theocracy
thee-AH-kruh-see
/θiˈɒkrəsi/
A system of government in which priests or religious leaders rule in the name of God or a god.
Refers specifically to direct political governance by religious leaders claiming divine sanction, rather than a mere religious population.
The story behind the word. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus coined 'theocracy' in the first century CE while attempting to explain the ancient Jewish commonwealth to Greek readers. Combining 'theos' (god) and 'kratos' (power), he noted that while other nations were monarchies, oligarchies, or democracies, Israel's constitution placed supreme authority directly in God's hands.
Word relationships
- hierocracy: Hierocracy refers specifically to rule by priests, whereas theocracy emphasizes rule by God through religious representatives.
- secular state: A secular state separates political power completely from religious institutions.
Commonly confused with
- autocracy: Autocracy is rule by a single person with unlimited power, whereas theocracy is rule based on religious authority.
Word family
- theocrat (noun): A ruler in a theocracy.
- theocratic (adjective): Relating to or constituting a theocracy.
- theocratically (adverb): In a theocratic manner.
Collocations
- Islamic theocracy
- incipient theocracy
- theocracy and democracy
- rule of theocracy
Example sentences
- "Josephus coined the term, writing that 'our legislator had no regard to any of these forms, but he ordained his government to be what, by a strained expression, may be termed a Theocracy.'" Historical Citation (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion (c. 94 CE))
- "Following the 1979 revolution, Iran established a Islamic theocracy governed by a supreme religious scholar." Political Analysis
Memory hook
THEO (god) + CRACY (democracy/rule) = rule by God. Theo's Divine Government.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a secular democracy that happens to have a deeply religious citizenry.
Fun facts
- Josephus created the word because classical Greek had no term for a government where God is the supreme political sovereign.
Related words
Explore more words
anticlerical, autocracy, plutocracy, secularism, theology, monotheism
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