Difference between revisions of "Samaritans"

<p> The only place in the O.T. where these are mentioned gives their origin, and the mixed character of their worship. The king of Assyria had peopled the cities by colonists from the East, they were then in Jehovah's land, but they did not fear Him, therefore He sent lions among them. On the king of Assyria being informed of this, a priest who had been carried away from Samaria was sent thither, to teach them how they should fear the God of that land. The result was that they feared Jehovah, and served their own gods! &nbsp;2 Kings 17:24-41 . </p> <p> When Ezra returned from exile to build the temple, some of these people came and said, "Let us build with you: for we seek your God as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him, since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither." Ezra refused to let them have anything to do with building the temple, and this aroused their hatred and opposition. &nbsp;Ezra 4:1-4 . We further read that Nehemiah ejected one of the priests who had defiled the priesthood by marrying the daughter of Sanballat the Horonite. &nbsp;Nehemiah 13:28 . Josephus speaks of him as Manasseh, and relates that Sanballat built a temple for him at Gerizim, which became a refuge for apostate Jews. This naturally increased the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans. </p> <p> This temple was destroyed by John Hyrcanus, son of Simon Maccabaeus, about B.C. 109. The animosity, however, was not removed. The woman of Samaria in &nbsp;John 4 alluded to the differences between Jews and Samaritans, and in &nbsp; Luke 9:52,53 it is said of a village of the Samaritans that the inhabitants would not receive the Lord because His face was turned towards Jerusalem. A Jew regarded it as the extreme of opprobrium, to be called a Samaritan, and those of [[Judaea]] added this to the other insults they heaped on the blessed Lord. &nbsp;John 8:48 . </p> <p> The Samaritans claimed to be true Israelites. The woman of Samaria said to the Lord, "Art thou greater than <i> our father Jacob, </i> who gave us the well?" As to their religion, she spoke of 'this mountain' as the proper place to worship; but the Lordsaid, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews." The hour had however arrived when they that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Many of the Samaritans believed and received the [[Holy]] Spirit. &nbsp;John 4:9-42; &nbsp;Acts 8:5-17 . </p> <p> It is remarkable that while the Jews have lost all means of keeping their feasts at Jerusalem, a few, still calling themselves Samaritans, at <i> Nablus, </i> in a humble synagogue at the foot of the mountain, continue their worship, and annually ascend the mountain and keep the feast of the Passover with a roasted lamb: a marked instance of <i> imitation, </i> now so common in Christendom. They have an ancient MS called the [[Samaritan Pentateuch]] ( <i> q.v. </i> ), for which they claim great antiquity. </p>

<p> [[Samaritans]] ( ''Sa-Măr'I-Tanz'' ). &nbsp;2 Kings 17:29; comp. vs. 9-12. In the New Testament the word denotes the mixed race which sprang from the remnant of Israel and the colonists brought from various parts of Assyria at the captivity. &nbsp;2 Kings 17:23-24. The colonists lived at first in heathenism; but they afterwards sought to propitiate "the god of the land" by bringing back an Israelitish priest to Bethel, and mingling with their own idolatries a corrupt worship of Jehovah. &nbsp;2 Kings 17:25-33; &nbsp;2 Kings 17:41. The Jews, on their return from captivity, b.c. 636, declined the Samaritans' request to be permitted to help build the temple. Ezra In consequence of this refusal the Samaritans hindered the erection of the temple and afterwards the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, b.c. 445. &nbsp;Nehemiah 4:6. The enmity was increased by the erection of a rival temple on Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans offered sacrifices according to the Mosaic law, referring to &nbsp;Deuteronomy 27:11-13, as proof that this was the proper site for the temple. The bitter animosity between the two races must be understood in order to understand many facts in New Testament history. </p>

<p> ''''' sa ''''' - ''''' mar´i ''''' - ''''' tanz ''''' ( שׁמרנים , <i> ''''' shōmerōnı̄m ''''' </i> ; Σαμαρεῖται , <i> ''''' Samareitai ''''' </i> , New Testament; Σαμαρίτης (singular), <i> ''''' Samarı́tēs ''''' </i> ): The name "Samaritans" in &nbsp; 2 Kings 17:29 clearly applies to the Israelite inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom. In subsequent history it denotes a people of mixed origin, composed of the peoples brought by the conqueror from Babylon and elsewhere to take the places of the expatriated Israelites and those who were left in the land (722 BC). Sargon claims to have carried away only 27, 290 of the inhabitants ( <i> KIB </i> , II, 55). [[Doubtless]] these were, as in the case of Judah, the chief men, men of wealth and influence, including all the priests, the humbler classes being left to till the land, tend the vineyards, etc. Hezekiah, who came to the throne of Judah probably in 715 BC, could still appeal to the tribes Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, [[Asher]] and [[Zebulun]] (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 30:5 , &nbsp;2 Chronicles 30:10 , &nbsp;2 Chronicles 30:11 , &nbsp;2 Chronicles 30:18 ff); and the presence of these tribesmen is implied in the narrative of Josiah's reformation (&nbsp; 2 Chronicles 34:6 f). Although the number of the colonists was increased by Esar-haddon and [[Osnappar]] ( <i> ''''' [[Assur]] ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' bani ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' pal ''''' </i> , &nbsp;Ezra 4:2 , &nbsp;Ezra 4:9 f), the population, it is reasonable to suppose, continued prevailingly Israelite; otherwise their religion would not so easily have won the leading place. The colonists thought it necessary for their own safety to acknowledge Yahweh, in whose land they dwelt, as one among the gods to be feared (&nbsp; 2 Kings 17:24 ff). In the intermixture that followed "their own gods" seem to have fallen on evil days; and when the Samaritans asked permission to share in building the temple under Zerubbabel, they claimed, apparently with a good conscience, to serve God and to sacrifice to Him as the Jews did (&nbsp; Ezra 4:1 f). Whatever justification there was for this claim, their proffered friendship was turned to deadly hostility by the blunt refusal of their request. The old enmity between north and south no doubt intensified the quarrel, and the antagonism of Jew and Samaritan, in its bitterness, was destined to pass into a proverb. The Samaritans set themselves, with great temporary success, to frustrate the work in which they were not permitted to share (&nbsp; Ezra 4:4 ff: &nbsp; Nehemiah 4:7 ff. etc.). </p> <p> From the strict administration of the Law in Jerusalem malcontents found their way to the freer atmosphere of Samaria. Among these renegades was Manasseh, brother of the high priest, who had married a daughter of Sanballat, the Persian governor of Samaria. According to Josephus, Sanballat, with the sanction of Alexander the Great, built a temple for the Samaritans on Mt. Gerizim, of which Manasseh became high priest ( <i> Ant. </i> , XI, vii, 2; viii, 2 ff). Josephus, however, places Manasseh a century too late. He was a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah (&nbsp; Nehemiah 13:28 ). </p> <p> When it suited their purpose the Samaritans claimed relationship with the Jews, asserting that their roll of the Pentateuch was the only authentic copy (see [[Pentateuch]] , The Samaritan ); they were equally ready to deny all connection in times of stress, and even to dedicate their temple to a heathen deity (Josephus, <i> Ant. </i> , Xii , v, 5). In 128 BC, John Hyrcanus destroyed the temple (XIII, ix, 1). In the time of Christ the Samaritans were ruled by procurators under the Roman governor of Syria. [[Lapse]] of years brought no lessening of the hatred between Jews and Samaritans ( <i> Ant. </i> , XX, vi, 1). To avoid insult and injury at the hands of the latter, Jews from [[Galilee]] were accustomed to reach the feasts at Jerusalem by way of Peraea. "Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon" was an expression of opprobrium (&nbsp; John 8:48 ). Although Jesus forbade the Twelve to go into any city of the Samaritans (&nbsp;Matthew 10:5 ), the parable of the Good Samaritan shows that His love overleaped the boundaries of national hatred (&nbsp;Luke 10:30 ff; compare &nbsp; Luke 17:16; &nbsp;John 4:9 ). </p> <p> During the Jewish war [[Cerealis]] treated the Samaritans with great severity. On one occasion (67 AD) he slaughtered 11,600 on Mt. Gerizim. For some centuries they were found in considerable numbers throughout the empire, east and west, with their synagogues. They were noted as "bankers" money-changers, For their anti-Christian attitude and conduct Justinian inflicted terrible vengeance on them. From this the race seems never to have recovered. Gradually-dwindling, they now form a small community in <i> ''''' Nāblus ''''' </i> of not more than 200 souls. Their great treasure is their ancient copy of the Law. See [[Samaria]] . </p> Literature. <p> The best account of the Samaritans is Mills, <i> ''''' Nāblus ''''' </i> <i> and the Modern Samaritans </i> (Murray, London); compare Montgomery, <i> The Samaritans </i> (1907). A good recent description by J. E. H. Thomson, D. D., of the Passover celebrated annually on Mt. Gerizim will be found in <i> Pefs </i> , 1902,82 ff. </p>