Here we go ...

[The Grand Nudger]

Atenism wasn't monotheism, didn't survive the assassination of it's leader, and has no relationship or contact whatsoever to judaism, let alone the countless other monotheistic belief systems that have arisen throughout history and across the globe.

It is called monotheism, proto-monotheism might be a better term. And yes, it didn't last. As I said earlier, the people weren't happy about the change from polytheism at all.

As far as Judaism goes, the effect was more via the Zoroastrians monotheistic approach. Dating for the changes from poly to monotheism are given as the 9th to 6th centuries BC. The exile had much to do with changes too as they were living with the Zoroastrian people then, and their end times story was based on the Zoroastrian story ... the Saoshyant became the Messiah.

Dating in this, as said, is hard regarding the Zoroastrians as all the early texts are gone. The basic idea is monotheism has a history of development that we are part of today. Since the Hebrew tradition is all that's ever focused on because that's what we were told to believe, everything else is ignored. Monotheism NEVER existed in ANY religion prior to all this ... and even Zarathustra had an "experience" to get his version of the story rolling.

So much for akenaten being that one man.  Would you like to offer another candidate or is this done?

As for dating, juduaism as we know it doesn't appear to be any older than 150bc. Sure, though, monotheism is a relatively recent idea in the history of religious development, and it looks to be fundamentally related to politics. The transition from henotheism to monotheism is nothing if not a political statement. Our native impression, if we can call it that, is a plurality of divine beings just as there is a plurality of the actual beings upon whom they're modeled.