Samaritans

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Samaritans

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An ethnoreligious group indigenous to Samaria, adherents of Samaritanism.

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Origins & Early Life

Samaritans (; Samaritan Hebrew: ࠔࠠࠌࠝࠓࠩࠉࠌ, romanized: Šā̊merīm; Hebrew: שומרונים, romanized: Šomronim; Arabic: السامريون, romanized: as-Sāmiriyyūn), often preferring to be called Israelite Samaritans, are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Hebrews and Israelites of the ancient Near East. They are indigenous to Samaria, a historical region of ancient Israel and Judah. They are adherents of Samaritanism, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion that developed alongside Judaism. The Samaritans identify as descendants of the Israelite tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and the priestly tribe of Levi. They maintain that they represent the most authentic continuation of the Mosaic covenant.

Career & Major Achievements

In contemporary scholarship, the Samaritan community is generally understood to have emerged in Samaria from populations associated with the former northern Kingdom of Israel, alongside populations of Mesopotamian origin, with its distinctive identity taking shape during the Persian and Hellenistic periods. The community developed in close but often contentious relationship with the Jewish people, who emerged primarily from the population of the southern Kingdom of Judah. Samaritans recognize only the Samaritan Torah as sacred scripture, rejecting most of the later Jewish canon as well as rabbinic tradition, and their central theological distinction from Judaism is the belief that Mount Gerizim, not the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is God's chosen sanctuary. Their religion is centered on the hereditary high priesthood, strict observance of biblical law and festivals, and pilgrimages to Mount Gerizim, most famously the Passover sacrifice. In classical antiquity, the Samaritans were the principal population of Samaria, but their numbers were drastically reduced following a series of failed revolts and severe Byzantine repression in the 5th and 6th centuries CE.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Their numbers declined further through Christianization under the Byzantines and gradual Islamization following the Muslim conquest of Syria. By the 12th century, Benjamin of Tudela estimated that only about 1,900 Samaritans remained in Palestine and Syria. Their numbers reached a record low of around 100 people during the early modern period, but their population has grown since, reaching around 900 people as of 2024; they are one of the world's smallest surviving ethnoreligious groups, concentrated mainly in Kiryat Luza on Mount Gerizim near Nablus (ancient Shechem) and in the neighborhood of Neve Pinchas in Holon near Tel Aviv. As of 2024, the Samaritan community numbered around 900 people, split between Israel (some 460 in Holon, mostly in the neighborhood of Neve Pinchas) and the West Bank (some 380 in Kiryat Luza). The Samaritans in Kiryat Luza speak South Levantine Arabic, while those in Holon primarily speak Modern Hebrew.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 2024: 2024 Milestone — Their numbers reached a record low of around 100 people during the early modern period, but their population has grown since, reaching around 900 people as of 2024; they are one of the world's smallest surviving ethnoreligious groups, concentrated mainly in Kiryat Luza on Mount Gerizim near Nablus (ancient Shechem) and in the neighborhood of Neve Pinchas in Holon near Tel Aviv.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Samaritans

True or False: “The primary holy site recognized by the Samaritans is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The Samaritans maintain that Mount Gerizim, not the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is God's chosen sanctuary.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Samaritans