THEOCRACY ( ), ( Gr. OeoKparla, theh-ok-rat-ee'ah, rule of God).
Josephus coined the word theocracy to describe the government instituted at Sinai. He says: "Our legislator . . . ordered our government to be what I may call by a strained expression a theocracy, attributing the power and the authority to God" (con. Apion. ii. 17). Jehovah was the head of the nation, dwelling in its midst between the cherubim (Exod. xxv :22). In him all the powers of the state, legislative, executive, judicial, were united. As legislator, he announced the fundamental law of the state in the hearing of the congregation. After that immediate presentation of himself to the nation, he exercised his govern mental offices for the most part through men whom he raised up. Like all potentates, he dele gated the judicial function for the most part to judges; only the most difficult matters were re ferred to Jehovah (Exod. xviii:19). (See UR1M and THUM HIM ). his legislative function he ex ercised through Moses and through prophets (Dent. xviii:15-t9). Legislation was intermit tent ; the given body of laws was a sufficient rule, and seldom required modification or enlargement. The executive function was likewise exercised for many years intermittently through leaders, called judges, who were raised up from time to time, and who, accredited by the great deeds which were wrought by their hands, secured public con fidence and became the acknowledged head in state affairs.
The theocratic government was proposed by God at Sinai on condition of obedience (Exod. xix :4-9). The terms were accepted by the elders of the people (7, 8). (Davis' Bib. Dict.) In keeping this allegiance to Jehovah, as their immediate and supreme Lord, they were to ex pect the blessings of God's immediate and partic ular protection in the security of their liberty, peace, and prosperity, against all attempts of their idolatrous neighbors; but if they should break their allegiance to Jehovah, or forsake the cove nant of Jehovah, by going and serving other gods, and worshiping them, then they should forfeit these blessings of God's protection, and the anger of Jehovah should be kindled against the land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in the book of Deuteronomy (xxix :e5-27). The
substance then of this solemn transaction between God and the Israelites (which may be called the original contract of the Hebrew government) was this :—If the Hebrews would voluntarily con sent to receive Jehovah their lord and king, to keep his covenant and laws, to honor and worship him as the one true God, in opposition to all idol Ltry : then, though God as sovereign of the world rules over all the nations of the earth, and all nations are under the general care of his provi dence, he would govern the Hebrew nation by pe culiar laws of his particular appointment, and bless it with a more immediate and particular protection; he would secure to them the invalu able privileges of the true religion, together with liberty, peace, and prosperity, as a favored people above all other nations. This constitution, it will be observed, is enforced chiefly by temporal sanc tions, and with singular wisdom, for temporal blessings and evils were at that time the common and prevailing incitements to idolatry ; but by thus taking them into the Hebrew constitution, as rewards to obedience and punishments for dis obedience, they became motives to continuance in the true religion, instead of encouragements to idolatry. (See JUDGES; HEBREWS, RELIGION OF THE.)