What was the nature of Akhenaten's religious beliefs?

During the XVIIIth Dynasty of New Kingdom Egypt (1550-1295BC), Amun became known as the 'King of Gods'. He was the father of the Pharaoh and the ruler of conquered lands. Religious belief was tied into every aspect of New Kingdom society. Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV, 1353-1337) completely changed the nature of this society - he proclaimed the Aten as the sole god of Egypt and abolished all others. Although different forms of sun worship had …

…the Egyptian Empire in Palestine during the Amarna Period', Palestine Exploration Quarterly, vol.174, pp. 123-133 Steindorff, G. & Seele, K. 1957, When Egypt Ruled the East, 2nd edn. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Thomas, A.P. 1988, Akhenaten's Egypt. Shire, Aylesbury. Tour Egypt (n.d.), 'The Great Aten'. Accessed 1 September 2005 from http://www.touregypt.net/aten.htm Wassef, A. 1991, 'Akhet-aton, City of the Sun', UNESCO Courier, Feb. 1991, pp.22- 23. Accessed 10 August 2005 from Expanded Academic ASAP database.