-Aten, his struggles with the priests of Amun, and his war against Suppiluliuma were all mentioned, but they were mentioned in passing[1]. As a result, various stories about Akhenaten’s life began to pop up, and became quite popular[2]. These stories were meant to impart valuable lessons about the ways of Ma’at, even if they weren’t necessarily true.
Over time, “the laws of Ma’at” were gradually codified. Various religious experts came to view the law as a centerpiece of Atenist life, with one common proverb saying “Aaru is the destination, Isfet is the gate to the destination, the law is the key to open the gate, and it was Akhenaten who fashioned the key.” The law was elevated in the eyes of many Egyptians to being something divinely inspired. To follow the law was to live on Ma’at. Others disagreed, however. There were many who believed that the believer was capable of living on Ma’at without the use of religious laws. Rather, they believed that faith in the Aten was sufficient enough to live on Ma’at, and that an Atenist should strive for a personal relationship with the sole god. The debate over whether law or faith was superior would become very prominent later on, and as the New Kingdom began to decline the two sides of this debate would become uncompromising in their certainty.
Ma’at had an opposite, Isfet. If Ma’at was cosmic order, than Isfet was cosmic disorder. Isfet is regarded as a primordial state of chaos which preceded creation, and been vanquished when the Aten created the world. Ever since, the forces of Isfet have been assaulting the Aten’s creation, seeking to destroy the world and return to the state of shapeless chaos that existed before[3]. Isfet is generally thought to work through various servants who have been corrupted by it in some way. Atenists are required to safeguard the world against Isfet, and fight it whenever it is present. Isfet can be warded off in one’s daily life by invoking the Aten for protection.
The other major concept was heka. In pre-Atenist Egyptian religion, “heka” meant something akin to “magic.” Post-Akhenaten, “heka” was used to refer to the power of the Aten. The Aten used his heka to create the world, and currently uses his heka to defend Ma’at against Isfet. Prayer was seen as a way of invoking the heka of the Aten. In doing so, the Atenist channeled the heka of the Aten through themselves and applied it to their lives. It should be noted that heka is the domain of the Aten alone, though believers can invoke the Aten to use his heka in their lives through prayer. The heka of the Aten would be invoked to help women conceive, to make sure a child survived its first few months, to result in a bountiful harvest, and to guide the dead to Aaru.
[1]A contemporary reader would have known when all of this happened, anyway
[2]These stories are sort of comparable to Muslim hadith, and are intended to serve as parables guiding the Atenist towards Ma’at
[3]TTL’s Atenism regards Ma’at as inherently creative while Isfet is inherently destructive, so a complete victory of Isfet would logically result in the end of the world
Over time, “the laws of Ma’at” were gradually codified. Various religious experts came to view the law as a centerpiece of Atenist life, with one common proverb saying “Aaru is the destination, Isfet is the gate to the destination, the law is the key to open the gate, and it was Akhenaten who fashioned the key.” The law was elevated in the eyes of many Egyptians to being something divinely inspired. To follow the law was to live on Ma’at. Others disagreed, however. There were many who believed that the believer was capable of living on Ma’at without the use of religious laws. Rather, they believed that faith in the Aten was sufficient enough to live on Ma’at, and that an Atenist should strive for a personal relationship with the sole god. The debate over whether law or faith was superior would become very prominent later on, and as the New Kingdom began to decline the two sides of this debate would become uncompromising in their certainty.
Ma’at had an opposite, Isfet. If Ma’at was cosmic order, than Isfet was cosmic disorder. Isfet is regarded as a primordial state of chaos which preceded creation, and been vanquished when the Aten created the world. Ever since, the forces of Isfet have been assaulting the Aten’s creation, seeking to destroy the world and return to the state of shapeless chaos that existed before[3]. Isfet is generally thought to work through various servants who have been corrupted by it in some way. Atenists are required to safeguard the world against Isfet, and fight it whenever it is present. Isfet can be warded off in one’s daily life by invoking the Aten for protection.
The other major concept was heka. In pre-Atenist Egyptian religion, “heka” meant something akin to “magic.” Post-Akhenaten, “heka” was used to refer to the power of the Aten. The Aten used his heka to create the world, and currently uses his heka to defend Ma’at against Isfet. Prayer was seen as a way of invoking the heka of the Aten. In doing so, the Atenist channeled the heka of the Aten through themselves and applied it to their lives. It should be noted that heka is the domain of the Aten alone, though believers can invoke the Aten to use his heka in their lives through prayer. The heka of the Aten would be invoked to help women conceive, to make sure a child survived its first few months, to result in a bountiful harvest, and to guide the dead to Aaru.
[1]A contemporary reader would have known when all of this happened, anyway
[2]These stories are sort of comparable to Muslim hadith, and are intended to serve as parables guiding the Atenist towards Ma’at
[3]TTL’s Atenism regards Ma’at as inherently creative while Isfet is inherently destructive, so a complete victory of Isfet would logically result in the end of the world
The Ma’at vs Isfet thing is actually taken from OTL Egyptian religion, although I can see the similarities to Zoroastrianism
What I meant was that Isfet is akin to a gate preventing entry into Aaru, and that the laws of Ma’at are the key with which to open it
Being honest as little i know about egyptian religion, i used the most common reference point, is possible that influenced OTL Zoroastrianism but the concept of Godly good order vs Evil Chaos works very well
This is great! Love it! Its like "What would happen if Christianity was founded by a reigning Judean monarch". Or maybe "what if Siddartha founded Buddhism as a royal state religion instead of reaching enlightenment outside palace life". Someone already made the comparison of the "demons" here to jinn of Arabian / Islamic lore, capable of both good and evil, that's exactly what these demons sound like to me. And I loooooove the concept of "Atenist hadith" 
Does Akhenaten sincerely believe in the faith he founded, or is he doing this as a political/cultural project without actually believing in the religion?
He seemed being more both altough at least in OTL he seemed being deepeer and deeper on his faith and forgotting politics and speciality stopped being practical.
You could argue otl lacking the basis he got and the war allowed to consolidated his power he tried to get deeper into his faith to preserve. Here it seems the opposite the question,he is making his religion more practical to consolidate his power or the butterflies make him belief that's how the new faith should evolve?
Both, like (most likely) OTL.
ITTL, Akhenaten remains a bit more aware of the political goings-on of Egypt and its empire. As for whether he is trying to consolidate his power or his actions are purely religiously motivated, as far as Akhenaten is concerned, the two go hand and hand. In his mind, the priests of Amun and other such political rivals are agents of Isfet, and he is bringing the Two Lands under the dominion of the Aten. His beliefs have also been altered by the butterflies, as he has to justify them against various different events that happen ITTL.
Disputes in Atenist Theology
As a side-effect of the Atenist universal priesthood, all Atenist men undergo some degree of religious education. For commoners this usually means community elders teaching them about the Aten and Ma’at while they attend sun-temple, while for the aristocracy it meant the birth of some of the world’s first universities. Either way, this meant that as Atenism proliferated among the Egyptian people, they would think at least to some extent about various theological concepts, which inevitably meant that different opinions would develop. One of the main debates that would emerge was whether faith or law was superior.
As Atenism proliferated throughout Egypt, a distinct legal system developed in accordance with the Atenist concept of Ma’at. Many argued that the law(hep), as the societal manifestation of Ma’at, was divinely inspired, and thus to live on Ma’at was to follow the law. Unsurprisingly, this point of view proved popular with the pharaonic state, although many kings were willing to host debates between philosophers and theologians with differing perspectives. Atenist law, or hep[1], was rooted in previous Egyptian legal systems. The accused would stand before a court known as a seru consisting of community elders, each of whom held the title imakhy[2]. The seru would determine first if the accused was guilty, and then would come up with a penalty based on precedent from the Sebayt and sedjed[3]. Above the seru, each sepat[4] had its own court called a kenbet, and an even larger court known as the djedjat overseen by the king held jurisdiction over all of Egypt. This legalistic philosophy came to be known as Hepism, or the School of Law(Sebayet-Hep).
Opposed to the Hepists were the School of the Philosophers(Sebayet-Mer-Rekh[5]), or the Merrekhists. The Merrekhists believed in a more individualistic interpretation of Atenism in which all it took to live on Ma’at was to have faith in the Aten. The Merrekhists strove to have a personal relationship with the Aten, an all-encompassing love of the creator which transcended the individual. Many prominent Merrekhists were also mystics and poets, and it wasn’t uncommon for Merrekhists to live as hermits in the desert as a “set along the path of Ma’at.” The Merrekhists placed unity with the Aten as their ideal, and sought to achieve that by letting go of the ego and becoming one with the Aten. Merrekhists were far more open to syncretism and incorporating local traditions than Hepists, and would become skilled missionaries; it was Merrekhists who converted Retjenu and Naharin to Atenism. As the New Kingdom began to decline, theological differences led to political differences as Hepism and Merrekhism became distinct political factions as well as theological positions. After the Bronze Age Collapse, lines would be drawn in the sand as the differences between Hepists and Merrekhists became irreconcilable, and the Atenist religion divided into two distinct, opposing sects.
[1]From Ancient Egyptian hp, meaning law(distinct from but related to ma’at, or cosmic order)
[2]Ancient Egyptian for “honored” or “esteemed”
[3]Apocryphal stories from the life of Akhenaten, from an Egyptian word meaning “to narrate“
[4]The main administrative division of Ancient Egypt
[5]From Egyptian mer-rekh, meaning “lover of wisdom” or “philosopher”
As Atenism proliferated throughout Egypt, a distinct legal system developed in accordance with the Atenist concept of Ma’at. Many argued that the law(hep), as the societal manifestation of Ma’at, was divinely inspired, and thus to live on Ma’at was to follow the law. Unsurprisingly, this point of view proved popular with the pharaonic state, although many kings were willing to host debates between philosophers and theologians with differing perspectives. Atenist law, or hep[1], was rooted in previous Egyptian legal systems. The accused would stand before a court known as a seru consisting of community elders, each of whom held the title imakhy[2]. The seru would determine first if the accused was guilty, and then would come up with a penalty based on precedent from the Sebayt and sedjed[3]. Above the seru, each sepat[4] had its own court called a kenbet, and an even larger court known as the djedjat overseen by the king held jurisdiction over all of Egypt. This legalistic philosophy came to be known as Hepism, or the School of Law(Sebayet-Hep).
Opposed to the Hepists were the School of the Philosophers(Sebayet-Mer-Rekh[5]), or the Merrekhists. The Merrekhists believed in a more individualistic interpretation of Atenism in which all it took to live on Ma’at was to have faith in the Aten. The Merrekhists strove to have a personal relationship with the Aten, an all-encompassing love of the creator which transcended the individual. Many prominent Merrekhists were also mystics and poets, and it wasn’t uncommon for Merrekhists to live as hermits in the desert as a “set along the path of Ma’at.” The Merrekhists placed unity with the Aten as their ideal, and sought to achieve that by letting go of the ego and becoming one with the Aten. Merrekhists were far more open to syncretism and incorporating local traditions than Hepists, and would become skilled missionaries; it was Merrekhists who converted Retjenu and Naharin to Atenism. As the New Kingdom began to decline, theological differences led to political differences as Hepism and Merrekhism became distinct political factions as well as theological positions. After the Bronze Age Collapse, lines would be drawn in the sand as the differences between Hepists and Merrekhists became irreconcilable, and the Atenist religion divided into two distinct, opposing sects.
[1]From Ancient Egyptian hp, meaning law(distinct from but related to ma’at, or cosmic order)
[2]Ancient Egyptian for “honored” or “esteemed”
[3]Apocryphal stories from the life of Akhenaten, from an Egyptian word meaning “to narrate“
[4]The main administrative division of Ancient Egypt
[5]From Egyptian mer-rekh, meaning “lover of wisdom” or “philosopher”
So Merrekhists are kinda like Buddhism version of Atenism while Hepism is closer to the Abrahamaic religions? Though that's probably a generalization. There's something of Protestanism and even Sufi Islam in Merrekhist beliefs.