Aristocracy vs. Theocracy — What's the Difference?

Aristocracy (Greek: ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, from ἄριστος aristos 'excellent', and κράτος, kratos 'rule') is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning 'rule of the best'.At the time of the word's origins in ancient Greece, the Greeks conceived it as rule by the best-qualified citizens—and often contrasted it favorably with monarchy, rule by an individual.

Theocracy is a form of government in which a deity of some type is recognized as the supreme ruling authority, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries that manage the day-to-day affairs of the government.The Imperial cult of ancient Rome identified Roman emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority (auctoritas) of the Roman State. The official offer of cultus to a living emperor acknowledged his office and rule as divinely approved and constitutional: his Principate should therefore demonstrate pious respect for traditional Republican deities and mores.

The highest class in certain societies, typically comprising people of noble birth holding hereditary titles and offices

Government ruled by or subject to religious authority.

A hereditary ruling class; nobility.

A country or state governed in this way.

Government by a ruling class.

Government under the control of a state religion.

A state or country having this form of government.

Rule by a god.

Government by the citizens deemed to be best qualified to lead.

Government of a state by the immediate direction or administration of God; hence, the exercise of political authority by priests as representing the Deity.

A state having such a government.

The state thus governed, as the Hebrew commonwealth before it became a kingdom.

A group or class considered superior to others.

A political unit governed by a deity (or by officials thought to be divinely guided)

The nobility, or the hereditary ruling class.

The belief in government by divine guidance

Government by such a class, or a state with such a government

A class of people considered (not normally universally) superior to others

Government by the best citizens.

A ruling body composed of the best citizens.

A form a government, in which the supreme power is vested in the principal persons of a state, or in a privileged order; an oligarchy.

The nobles or chief persons in a state; a privileged class or patrician order; (in a popular use) those who are regarded as superior to the rest of the community, as in rank, fortune, or intellect.

A privileged class holding hereditary titles

The most powerful members of a society