noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Refers to a system of government in which religious leaders rule in the name of a deity, or a state governed by such a system.
Ancient Israel is said to have been a theocratic state.
Under a theocracy, religious authorities establish the laws.
Compound of 神 (shin, 'god, deity') and 政 (sei, 'government, rule'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common Sino-Japanese pattern for political systems.