A theocracy is a government ruled by priests. Religious law is the law of the land. This form of government has been around for millennia. Nubia and Kemet were theocracies. This form of government was in Mesopotamia, India, China, Persia, Israel, Judah, Mexico, and Tibet as well. There were several Christian and Islamic theocracies. There are even sum religious run governments today!
Ancient Theocracies
Nubia
Nubians kings after the New Kingdom may have been connected to the Amen cult. The Amen cult ruled Upper Egypt for centuries. The Nubian kings took over Kemet in the 8th or 9th century BCE. They created the 25th dynasty. The 25th dynasty created Kemet last golden age. The pharaohs of this dynasty did what Amen wanted them to do. They found out what Amen wanted by consulting his oracle. Amen is one of the creator deities of Nubia and Kemet. Amen means hidden and represented the setting sun. He was in at least 2 trinities. Amen was combined with Ra during the New Kingdom. Nubia is one of the ancestors of Kemet. Kemet got monotheism, Heru, Asar, and the idea of the pharaoh from Nubia.
Kemet
The pharaoh was the Son of God(Ra). They were the physical representations of Heru. It was believed after the pharaoh dies he became a star. They were members of a priesthood. Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) created his own priesthood. He wanted everyone to worship Aten. He had a capital city built 4 Aten worship. He had all the Amen temples shut down. Amen was the national god b4 he took over. The Kemetians destroyed his monuments after he died because he went against their creator.
In Sumer, each city had a king. He was the mouthpiece of the deities. Priests were the only literate people in Sumer. Sumerians believed if they did the will the deities they would be protected and be blessed. If they upset the deities they would get flooded and invaded. The kings made sure the temples were pristine because they housed deities. The Assyrian king was the high priest of Ashur.
India
Some ancient Indian states were theocratic. The Brahmins and the Kshatriyas went to war with each other than they became friends. The war between the 2 castes may be more metaphorical than historical. It symbolizes virtues vs passions. Virtue can never beat passion unless it is allied to wisdom and courage.
The founder of Maurya Empire was a follower of Jainism. He promoted Jainism; a lot of Brahmins were upset about this. Later in life, he gave up being a king and became a Jain monk.
Bindrusara became the next emperor. He was the son of the first king. He followed Brahminism and Ajivika. Brahminism is the father of Hinduism; Ajivika is an Indian philosophy.
Ashoka was the grandson of the founder of the Maurya Empire. Ashoka promoted religious tolerance and told officials to help the poor. He converted to Buddhism after a war. He sent Buddhist missionaries to Egypt and the Middle East.
The emperors of the Gupta Empire were worshippers of Vishnu they and they did Bhakti. They claimed Vishnu gave them the power to rule. They promoted Brahminism. This empire lasted 4 more than 200 years.
China
During the Shang dynasty, the monarchy was seen as children of the sky god. After the Chou dynasty tookover, the monarchy moved to another city and continued doing rituals. Confucianism had a great impact on the Chinese government. Chinese people believed in the mandate of heaven. Every king of China since the Chou dynasty needed the mandate of heaven or they would get knocked off.
Persia
Zoroastrianism became the state religion of Persia in the 6th century. Cyrus the Great created a large empire, but he didn't impose Zoroastrianism on conquered people. He helped the Hebrews escape Babylonian oppression. I read that Yahweh was in cahoots with Ahura Maza. That's why he saved them. Zoroastrianism had a big impact on Judaism. The influence is easy to see in Christianity. Christianity was originally a form Judaism
Sanhedrin was a group of judges in Judah. The group was composed of Pharisees and Sadducees. There was 2 Sanhedrin; one greater the other lesser. The lesser was lower Sanhedrin courts and had 23 priests. The Greater Sanhedrin had 71 priests. It was the Supreme Court; it was more powerful than the king! They had taxation power, they set the calendar, they appointed ambassadors 4 Jewish communities in the diaspora, they determined property distribution in a divorce, etc.
Mexico
The Mayan king was the high priest of the city-state. Whenever he would speak to someone a cloth was held in front of his face. He was seen as a descendant of the Most High. The Aztec king was the high priest of the empire. All of the society was ruled by religion. Each clan worshipped a specific deity. The Inca king was the high priest of the empire. He thought he was the son of the Most High and the sun god. The Incas lived in South America. I included them in this section because I don't know much about ancient South American societies.
Tibet
This nation became Buddist over 2,000 years ago. There were cruel punishments for code breakers. Tibet was ruled by the Dali Lama until the communists take over. The Dali Lama is the leader of one of the sects of Tibetian Buddhism. The Dali Lama reincarnates every century. I read the life of Tibetans b4 the communists took over was hard and they had to pay a lot of taxes. I think some of that narrative is true; I also think some it is communist propaganda.
The emperor of Byzantine had the greatest political and religious power in the empire. He was seen as Yahweh representative on earth. The political ideas of Byzantine were heavily influenced Christianity. Byzantine was seen by its inhabitants as the earthly reflection of heaven. The emperor commanded Byzantine as Yahweh commanded heaven. Axum and Armenia were the first nations where Christianity became the state religion.
The first Islamic state ( a nation ruled by Islam) was in Medina, Arabia. It was ruled by Prophet Muhammad. After Muhammad died the leaders of Islamic State were called Caliphs. A caliphate is the territory of the Islamic State. The first caliphate after the death of Muhammad is called Rashidun. It lasted for 30 years. It was a large empire. The second caliphate was Umayyad. It was even larger than the Rashidun. Its capital was in Damascus. It lasted 4 a century. The last caliphate was the Ottoman Empire, which lasted for half a millennium. It was the largest Caliphate it controlled at least 35% of Asia if not more!
Modern Day Theocracies
Afghanistan was an Islamic state. It was ruled by sharia law. The Taliban controlled the country b4 the Christian (US military) crusades. The Christians imposed democracy on the country and they got opium growing again. The wrenched Christians are turning the opium into heroin to sell. I wouldn't be surprised if the Taliban take over and rule again. The Afghani people should be allowed to decide their own government. Instead, the Taliban and/or Christians keep them in political slavery. The Taliban is bad news because they believe in Wahabism, which is the worst form of Islam. Afghanistan shouldn't be ruled over by a foreign military neither. 'Every man is his own sovereign and every woman her own queen.' I support Afghani independence from all evildoers.
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam. The 2 holiest cities of Islam are located here as well. The House of Saud has ruled this land since 1932. The government persecutes people who practice other religions. Arabs conquered the Middle East and North Africa. That's why Islam is the 2nd biggest religion in the world. There is slavery in this country.
Yemen was ruled by sharia law. Now there is a civil war going on in Yemen. The Houthis are battling the Saudi military. The Houthis took over the country and ousted the Sunni president. The Houthis are Shia so they may be backed by Iran. A lot of innocent people are getting killed, so people should stop fighting and negotiate.
Vatican City is located in Rome, Italy. It is ruled by the Pope. He is the leader of the Catholic Church. Swiss Guards protect the Pope from his enemies. European Christians enslaved many people. They colonized the world. That is why Christianity is the most popular religion in the world.
Theocracy is the rule of religion. It has been around 4 millennia. There were many ancient theocratic civilizations. There are still sum today. Governments of the world should be secular, so people of different religions won't be persecuted. Religion clouds people judgment especially politicians. It shouldn't be involved in politics. If this is implemented there will be less religious wars. Governance and God should be kept separate. Don't be like the communists. They replaced the old religions with the worship of the state. That is a terrible idea because it will lead to more persecution. Peoples of various nations should create a common culture. This will allow different ethnic groups to treat each other more respectfully. This common culture, in my opinion, should be based on sovereignty and goodness (helping people, animals, and the environment). No one should harm the innocent ever!!!! I'm okay with people being religious, just not governments.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theocracy
Nubian and Ethiopian History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-fifth_Dynasty_of_Egypt
Kemet Theocracy
http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/amen.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amun#Identification_with_Min_and_Ra
http://www.heraldmag.org/olb/Contents/doctrine/The%20Origin%20of%20the%20Trinity.htm
http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub363/item1517.html#chapter-1
http://aumamen.com/story/a-war-between-kshatriyas-and-brahmins
https://www.quora.com/What-religion-did-Chandragupta-Maurya-follow-before-accepting-Jainism
Ajivika
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti
Guptas
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14356-theocracy
Theocracy in Israel
https://morrisgieselman.wordpress.com/2008/05/04/pharisees-sadducees-and-the-sanhedrin/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/sanhedrin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom_in_Tibet_controversy
Authenticating Tibet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet_(1912%E2%80%931951)
http://www.umass.edu/rso/fretibet/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_state#The_historical_Islamic_state
http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-theocratic-governments-today.html
https://prezi.com/7lwmflgpqjan/theocracy-incas-mayas-and-aztecs/
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