ABSTRACT
Religion and politics have been interconnected throughout history. For every ancient political entity for which we have records, religion was intimately connected to politics. This is true of ancient Egypt and Greece as well as the Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires, and it continued in the feudal states that followed the fall of the Roman Empire. It is true even of prehistory. The Old Testament records a time when separation of religion and state was unheard of. Each city or nation had its own god. People sought the approval of their gods when they went to war, and brought these gods, or symbols representing their gods, with them. When one side was victorious, its national religion was often imposed upon the vanquished. The political leaders of some states, such as the Pharaohs of Egypt and the pre-Christian emperors of Rome, were themselves considered gods.
