Kritarchy

Kritarchy, also called kritocracy, was the system of rule by Hebrew Bible judges (, see also shophetim) in ancient Israel, started by Moses according to the Book of Exodus, before the establishment of a united monarchy under Saul.

Because the name is a compound of the ancient Greek words , ("judge") and , ("to rule"), its colloquial use has expanded to cover rule by judges in the modern sense as well. To contrast such a rule by (modern) judges with the actual form of the 1996 Constitution of South Africa, judge Albie Sachs coined the term dikastocracy for it, from ("judge"), rejecting the coinage juristocracy for being an admixture of Latin and Greek. The word jurocracy has also been used by others.