Theories of the Origin of the Samaritans—Then and Now

Abstract

The article describes the different models for understanding the origin of the Samaritans: the Samaritans’ own view; Flavius Josephus’ two stories; a model based upon the results of the excavations of the cities of Samaria and Shechem, plus information from ancient authors; new insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls; and models based on the results of the Mount Gerizim excavations; and the Delos inscriptions. Each of these models has its modern followers in scholarship, and their various adherents are named. A last part of the article is devoted to the state of the question of the origin of the Samaritans. The presentation is organized according to the sources because the material at hand has produced different solutions to the pertinent questions. Through quoting the texts and presenting the results of the excavations, the author gives the reader an opportunity to form her or his own opinions, both on the different theories and on the origin of the Samaritans.

Samaritans, Biblical Studies, and Ancient Judaism: Recent Trends

“…First, at least at present, it maps onto what scholars have done and continue to do: tell stories of change over time that, while avoiding essentialism, still focus on genealogical narratives (Weitzman 2017: 5). Samaritan studies still identifies Samaritan origins as a key to unlock the group’s identity, looking particularly for a moment of definitional clarity that separates Samaritans and Judaeans (e.g., Kartveit 2009, 2019; Pummer 2016: 9; Schorch 2007). Second, it aligns with a surge of emphasis on the power of scholarly categories themselves in shaping biblical studies (Mroczek 2015).…”

“…As a result, the time of the Hasmoneans, as opposed to the time of Persian rule emphasized by Josephus and by Samaritan tradition alike, is most frequently understood as the period in which Samaritan identity became identifiable over against Judaean identity, or, in Kartveit’s words, we have the first evidence of a ‘developed Samaritan self-consciousness’ (Kartveit 2019: 12). In particular, Matthew Goff argues that this process is clear in an often-discussed reference to the ‘foolish nation that dwells in Shechem’ in the Second Temple wisdom text, Ben Sira (Goff 2011).…”