Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/626

 THEOCRACY

568

THEODARD

the future of the Church, he maintained good relations with the Court, especially with his former disciple Thomas, who had now become chancellor. He ex- pressed to John of Salisbury his hope that Thomas would succeed him. Throughout his pontificate he had continual trouble with the monks of Christ- church, but in every instance his action was jus- tified finally. He was buried in Canterbury Cathe- dral, where eighteen years afterwards his body was found incorrupt.

The Chronicles of Gervase of Canterbury, William of Malmesbury, Kalph de Diceto. Henry of Huntingdon, Gi- HALDUS Cambresis in Rolls Series, and many other medieval chroniclers including Howlett, Chronicles of the reigns of Stephen, Henry II, etc. in R. S. (London, IS84-9); Materials for the His- tory of St. Thomas a Becket in R. S. (London, 1875-85); Milo, Vita Theobaldi in P. L.. CL., 734; TheobaUi Cantuariensis Epis- copi Epistolce et Teslamentum in P. L., CXCIX, and CXC; Ber- INGTON, History of Henry II (London, 1790) ; Lingard, History of England (London, 1819-30); Hook, Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury (London, 1860-84); Hardy, Descriptive Catalogue, II (London, 1865); Norg.ate, England under the Angevin Kings (London, 1887) ; Hunt in Did. Nat. Biog., a. v.

Edwin Bdbton.

Theocracy, a form of civil government in which God himself is recognized as the head. The laws of the commonwealth are the commandments of God, and they are promulgated and expounded by the accredited representatives of the invisible Deity, real or supposed — generally a priesthood. Thus in a theocracy civic duties and functions form a part of religion, implying the absorption of the State by the Church or at least the supremacy of the latter over the State. The earliest recorded use of the term "theocracy" is found in Josephus, who appa- rently coins it in explaining to Gentile readers the organization of the Jewish commonwealth of his time. Contrasting this with other forms of govern- ment — monarchies, oligarchies, and republics — he adds: "Our legislator [Moses] had no regard to any of these forms, but he ordained our government to be what by a strained expression, may be termed a theocracy [SeoKparlav], by ascribing the power and authority to God, and by persuading all the people to have a regard to him as the author of all good things" (Against Apion, book II, 16). In this connexion Josephus enters into a long and rather rambling discussion of the topic, but the entire pas- sage is instructive.

The extent to which the ideals of the Mosaic theo- cracy were realized in the history of the Chosen People is a matter of controversy. Many eminent scholars are inclined to restrict its sway almost exclusively to the post-exilic period, when unques- tionably the hierocratic rule and the ordinances of the Priestly Code were more fully carried into effect than in any of the preceding epochs. Be that as it may, and waiving critical discussion of the Old- Testament writings with which the solution of the question is intimately connected, attention may be called to the fact that a belief in the theocratic rulership of nations and tribes is, in form more or less crude, characteristic of the common fund of Semitic religious ideas. The various deities were considered as having a territorial jurisdiction, fight- ing for their respective peoples and defending the lands in which they dwelled. This is amply proved by the ext;mt historic .and religious records of the AssjTians ;Hui Babylonians, and the .s.ame idea finds occasional expression in the Old Testament itself (see, for instance, Judges, xi, 23 sq.; I Kings, xxvi, 19; Ruth, i, 15, 16, etc.). In a passage of the Book of Judges, Gideon is represented as refusing to accept the kingship offered to him by the people ;ifter his victory over the Madianilcs, in terms implying that the establishiiient of a permanent monarchy would involve disloyally to the rule of Yahweh. "I will not rule over you, neither .-shall my son rule over you, but the Lord shall rule over you (Judges, viii, 23).

More explicit and stronger expression is given to the same view in the First Book of Kings in connexion with the appeal of the people to the aged prophet Samuel to constitute a king over them after the manner of the other nations. The request is dis- pleasing to Samuel and to the Lord Himself, who commands the prophet to accede to the wishes of the people that they may be punished for their rejec- tion of His kingship. "And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee. For the}- have not rejected thee, but me, that I should not reign over them" (I Kings, viii, 7). Again in chap, xii Samuel, in his final dis- course to the peoiile, reproaches them in similar words: "you said to me: Nay, but a king shall reign over us: whereas the Lord your God was your king". And at the call of the prophet the Lord sends thunder and rain as a sign of His displeasure, "and you shall know and see that you yourselves have done a great evil in the sight of the Lord, in desiring a king over you".

The bearing of these passages on the historic mstitution of the theocracy varies in the estimation of different scholars according to the date assigned by them to the sources to which the passages belong. Wellhausen and his school, chiefly on a priori grounds, consider them as retouches of the post-exilic period, but it is far more probable that they form a part of a much older tradition, and indicate that a belief in the Lord's kingship over the Chosen People existed prior to the establishment of the earthly monarchy. At the same time, there is no sufficient warrant for assuming on the authority of these texts that the theocratic rule in Israel came to an end with the inauguration of the monarchy, as is plain from the narration of the Lord's covenant with King David and his descendants (II Kings, vii, 1-17). According to the terms of this covenant the earthly monarch remains under the control of the heavenly King, and is constituted His vicegerent and representative. And this direct dependence of the king on the Lord for wisdom and guidance is assumed throughout the historical records of the Hebrew monarchy. The supreme test of the worthiness of any king to occupy his exalted position is his fidelity to the Lord and His revealed law. The historical books, and still more the writings of the prophets, voice the constant belief that God exercised a special and efficient rule over Israel by blessings, punishments, and deliverances. In the post-exilic period the hierocratic rule became the dominant feature of the Jewish theocracy, and, in spite of its limitations and perversions, it pre- pared, according to the designs of a wise Providence, the way for the New Dispensation — the Kingdom of Heaven so often mentioned in the Gospels.

VlGOUROUX. Dictioitriaire (U la BibU, s. v.

James F. Driscoll.

Theodard, Saint, Archbishop of Narbonne, b. at Montauban about 840; d. at the same place 1 May, 893. He seems to have belonged to a noble and wealth}' family and to have studied with great zeal both ecclesiastical and secular learning in his youth. He gave proof of his education and skill when he was a subdeacon at a synod at Toidouse that was called upon to settle a dispute between the Jews of the place and Bishop Bernhard. In this way the presiding officer of the syno<l. Archbishop Sigebod of Nar- bonne (S73-SS.")'i, came to have so high an opinion of Theodard that he made him his archdeacon. In this position Theodard distinguished himself by faultless morals, modesty, piety, and charitableness, and was "eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, a father to the poor, and the consoler of all t h(Mippressed " . After Sigebod's death (88,5) Theodard was elected his suc- cessor, consecrated on 15 August, 885, and in 886 went to Rome to obtain the jiallium from Stephen VI.