Son of God, Son of the Sun

Subtitled 'The life and philosophy of Akhenaten, King of Egypt', this is a new edition of a book first published in 1946. Few readers will have heard of Akhenaten, but he was clearly a remarkable man (his wife was Nefertiti) - having ascended the throne at the age of 13, he died at 29 in 1353 BC. The book characterises him the first individual in the modern sense - as a poet, philosopher and visionary prefiguring enlightened monarchs of later periods. The book has a hagiographical tone and much of the analysis is derived from the beautiful Hymns to Aten (the Sun), which unites in his mind light with love and beauty. A key concept is living in truth, which had practical implications for his politics of nonviolence as well as enjoining a life of sincerity in thought and action. His philosophy of the unity of life did not permit him to wage war against his neighbours, which contributed to his early demise. His teaching was universal in making the sun a central symbol, which also meant it was a natural rather than dogmatic religion. It must also have been one of the first to encourage individual perfection as the supreme goal. It is certainly illuminating to read about this inspiring monarch - this book revives his inspiration.