Theocracy

Theocracy is defined by the Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language as 'a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. His laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.' The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as a 'government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided', while the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as 'a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.' Therefore, states such as the Papal States or the German prince-bishoprics, while ruled by a cleric, were not theocracies since their civil government was run on the same lines as secular states and did not claim immediate divine guidance.The constitution of the Byzantine Empire was based on the conviction that it was the earthly copy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as God ruled in Heaven, so the Emperor, made in His image, should rule on earth and carry out his commandments....It saw itself as a universal empire. Ideally, it should embrace all the peoples of the Earth who, ideally, should all be members of the one true Christian Church, its own Orthodox Church. Just as man was made in God's image, so man's kingdom on Earth was made in the image of the Kingdom of Heaven. Theocracy is defined by the Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language as 'a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. His laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.' The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as a 'government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided', while the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as 'a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.' Therefore, states such as the Papal States or the German prince-bishoprics, while ruled by a cleric, were not theocracies since their civil government was run on the same lines as secular states and did not claim immediate divine guidance. The word theocracy originates from the Greek θεοκρατία meaning 'the rule of God'. This in turn derives from θεός (theos), meaning 'god', and κρατέω (krateo), meaning 'to rule'. Thus the meaning of the word in Greek was 'rule by god(s)' or human incarnation(s) of god(s). The term was initially coined by Flavius Josephus in the first century A.D. to describe the characteristic government of the Jews. Josephus argued that while mankind had developed many forms of rule, most could be subsumed under the following three types: monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy. The government of the Jews, however, was unique. Josephus offered the term 'theocracy' to describe this polity, ordained by Moses, in which God is sovereign and his word is law. Josephus' definition was widely accepted until the Enlightenment era, when the term started to collect more universalistic and negative connotations, especially in Hegel's hands. The first recorded English use was in 1622, with the meaning 'sacerdotal government under divine inspiration' (as in Biblical Israel before the rise of kings); the meaning 'priestly or religious body wielding political and civil power' is recorded from 1825. In some religions, the ruler, usually a king, was regarded as the chosen favorite of God (or gods) who could not be questioned, sometimes even being the descendant of, or a god in their own right. Today, there is also a form of government where clerics have the power and the supreme leader could not be questioned in action. From the perspective of the theocratic government, 'God himself is recognized as the head' of the state, hence the term theocracy, from the Koine Greek θεοκρατία 'rule of God', a term used by Josephus for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.Taken literally, theocracy means rule by God or gods and refers primarily to an internal 'rule of the heart', especially in its biblical application. The common, generic use of the term, as defined above in terms of rule by a church or analogous religious leadership, would be more accurately described as an ecclesiocracy. In a pure theocracy, the civil leader is believed to have a personal connection with the civilization's religion or belief. For example, Moses led the Israelites, and Muhammad led the early Muslims. There is a fine line between the tendency of appointing religious characters to run the state and having a religious-based government. According to the Holy Books, Prophet Joseph was offered an essential governmental role just because he was trustworthy, wise and knowledgeable (Quran 12: 54–55). As a result of the Prophet Joseph's knowledge and also due to his ethical and genuine efforts during a critical economic situation, the whole nation was rescued from a seven-year drought (Quran 12: 47–48). When religions have a 'holy book', it is used as a direct message from God. Law proclaimed by the ruler is also considered a divine revelation, and hence the law of God. As to the Prophet Muhammad ruling, 'The first thirteen of the Prophet's twenty-three year career went on totally apolitical and non-violent. This attitude partly changed only after he had to flee from Mecca to Medina.This hijra, or migration, would be a turning point in the Prophet's mission and would mark the very beginning of the Muslim calendar. Yet the Prophet did not establish a theocracy in Medina. Instead of a polity defined solely by Islam, he founded a territorial polity based on religious pluralism. This is evident in a document called the ’Charter of Medina’, which the Prophet signed with the leaders of the other community in the city.' According to the Quran, Prophets were not after power or material resources. For example in surah 26 verses (109, 127, 145, 164, 180), the Koran repeatedly quotes from Prophets, Noah, Hud, Salih, Lut, and Shu'aib that: 'I do not ask you for it any payment; my payment is only from the Lord of the worlds.' While, in theocracy many aspects of the holy book are overshadowed by material powers. Due to be considered divine, the regime entitles itself to interpret verses to its own benefit and abuse them out of the context for its political aims. An ecclesiocracy, on the other hand, is a situation where the religious leaders assume a leading role in the state, but do not claim that they are instruments of divine revelation. For example, the prince-bishops of the European Middle Ages, where the bishop was also the temporal ruler. Such a state may use the administrative hierarchy of the religion for its own administration, or it may have two 'arms'—administrators and clergy—but with the state administrative hierarchy subordinate to the religious hierarchy. The papacy in the Papal States occupied a middle ground between theocracy and ecclesiocracy, since the pope did not claim he was a prophet who received revelation from God and translated it into civil law.