Theocracy, << thee AHK ruh see, >> is a form of government in which God, or a god, is recognized as the supreme ruler. The state may be ruled by priests or other religious leaders acting as God’s representatives; by a king thought to have divine power; or by authorities governing according to religious laws. The word theocracy comes from two Greek words, theos, which means God, and kratein, which means to rule.
Many ancient peoples believed that their god or gods had handed down laws for their government. The famous Code of Hammurabi was supposed to have been divinely revealed. The most famous theocracy was that of the Israelites, who believed God gave them laws and rules through Moses.
The Puritan government of Massachusetts in the 1600’s and 1700’s has been called a theocracy. It was conducted for many years on the principle of obedience to divine law, as interpreted by the clergy, although the clergy did not actually control the government.
A few theocracies have existed in the modern world. For example, Iran has been a theocracy since 1979, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, an Islamic religious leader, seized power. Today, members of the Islamic clergy hold key positions throughout the Iranian government. From the mid-1990’s to 2001, an extremist group called the Taliban ruled Afghanistan according to their strict interpretations of Islam.
