The Aten was defined as a universal, omnipresent spirit that not only had created the universe, but also ruled it. It has been argued that Akhenaten's choice of monotheism was not only motivated by religious speculations, but was also an attempt to increase the power of the Pharaoh at the expense of the local temples and their officials; priests who, through the all-consuming worship of Amun on the part of the entire Egyptian social hierarchy, had become both rich and politically important.
These new religious views also appeared to help influence a major break in the traditional art of the time. Rather than producing idealized portraits as had been done for hundreds of years prior, Akhenaten encouraged artists to represent him in informal situations - basking in Aten's benevolent rays. With his blessing, the artists portrayed Akhenaten not as a conqueror, riding in a war chariot and trampling his enemies, but as a family man, relaxing with Nefertiti, his queen, and his daughters. The Hymn to the Aten, a hymn written by Akhenaten for the purpose of the appeasement of the Aten, though it offered new ideas on Egyptian religion, was arguably an attempt by a ruler who enjoyed the idea of a divine title to regain what his predecessors had. The religious reforms brought about by Akhenaten were intended to restore the position of the Pharaoh to the level of absolute rule which had once been held due to belief that the Pharaoh was the personification of the gods.
This belief that the Pharaoh was indeed the personification of the gods, and could therefore not be challenged in any way, either pertaining to belief systems or actual administration of the empire, was perhaps the reason why his religious reforms never incurred mass protests of any kind. In most cases, Ancient Egyptian society's belief that Pharaoh, as a God-King, was always right was so implicit that despite what they themselves fundamentally believed, they would follow Pharaoh blindly.
