Theocracy

Greek theokratia — rule by God. From theos (God) + kratein (to rule). Coined by the Jewish historian Josephus in the 1st century CE to describe the government of ancient Israel as ruled by divine law rather than human kings.

Iran since 1979 is the clearest contemporary example — the constitution grants supreme authority to a senior Islamic jurist. Vatican City is a theocracy in that its government derives from religious authority. The Taliban's Afghanistan is another example. The term is also applied loosely to describe political movements that seek to govern according to religious principles — Christian nationalism in the United States, for instance — though these are more accurately described as theocratic movements than as theocracies.