The Essenes were far more ancient than xianity. And,
although they have been mistakenly described as being
a 'monastery cult' living in Qumran, they actually had
groups who traveled extensively throughout the ancient
world teaching many things including the correct
history of the Habiru as well as medicine and the
'mysteries' surrounding certain rites.
Many historians believe that the Essenes traditions
reached far back into antiquity with 'Groups' which
practiced throughout the ancient world. It is also
believed that 'the Group' eventually became the core
of the Kights' Templar after the militant sects of
xianity evolved in the time of the Byzantines.
isis1037

--- LoukanisFamily <sloukanis@...> wrote:

> Hi, I am not an Egyptologist at all but a homeschool
> mom with a deep love of history. One of the things I
> note about historical changes in general is that
> they seldom pop up out of the blue..especially
> changes in religion. For example, Christianity
> didn't start out as Christianity ..it started out as
> a Jewish cult. And there were other cults that
> popped up at the same time.. like the Essenes, and
> those because of dissatisfaction with the way things
> were at the time. I guess I am asking a question
> here..were there any signs of such a change to
> monotheistic religion before Akhenaton came along?
> Were there other cults that showed up at the same
> time that would signify a generally unhappiness with
> the monopoly of the priesthood of Amun?Allison
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Danny
> To: horizonaten@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 6:24 PM
> Subject: [horizonaten] The Amarna Regime
>
>
> Dear members,
>
> As the first major discussion for Horizon of the
> Aten since the
> announcement of the reforms in the Avis-Pirum
> Network, I thought it
> would be an interesting idea to discuss whether
> Akhenaten's reign
> signified a flare of Absolutism; therefore
> implying that the Amarna
> Period was surprisingly 'modern' in respect to
> ancient Egyptian
> civilisation. Though the Amarna Period is most
> obviously remembered
> as a religious overhaul it is important that we
> also consider it's
> political ramifications. Though this may seem
> obvious, I believe the
> theological debate often overshadows the
> administrative revolution
> which occurred simultaneously.
>
> First of all, I think an important factor behind
> Akhenaten's
> motivations is an attempt to stifle the huge
> influence the Amun
> priesthood held over Egypt. Joyce Tyldesley
> affirms that Amun became
> the 'dominant economic force' in the south,
> accumulating its wealth
> through farmers, labourers, herds (also leased
> out), ships and mines.
> Moreover, she explains that this weakened the
> king's hegemony and
> made him a 'peripheral figure'. Therefore, a great
> majority of the
> population (notably those who benefitted from the
> Amun cult) surely
> felt a primary allegiance to the temple rather
> than the distant king.
> However, Amenhotep II, Tuthmosis IV and Amenhotep
> III all attempted
> to impress monarchical control over the cult by
> appointing their own
> followers (typically northerners) as High Priest
> of Amun. Therefore,
> this would imply that the young Akhenaten, deeply
> encouraged by his
> predecessors' attempts to limit Thebes' virtual
> monopoly on Egypt,
> orchestrated his infamous assault with the intent
> of strengthening
> Pharaonic power and symbolically justified it by
> aligning himself
> with an obscure, 'new' deity, whose monotheistic
> connotations
> delivered a clear message that the king's power
> was indivisible and
> absolute.
>
> Any thoughts, revered Egyptologists?
>
> Many thanks,
> Danny
>
>
>
>


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