The modern church as well as governments has come from very far. These two have at times worked in collaboration with each other and at times their views have contradicted. If the history of the church and the government is looked into critically, one cannot help but wonder about the similarities as well as differences that history portrays. The big question one may ask is whether the modern church is a theocracy just like the church in the medieval age.
According to Halsall (para.1), the church was so powerful during the medieval ages. Church leaders had extreme power which they used to suppress the prince and the kingship. Church leaders were able to subject the empire to them. They believed that if the empire was subdued, the way would open for them to subject the rest of the kingdoms. The church was however, under obligation to the empire and the emperors. The laymen used their powers with wrong intent and acquired massive wealth. The laymen did not realize that all jurisdictions were permitted to the clergy and not to them regarding the people as well as the goods of the ecclesiasts. Laymen in the mediaeval ages imposed heavy burdens and taxes and levies upon the prelates of the churches and on ecclesiastical persons, monastic as well as the people. They required of a tenth or a defined portion of revenue generated by the people. The laymen tried in many ways to subject the people and the clergy to slavery in order to reduce them to their goods as well as their sway. Halsall (para, 16) states that emperors and all those in authority were not supposed to impose or take any payment from the church. The authority was also not supposed to arrest or take possession of the churches belongings. Any person who, while in authority, misused the belongings of the church was excommunicated. The church of the modern world differs from that of the medieval time in that, it cannot impose taxes and levies on the clergy or any other person. However, the government has authority to impose taxes on the church. The powers of the lay men in the medieval ages were not communal their property also was not communal. Every church leader was master of his property. They had freedom to do whatever they liked with whatever they had. However, the church property was not owned by any one person. It was considered as a Gods gift to the community. The Pope did not have the right to misuse the church property. This is the case even today. Church leaders have authority over all property they own. They however, do not have authority over churchs property all they are required to do is to manage. In the modern times just like the ancient times anyone who misuses the church property is excommunicated
As stated by Fordham University (para, 12), the government under the leadership of the king acted as a central point of power. The king had charge for the common good of all. Church leaders were also required in the exercise of power. The church and its leadership acted to direct mankind to the supernatural end of life. The church as well as the kingship revered God as the Supreme Being (Morrall, p. 90). God was taken as the supreme priest of the world. Church leadership of the medieval age believed that, after Christ ascended to heaven, He left the duty of administering the sacraments to the priests. The church believed that it had more power than the government because there was a supreme priest in the world, but there was no supreme world-wide king. However, the unity of the church required the presence of a worldly authority to settle disputes (Fordham University, para.13). This is very similar to the modern church. It also requires the presence of a higher authority, the government, to settle disputes. The church believed that one man could not hold the authority of the world, but a single person could hold the spiritual authority in the universe. They believed that spiritual power could extend its sanctions far and wide since it was verbal. Secular power could not, on the other hand, extend its sanctions far and wide because it was wielded by hand. It was easier to extend verbal than physical power.
When we look back at the big question, whether the modern church is a theocracy just like the church in the medieval age, we can only conclude that the modern church is not a theocracy and the trend taken by modern governments will never take the church to a theocracy state. Though the modern governments may have a state religion they do not believe in a supernatural power governing the world. The modern church has very little say in the government and it functions under the rule of the government. The government is more powerful than the church.
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