Moses and Akhenaten: Brothers in Alms

Two of the ancient world’s most enigmatic characters, Moses, who led the Israelites from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land, yet archaeologically didn't exist, and the heretical Pharaoh who overturned the religion of Egypt and was deliberately erased from history. Who were these two men and what was the legacy they left behind? To understand Moses and Akhenaten we need to understand the times they lived in. We need to establish how Moses came to be raised in a royal household; where he went when he left Egypt; what happened when he returned; how the circumstances of the Exodus occurred and under which Egyptian king did it take place. We must take a fresh look at whatever inscriptional evidence there is and re-evaluate the various texts that have survived. But before we do that, we need to understand why what we read in textbooks and encyclopaedias today, is not really 'cast in stone'.

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I started writing on this particular topic as a simple one post blog. It seemed a vaguely interesting idea; a link between Moses and the heretic pharaoh. How wrong I was. It grew into an unbelievable jigsaw puzzle that has led me down some very interesting paths. I have consciously and deliberately written this book for the people who don't know Ancient Egypt, or who only have recollections from history lessons at school mixed with Hollywood's take on the whole thing, rather than for academics. It is written to be understood by everybody.

Reviews

Ted Loukes has done intensive research in to the period of Moses in Egypt, a period glamorized in books and films, settings that make the child lifted from the cradle of reeds in the Nile and raised as an Egyptian instead of the leader from Israel that dominates the version from the Bible. He bases this book on his own research of forty years and presents to us a fresh look of that time and offers a version that is both fascinating reading and likely to be controversial among literalists. But most of all he has opened the windows of history, supplied maps and photographs and drawings that make his case entirely credible. As Ted has stated, `It was Sigmund Freud who first suggested that Moses was not a Hebrew, but was, in fact, of Egyptian noble stock and that he was a supporter of Akhenaten, or even Akhenaten himself. Freud claimed that Moses led his immediate followers out of Egypt during the instability that took over after Akhenaten died. The new religion that Moses established during the wanderings in the desert was actually his own interpretation of the Atenism that he had learned as a child in the Great House. What if Moses was indeed an Egyptian, a man of noble birth, a man certainly involved in the priesthood of the time? Let us look at the evidence, or maybe we should say relook, as much of what we have been told has been distorted by time, mistranslation, and by misunderstanding. Much of the archaeology, and indeed many of the translations of ancient texts and inscriptions, was done by scholars from an age far removed from our own, with very different societal beliefs, moralities and values. It is time we looked at these texts and inscriptions with 21st Century eyes, and maybe we will draw different conclusions and uncover different stories to the ones still taught in our schools today.’
Ted’s synopsis clarifies the path we are taking in reading this fascinating book: `Two of the ancient world’s most enigmatic characters, Moses, who led the Israelites from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land, yet archaeologically didn’t exist, and the heretical Pharaoh who overturned the religion of Egypt and was deliberately erased from history. Who were these two men and what was the legacy they left behind?’ And from this taking off point Ted illuminates history as few others have attempted in the course of a book meant for a wide audience. This is not a religious book, though he does respect the traditions time has honored. He derives the title for the book with a telling phrase; `In Buddhism, alms or alms giving is the respect given to a spiritually-developed person or other sentient being. It is not charity, as presumed by Western interpreters. It is closer to a symbolic connection to the spiritual realm and shows humbleness and respect in the presence of the secular society.’ His conclusion at the end of this mesmerizing book states `could Moses have been a real person and more importantly could that person have been the Crown Prince Tuthmose, son of Amenhotep III and brother to Akhenaten?’ It is up to the reader to absorb the years of investigation and supportive documents and perhaps open eyes a bit wider to accept knowledge recently uncovered by a very informed scholar – Ted Loukes.

By Grady Harp – Amazon HALL OF FAME,TOP 100 REVIEWER, VINE VOICE

Moses and Akhenaten: Brothers in Alms by Ted Loukes takes a fresh look at our most fundamental assumptions about these two men and ancient Egypt’s fascinating history. Ted has taken characters that we think we know and presented scenarios that challenge our fundamental belief systems. He sheds new light on ancient Egypt’s history, religious beliefs, social structure, and even proposes a far different chronology of events. Ted Loukes explains how our traditionally accepted timeline could be seriously flawed and pivotal events forced to fit false assumptions. Further, he illuminates how Egyptian religion and culture were far different from what we believe. Could Moses and Akhenaten have been brothers? Ted Loukes explores this fascinating question, and more! I found Moses and Akhenaten to be a fascinating story. Ted Loukes puts us into the thoughts and beliefs of a people that were at variance with what we imagine. We assume that we know what these two enigmatic characters were like, but it turns out that everything we think we know is not as plausible as we believe. For example, Akhenaten probably recognized sunlight as the one creative life force, and did not worship the sun. Could his brother, Moses, have shared this concept and could this simple idea have been the basis of monotheism? I appreciated that Ted laid the evidence out for this and much more without forcing conclusions. Moses and Akhenaten takes us on a fascinating quest for knowledge. This well written, well-illustrated work is a treasure that will capture your imagination!

Reviewed by Robert Kirkconnell for Readers’ Favorite

Ted Loukes has undertaken an epic journey of historical discovery in his book Moses and Akhenaten: Brothers in Alms. He has successfully expressed academic evidence of the connection between the cultures of the ancient Egyptians and that of the Israelites in a way that not only engages readers but also propels them into an adventure into the beginnings of the Western religious tradition.
The book has been extensively researched and the complex detail is counter balanced by the clear and concise summaries that appear at the end of each section. There are also a variety of new images relating to the Heretic King and Armana that I have not seen in other publications on this topic. Likewise the material and themes contained in the book will be of interest to those who are both new and experienced in this controversial area of Religious history. At times, the work transcends the bounds of religion and history to include philosophical aspects of belief that are important even in today’s world. As Loukes expresses the power of Aten through the words of Flinders Petrie;
“ It was a reaching forward to the truth with a truly philosophic view and determination, which anticipated the course of thought some thousands of years. “(Tell el-Amarna, Petrie)
This book not only stands on the shoulders of the other great works on this topic, it provides new insight and illumination in a way that leaves readers asking for more.

Tony Sunderland – Author: The Obelisk and the Cross