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Theocracy and the Separation of Powers
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O'LEARY Brendan
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Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania
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Keywords: Theocracies, Economics, Relation between Church and States
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| Abstract: | This paper addresses whether a separation of powers is a necessary feature of a theocracy, and what may follow from the demonstration that it is either necessary or highly likely.
The first section of the paper considers a simple typology of possible theocracies - monotheistic and polytheistic religions on one dimension, and codified and non-codified beliefs on the other. Variants in organizational arrangements among theo-specialists are considered. The second section addresses the separation of powers in a monotheistic theocracy with codified beliefs (in written form). If the legislature is divine, and has already decreed the constitution of the good society, then the role of the rulers is to implement the divine law (the executive), and to adjudicate hard cases where the divine law is unclear (the judiciary). To what political (and not merely political) possibilities does this situation give rise? If the sacred texts are not self-evidently transparent, how does a theocratic government manage the inevitable hermeneutic questions? The third section addresses the territorial separation of powers in a theocracy. Can a monotheistic theocracy consistently 'federalize' God, or rather federalize the interpretation of God? |
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