Introduction
Understanding Samaritanism
The Samaritans consider themselves as descendants of the ancient Israelites who remained faithful to the Torah and to the chosen sanctuary of Mount Garizim. Their tradition must not be defined only through the Christian parable of the "good Samaritan".
Jews and Samaritans share ancient roots, but their separate accounts differ.
To be retained
Four essential principles
- The Samaritans consider themselves descendants of the ancient Israelites who remained faithful to the Torah and to the chosen sanctuary of Mount Garizim.
- Jews and Samaritans share ancient roots, but their separate accounts differ.
- God is one, Moses is the supreme prophet and the Torah is the revelation.
- an ancient Israelite tradition continues to live around Torah, Moses and Mount Garizim.
Small timeline
A tradition shaped by history
Origins and training
Jews and Samaritans share ancient roots, but their separate accounts differ.
Historical developments
A Samaritan community and sanctuary were established at Mount Garizim during ancient times.
Ritual life and teachings
God is one, Moses is the supreme prophet and the Torah is the revelation.
A living and plural tradition
Under the Byzantine and Islamic empires, repression, conversions and demographic difficulties greatly reduced their numbers.
History and development
Jews and Samaritans share ancient roots, but their separate accounts differ. A Samaritan community and sanctuary were established at Mount Garizim during ancient times.
Under the Byzantine and Islamic empires, repression, conversions and demographic difficulties greatly reduced their numbers.
Worldview, beliefs and practices
God is one, Moses is the supreme prophet and the Torah is the revelation. The Samaritans are waiting for the *Taheb*, the future restorer.
The calendar is calculated by the high priest. The Passover at Mount Garizim still includes a communal sacrifice of lambs, a practice abandoned in Judaism after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem.
Texts, symbols and transmission
Samaritan Pentateuch, Memar Marqah, hymns and chronicles. Textual differences with the Massoretic Torah include the centrality of Garizim.
Symbols: sacred mountain, tables of the Law, paleo-hebraic Samaritan writing.
What research can and cannot say
Manuscripts, linguistics and genetics shed light on history without deciding which theological memory is "true." Contemporary communities carefully manage marriage, languages and dual Israeli-Palestinian environment.
References