Definition
Theocracy is a system of government in which ultimate political authority is held by religious leaders or is exercised in the name of a deity, with religious law treated as the supreme law of the state. The word means rule by God.
In practice, theocracy means rule by those who claim to speak or act for the divine. Clergy or religious bodies either govern directly or hold a controlling check over secular officials.
Why it matters
How it works
A theocracy derives legitimacy from religious sanction rather than from popular consent or hereditary right. Because the law is held to be of divine origin, it is presented as beyond ordinary amendment, and those who interpret scripture also interpret the law.
This concentration of authority makes theocracies stable in their core claim but rigid in practice. Political opposition can be framed as not merely wrong but sinful, which is why theocratic rule and the suppression of religious dissent have frequently gone together.