Samaritans

The Samaritans form a religious community which has emerged as Judaism from the people of Israel. There are today in Israel and the West Bank about 700 Samaritans.

Derivation of the name

Differences are inhabitants of Samaria (Hebrew schomronim ) and the Israelite Samaritans (Hebrew שוֹמְרִים schomerim ). The term Schomronim denotes the inhabitants of Samaria. Schomronim is derived from the name of Samaria ( Shomron in Hebrew ). The Schamerim other hand, are an Israelite faith community. Not all inhabitants of Samaria, not all Schomronim So, are also Schamerim ( Israelite Samaritans ).

The Hebrew term means shamerim keepers, watchers, watchers. Understood the Schamerim ( Israelite Samaritans ) and see themselves as watchers and Einhalter the statutes of Moses ( Torah or Pentateuch ). They see themselves as the representatives of ancient Israel and represent the image of God.

The expression of the Good Samaritan is based on a parable of Jesus in the New Testament in Luke ( 10:30-37 EU). In this tale gets a basket case that a Jewish priest and a Levite left lying around, help from a Samaritan. The Samaritan took care of the wounds of the injured, brought him to an inn and paid for his further care. At that time the Jews were the Samaritans as a misguided apostates, which were underestimated.

History

According to biblical representation of the ten tribes formed in northern Israel after the division of the Kingdom of Israel - by dissolution of the personal union that had existed under Saul, David and Solomon to about 926 BC - the northern kingdom of Israel with an elective monarchy together. Their capital city was during the Omridendynastie in the 9th century BC Shechem first, and later Samaria.

Part of this population remained in the great Assyrian deportation in 722 BC in their home, because only the members of the wealthy upper class of the Israelite population, there were probably deported. The remaining Samaritans formed a part of the Assyrian power settled peoples in the mixture of the East ( Babylon, Awa, Hamta, Sepharvaim and Kuta ) ( 2 Kgs 17.24 EU). After the city and the river Kuta the Samaritans in Flavius ​​Josephus and rabbinic literature are referred to as " Kutäer ". They preserve an ancient compared to rabbinic Judaism version of religion with its own shrine, its own liturgy and its Samaritan Pentateuch. Only those they regard as holy scripture, the oral Jewish doctrine reject it. The self-designation is " Schamerim " ( Warden ). The Samaritans see themselves as descendants of the ( north ) Israelite tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Sanctuary and temple on Mount Gerizim

The top layer of the southern kingdom ( Judah and Benjamin) had been abducted 586 BC by the Babylonians in Mesopotamia. After the Persians had gained control of Babylonia, the Jews were allowed to return to Israel. In various waves, they returned to Judea. Under Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, they built the temple in Jerusalem again ( around 520 BC). The Samaritan people wanted to help. My request was refused (Ezra 4.3 EU). They are not considered as purely - Israelite. They had come in contact with the five settled peoples and their gods.

Religious reform by Ezra and Nehemiah

Around 440 BC Ezra and Nehemiah led by a religious reform in Jerusalem and Judea. Followers of the ancient Israelite tradition sat down to the time off to Samaria. One of the reform issues also affected the intermarriage (Ezra 9 EU and 10 EU). Ezra and Nehemiah were opposed to intermarriage between Israelites and non - Israelites. In particular, the priests and Levites should carry no such mixed marriages and dissolve existing ones. Manasseh, the son of a high priestly family of Jerusalem, was married to the daughter of the Persian governor of Samaria. Because of this marriage, he was expelled from Jerusalem. He and like-minded priests joined the Israelite Samaritans. He organized from now on, the priests of the sanctuary on Mount Gerizim.

Gerizim - Place of worship

Since the Samaritans had no share in the temple in Jerusalem, they represented from now on the view that Mount Gerizim was the place for the worship of God and not Jerusalem. For from Mount Gerizim the people of Israel had been blessed (Deut. 27 EU and Jos 8 EU). They therefore claimed for themselves, they would represent the worship of ancient Israel. To 450/430 BC, the Samaritans built their own sanctuary on Mount Gerizim. Larger alterations were made in the 2nd century BC This temple of the Samaritans was about 128 BC destroyed by the Hasmonean John Hyrcanus I.. However, since more coins later period were found, the final conquest is likely to have about 112/111 BC occurred.

Expectation of the Anointed

The Samaritans also expected the anointed of God as the Jews (see Messiah). This anointed one, however, would come from the tribe of Joseph, not of the tribe of Judah. In further contrast to the Jews, they expected no king, but a prophet like Moses had been one. They expected the restorer, the Taheb in Aramaic. This Taheb they would teach you everything and restore the religious state of ancient Israel. They referred it to Deut 18:18 EU.

Violence against pilgrimage

In the year 36 AD, a priestly leader occurred. I think he was convinced to be the expected Taheb. With a large following, he moved towards Mount Gerizim. Many were armed. He wanted his followers on the mountain show the sacred vessels which Moses had laid down there. This should be understood as a sign that he was the Taheb. Pontius Pilate had this Manifestationszug prevent brute force.

Riots in Late Antiquity

In late antiquity, there were several unsuccessful uprisings of the Samaritans against the Byzantine government, especially in the years 484 and 529 During these riots the leaders Justasas and Julian ben Sabar were even crowned kings, but soon taken prisoner and killed it.

Samaritans in the Middle Ages and modern times

Were the Samaritans in the Middle Ages still a very numerous people, their number had decreased in the course of Islamization extreme. The Samaritans practice, even for their own protection, strict endogamy. In 1918, the British included in the former Mandate of Palestine 146 Samaritans in five unrelated families, including a family of priests. The benevolent attitude of the Zionists has probably preserved the last Samaritans from destruction. Since 1923, the Samaritans is also allowed to marry with Jews when they convert to the religion of the Samaritans. Then came some Jewish women and married Samaritans. Since then, their number has increased and in 1996 was again over 660 people.

The Samaritans live in Holon near Tel Aviv and Nablus in the West Bank. There are only five family associations. The separation into two approximately equal groups, one of which was heavily influenced in Holon of the Israeli society, and another that maintained their Arabic- oriental cultural practices, led to certain loyalty and identity problems. The group in Cholon for example, speaks predominantly in Hebrew, the Arab group in Nablus. Since the beginning of the Intifada repeatedly Arabic-speaking Samaritans by Israeli soldiers were kept for Palestinians and treated very harshly, what the division has only strengthened.

Religion of the Samaritans

The Samaritans recognized as a Bible to only the authority of the five books of Moses ( the Pentateuch or Torah ). The Samaritan Pentateuch is written in a separate Samaritan script, which is based on the ancient Hebrew writing, which evolved from the Phoenician alphabet. ( Today's Hebrew script, however, is originally an Aramaic script, which was only taken over by the Jews during the Babylonian exile ). In addition, they can receive their own Lore and pronunciation tradition of their sacred writings and the ancient Hebrew language, for biblical scholars and linguists a treasure trove.

For these Samaritans, the prophetic books of the Jews were not significant. They were of the opinion that the Jews, the descendants of the southern kingdom, had developed away from the ancient Israelite conception of God, especially during the Babylonian exile. The Samaritans accused the Jews, they had the God of Israel associated with human characteristics ( prophetic books of the Old Testament ). So they had made ​​an image of God and they would violate the commandments of God.

The Samaritans have preserved many old customs that they sometimes traced back to the time before the Babylonian exile. For example, they know to this day the high priesthood and animal sacrifice, and celebrate their New Year in the spring, not like the Jews in the autumn.

High Priest

The Samaritans have their own high priest who resides on Mount Gerizim.