THEOCRACY: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, ADVANTAGES, EXAMPLES - HISTORY - 2025

The theocracy is a form of government or a political system in which power wielding priest kings, princes, who act as spokesmen for God; the religious power, its representatives or ministers are those who exercise control. The governments of Afghanistan, Iran, and the Vatican (among others) are considered theocratic.

The word "theocracy" comes from the Greek words theos and kratos, which mean "god" and "power-government", respectively. So this word can be interpreted from its literal translation as the "government of God."

Augustus, the first Roman emperor, led a theocracy in imperial Rome. Source: Kunsthistorisches Museum

The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy defines it in two ways. The first refers to a government exercised by God and cites as an example the case of the Hebrews before the kings appeared. The second explains that the government or political authority is exercised - directly or not - by a religious power.

The fundamental basis of this form of government is that the authorities exercise their role "in the name of God", so there are no differences between the State and the religious institution proper; that is why a theocracy has no relation to a democratic government.

Origin and history

To speak of the origin of theocracy as a form of government, we must go back a long time, to times as far back as the very origin of a religion, whatever one chooses.

This is so because man, in his eagerness to explain things he did not understand, was the one who mythologized superior beings, whom he considered capable of controlling nature. These beings were the gods.

In the quest to exercise control over his fellow men, man attributed to himself the fact of being a descendant or having been chosen by those superior beings. Based on this notion, he began the fight for dominion over his peers "by the grace of God."

This phenomenon was repeated not only in Western cultures with Christianity and the Pope (and before with the Caesars), but also in other latitudes such as the Far and Middle East.

In this context, among the places that had theocracies, Ancient Egypt with its pharaohs, pre-Hispanic America with civilizations such as the Incas and Mayans, the Hebrews with the people of Israel and their kings, and the government in Tibet that remained stand out. in the hands of the highest religious leader Dalai Lama, among many other examples.

Ancient tribal societies

So how and where did the theocratic system start? It could be said that it originated in ancient tribal societies, in which there was a kind of shaman who had two roles to fulfill: that of spiritual leader and that of chief of the tribe.

If you look at the Bible, the first five books (the Pentateuch) also talk about similar governments that have something in common: the worship of deities and idolatries.

A community also appears and it can be spoken of a priestly caste, a tribe within the tribe that was dedicated solely to spiritual practices and was at the service of religion.

Fathers of theocracy

As a first reference you can have the great empires of antiquity. We refer to Egypt, Imperial Rome, and Japan; in these places the rulers were considered the personification of the gods.

The second reference that appears refers to representatives and not personifications: the priests. This group includes both Israel - at the time of the Exodus and the time of the Judges (according to the Bible) - and the Arab caliphates.

A third reference to theocracy, arguably more attenuated, is the one that includes Caesaropapism and the religious power of kings.

Examples of this notion are the kings of Spain, England and Monaco, among others, who, although nowadays do not exercise power or political control properly speaking, are considered “anointed” by God according to tradition.

characteristics

Religious law

The main characteristic of a theocratic government is that the way of life of the citizens and their rulers is dictated by religious dogmas. Therefore, their spiritual well-being is above the physical or material well-being.

The law by which they are governed is recorded in the so-called sacred scriptures, shaped by the divine inspiration that God or the gods gave to their representative on earth. This representative is a personification of these deities and is therefore perfect and omnipotent.

Centralized power

Power is centralized in one person or a very small group of people, and it is they who are in charge of exercising all control.

One religion

Since it is religion that dominates all aspects of life, there is only one official religious practice. In addition, the laws that the government dictates always coincide with these religious precepts.

In theocracy the government imposes beliefs; There is no freedom of worship, but the mandates of the dominant religion reign.

Coercion

The way in which citizens act responds to their individual thinking that has developed from their religious beliefs.

However, it is also regulated by the coercion mechanisms of the State and of society itself based on what the deeds dictate.

Non-existent democracy

As the people do not elect their rulers, in theocracy one cannot speak of democracy; citizens do not elect and cannot run in any election to represent their fellow citizens.

The leaders are personifications of God or they are those who represent him, so there is no room for opposition, since in most cases there is no one who wants to oppose God.

Advantage

In theocracy, God is the "supreme head" of the state, so the government can demand unconditional loyalty from its citizens. On the one hand, blind faith is obtained, since it is trust in God and not in man; and on the other, a divine mandate is never discussed, it is only fulfilled.

As a consequence of the above, there is a more obedient, united and rarely rebellious citizenry, so there are no civil uprisings, opposition to the government or ideological questions.

By conviction, war is religious, not political; therefore, there is no room for regrets. For this reason, from a strategic-military point of view, citizens end up being obedient and brave soldiers.

On the other hand, all citizens agree that the foundation of the laws must be of divine order; so these are not questioned.

Disadvantages

Because church and state go hand in hand, in a theocracy there are fewer civil liberties for citizens. Laws are not based on logic or justice but on what religion dictates; for this they are not discussed, much less can they be changed.

Likewise, there is no freedom of expression or, if it exists, it is severely restricted. You cannot criticize the government, because you would criticize God himself and his mandates.

In theocratic systems there is a tendency for governments to be authoritarian and intolerant of opinions that are against what the word of God says, which is considered the law.

Examples

Ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt the pharaohs were the highest political authority. They were those who exercised absolute power and considered themselves the representatives of the divinities.

In many cases they were priests. This highest religious authority brought together all the powers: the political, the judicial and the administrative.

One of the most famous was the Pharaoh Cheops, whose original name was Jhufu or Jnum-Jufu. This name meant "Jnum (the creator God) protects me"; that is to say, Cheops was the one anointed by the creator God.

He was the second pharaoh of his dynasty (which was the fourth) and is one of the most remembered because under his rule the Great Pyramid of Giza was built, on the outskirts of Cairo.

This pyramid was built by order of the pharaoh to be used as his tomb, and thus preserve its essence for all eternity. This was an honor that only the pharaohs could have as a living representation of the gods in this world.

Imperial rome

More recent than ancient Egypt is Imperial Rome. Augustus, the first Roman emperor, skillfully used the propagandistic resources offered by religion to deify himself, institutionalizing the cult of the empire and its maximum leader, Caesar: the people owed the Empire and the Caesar was the Empire, so the people owed themselves to Caesar.

After seizing power, Caesar Augustus changed the form of government in Rome transforming the Republic: he divided power between the Senate and the people, and the emperor and his caste.

He gave himself the title of prince of the Senate, in order to be associated with divinity. In addition, he proclaimed himself a proconsular emperor to take over the military power and appointed himself the great pontiff to be the religious leader. The last appointment that was awarded was that of father of the country.

Prehispanic america

Before the discovery there are records that in America there were civilizations whose form of government was theocracy. Such is the case of the Inca Empire, in which the leaders of the dominant family were worshiped as living deities.

Its king, the Inca sapa, was considered the son of the Sun, and the Sun was perceived as the star king, the main god responsible for the life of plants and animals.

Its economy was based precisely on agriculture, and being the Sun the main guarantor and caretaker of life, its representative on Earth was treated as a god.

Japan

For the Japanese the emperor embodied divinity. He was the highest religious and political leader because the gods had anointed him and manifested themselves through him. They dictated the rules and were in charge of protecting the people.

Initially, the emperor was a means to control the people through their beliefs, to maintain social organization.

However, when the Meiji emperor came to power, he declared the emperor as a sacred and inviolable entity, who exercised command in the company of his council of ministers. The people idealized the emperor as a god who had absolute power and control over the nation.

Israel

The Bible in its Old Testament indicates that God not only created the world, but was also its rightful ruler.

He was the one who inspired the people of Israel to free themselves from the Egyptians and to abide by the Torah, a work in which the trials, penalties and laws by which the people should behave are stipulated in advance.

Later the kings arose, who were a divine representation of that omnipotent and omnipresent God of which the Bible speaks.

Arab caliphates

Muhammad was succeeded by the so-called caliphs, who were responsible for increasing their political and religious dominance based on the teachings of the prophet.

According to the scriptures, Muhammad received divine revelation from God through the angel Gabriel and was inspired by him to preach his word, becoming the great prophet.

The rule of the caliphs extended throughout much of the Byzantine Empire until reaching Mesopotamia. In their wake, they converted the inhabitants of the conquered peoples to Islam, thus gaining greater economic, political and human power to expand even more to the West and East.

The caliphs proclaimed themselves successors to Muhammad, the highest spiritual leader. Consequently, they were the ones called to exercise power.

Examples: countries with theocratic governments today

Although they are few, there are still nations that follow the theocratic model as a form of government. Some of the most prominent with the following:

Vatican

If you like, it is the most representative and one of the oldest. It dates back to Pope Innocent III, who not only tried to impose Catholicism as the dominant religion on the world stage, but also wanted it to be the guideline of governments.

Innocent III imposed himself as a religious leader, as the absolute authority of the faith, and also made his power unquestionable by being the representation of God on Earth.

Tibet

For Tibetans the highest religious authority is the Dalai Lama, the incarnation of the Buddha and whose mission is to make Tibet a nation and a spiritual kingdom.

Political, social and spiritual control was ruled by this leader until 1959, the year in which the Chinese government forced this representative to cross the border and go into exile in India.

Other countries

Iran and Afghanistan are theocratic governments based on Islam. Mauritania, a small country in North Africa, also falls into this category.

Likewise, Saudi Arabia is recognized as an Islamic theocratic monarchy. Sudan and Yemen are also part of this group.

References

1. "Tibet: 60 years of exile" (no date) in El País. Retrieved on April 22, 2019 from El País: elpais.com
2. "Biography of Caesar Augustus, the first emperor" (no date) in RedHistoria. Retrieved on April 23, 2019 from RedHistoria: redhistoria.com
3. "Teocracia" (no date) in Real Academia Españ Retrieved on April 23, 2019 in Real Academia Española: dle.rae.es
4. "Theocracy" (no date) in Britannica. Retrieved on April 23, 2019 in Britannica: britanica.com
5. "Theocracy Countries 2019" (2019) in World Population Review. Retrieved on April 23, 2019 in World Population Review: worldpopulationreview.com
6. Erdbrink, Thomas. "The Iran Revolution at 40: From Theocracy to 'Normality'" (February 10, 2019) in The New York Times. Retrieved on April 23, 2019 in The New York Times: nytimes.com