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Church and State
The struggle for Power
November/December 2004 Issue No. 21
Published in Trinidad and Tobago
By One Piankhi
Posted: January 25, 2005
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How can we sing our Lord's song in this strange land - Psalms 137
Today we look at a major obstacle that has, and is still creating serious problems for us Afrikans in the Diaspora. The conflict between church and state, for supremacy and total control of the minds of the people, not to mention their money.
We will revisit a period in our glorious past, a period when a split occurred between the state and the church, that has had such a profound effect on us even to this day. The period known as the eighteenth dynastic period is considered as the greatest throughout the entire Nile valley era of civilization.
Towards the end of the eighteenth dynasty we have Pharaoh Amenophis III on the throne. The list we have of his long reign was an era of prosperity such as Egypt had never previously enjoyed.
After having driven out the Hykos invaders, Egypt regained her power and glory and took it to even greater heights over this eighteenth dynastic period.
After his death, his son came to the throne as Amenhotep IV. This Pharaoh will later change his name to Akhenaton, thus starting a religious and social upheaval that its effects are still felt even to this day.
The cultural system that was in vogue at the time was the same that had prevailed for thousands of years. Everyone, everything was in sync with the official system of worship that the Pharaoh and the government adhered to.
This system of culture and spirituality came down the Nile from time immemorial. This system of one sole God, prevailing over all others predated Akhenaton thousands of years. Now, every district, town, village etc. had a divinity whom they worshipped as their benevolent being, but that divine one, was subject to or was an attribute of the sole Almighty God Ra, or Amen-Ra (Shango, Ogun, Oya e.g. are attributes of Oledemare).
To sustain all the various deities a large priesthood developed, which in turn spawned, centres of learning, schools, temples, craft guilds, etc. The priesthood became very powerful hence, the officials for government position invariably also came from the priesthood. As long as the multitude of gods was worshipped, the people living in the various cities will pay tithes, dues, etc, to the churches.
The church then which made up the government of the day meant that church and state were one. One system of belief, one faith, the entire nation in harmony with the leadership this was the foundation of prolonged success which the Nile valley civilization was built upon.
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When Pharaoh Akhenaton came to the throne, he began to change a very fundamental basis of power; indeed only the Pharaoh, as representative of the one sole God on earth, had the power to attempt. He reinstituted the system of worship to the one sole God; he ceased to give financial support to the priesthood hereby undermining their sway over the people.
Everything began to change, under the rule of Akhenaton, new methods were introduced in art, writing, forms of prayers, diplomacy.
In the area of forcing affairs, he instructed that the borders of the Empire not be extended. Thus ushered in an era of peaceful co-existence this policy shattered the power of Africa ever since, to this very day.
To the conquered nations and others, he was hailed as the "Prince of Peace" a title which was eventually given to Jesus Christ in latter times.
Disharmony and discontent began to swell at home. The Pharaoh was accused of not paying attention to the worldly matters of state, but solely concentrating on redeveloping the system of worship to one sole God.
A split developed between the state as embodied the Pharaoh and his followers and the church as embodied by the priesthood. The Pharaoh left the city and built a new city Akhetaten, the horizon of Aten (Amen-Ra). The glory and magnificence of the new city was indeed something to behold, thus widening the split between the head of state and the government.
Because of the Pharaoh's non-violent and peaceful co-existence policy, a number of conquered nations were given their independence. This policy began a series of incursions, that began to threaten the very security of the state. Egypt was in trouble. Many areas of external revenue began to dry up, unrest spread throughout the empire and inside Egypt itself. The state was completely divided, the followers of Pharaoh on one side and the priesthood on the other.
The military began to grumble because the army had to retreat due to the official government policy as proclaimed by the Pharaoh.
As unrest continued throughout the vast empire, the military began to make moves to consolidate the state. The church, after losing so much ground, joined with the army to instigate a putche. The staging of a coup although not easy in a system of government where Pharaoh personified God on earth, nevertheless was accomplished due to the crisis that prevailed.
There are many theories as to how Akhenaton died, but decidedly upon his death, Tutankhamon (King Tut) became Pharaoh.
King Tut was just a teenager, definitely no match for the intrigues of the court officials, who were determined to return to the system that benefited them most. The Pharaoh Tutankhamon did not last long.
An aged official by the name of Ay came to the throne. The ongoing conflicts and falling standards continued. The army under General Horemheb made its move. Horemheb stabilized the alarming situation, calm was returned to the land. The old system was reinstituted, the church regained its power, the older system of worship to the sole God was despised.
Pharaoh Akhenaton was indeed a phenomenon; even today he is not fully understood. How can a man so powerful, with all the world at his command, turn his back on worldly gains to serve only his belief in the sole God, a belief which was ancient to him, that belief he felt could create peace and love throughout the world. He did not succeed.
The eighteenth dynasty passed and the nineteenth dynasty brought into being another period of magnificence.
African history has not been surpassed in the world even to this day. It was the dynasty of the great Rameses, more so of Pharaoh Rameses II.
When church and state are not in tune, chaos rules the land. The African brothers and sisters in the Diaspora today are still reeling from the reversals of those remote periods.
But we are not dead, only asleep. Wake up!
Until reflection: Psalms 104 is half of the hymn to the God Aten, written by Pharaoh Akhenaton/Amenhotop IV.
Tribute to Lidj Yasu Piankhi Omowale
Hail! You giant among men
You! Soldier of the people, fruit of great seeds, nurtured in holy womb.
You came forth, you shouted our songs
You called haile to our gods,
Our gods answered you, they gave you a burden
You carried the sun manfully as a true son of the sun.
You passed by our gates, the gates were not locked
You hailed us our.
I too, came at the song of your voice, many also rushed to you when you called
Praise be to you as you have crossed the waters, merry be your time in the other land
maat is merciful, Asur will call you to his side
we will not stop. Amen
From the houses of Khufu, Thema and Amen-meri MeN-Kha-ra Pianki
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