“Mount Gerizim,
All the Days of Our Lives”
May/ June
2015
Vol. XIV - No 5
Your link to the Samaritan Update Index
In This Issue ·
Future Events ·
Passover & Shavuot images and links ·
Genesis Commentary ·
Photo Collection ·
Inscription ·
From the Editor ·
An Essay ·
Old News articles ·
Samaritan cloth ·
Engravings ·
New Publications ·
Biblio
It has been 3654 years since the entrance into
the Holy Land
This counting began on the Sixth Month of the
Year of Creation (Samaritan’s typical calendar)
2015
Shavuot- June 28 2015
Festival of the First Day of 7th Month 3654- Oct. 13,
2015
Day of Atonement- Oct. 22, 2015
Festival of Succot- Oct. 27, 2015
Festival of the 8th day of Succot 3654- Nov. 3, 2015
2016
Special
prayer on Wednesday evening, April 6, 2016
New
beginning – Month of Spring – Thursday, April 7, 2016
Passover
Sacrifice – Wednesday Evening, April 20, 2016
[Calculated by: Priest
Yakkiir ['Aziz] b. High Priest Jacob b. 'Azzi – Kiriat Luza, Mount Gerizim]
~~~~~~~~~~~
The Samaritan Passover 2015
Photo by Jamil Ibrahim
(Journalist
at DW Deutsche Welle, http://www.dw.de/)
https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/Sadaqa3.pdf
Part
Three,
Chapters XXI— XXX: Preliminary edition
The
first part that includes the commentary of the first six chapters was
published in https://shomron0.tripod.com/2014/julaug.pdf
https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/Sadaqap1.pdf
The
second part that includes the commentary of chapters VII—XX was published in https://shomron0.tripod.com/2014/novdec.pdf https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/Sadaqa2.pdf
This thirteenth-century
Arabic commentary by the physician Ṣadaqah b. abū al-Farağ Munağğā b. Ṣadaqah b. Ġarūb al-Sāmiriyy al-Dimashqiyy (d. 1223) is the oldest commentary to have
come down to us. It has survived in two manuscripts: R. Huntington 301 in the
Bodleian Library, Oxford (203 fols., Genesis 1: 2 — 50:5) and Cam III 14 (114
fols., Genesis 1: 4—49: 16) in the Russian National Library in Saint
Petersburg. The portion of the commentary that appears below reflects Sadaqah’s
broad knowledge of medicine, as well as of Rabbinic, Karaite and Arabic sources
of philosophy, grammar and exegesis. This portion, including the first six
chapters of Genesis, has been ready in my computer for almost two decades.
Unfortunately, I did not find the time to continue with this project, and I
therefore decided to make this portion available to Samaritans as well as to
all who are interested and able to read and understand this kind of Arabic.
This edition is based on R. Huntington 301 with some readings taken from Cam
III 14. Based on my preliminary research into the latter manuscript (as well as
Cam III 5 and 6), I can say that this source does not present substantially
different readings from R. Huntington 301. The character أ or the word لصألا stands for the Oxford manuscript and the
character س stands for the manuscript in Saint Petersburg. The slash indicates
the end of one page and the beginning of the next.
It should be mentioned that almost 11% of the
Oxford manuscript, 22 first folios, was rendered into Modern Hebrew by A.
Loewenstamm in the early 1980s. A facsimile of the text and the translation
were published in Jerusalem in 2008.
Blau, Joshua (ed.), Karaite and Samaritan Studies Collected
and Posthumous Papers by Ayala Loewenstamm. Jerusalem: The Academy of the Hebrew Language
2008, pp. 4-135.
Shehadeh, Haseeb, Commentaries on the Torah. In: Alan D. Crown, R.
Pummer & A. Tal, A Companion to Samaritan Studies. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr
(Paul Siebeck), 1993, pp. 59-61.
Shehadeh, Haseeb, Ṣadaqah al-Ḥakīm and his Commentary on Genesis, in: Alan D. Crown & Lucy
Davey (editors), Essays in Honour of G.D. Sixdenier. New Samaritan Studies of the
Société D’Études Samaritaines. Volumes III & IV. Mandelbaum Publishing, University of
Sydney, Studies in Judaica, No. 5, 1995, pp. 457-463.
Shehadeh, Haseeb, Linguistic Components in the
12th Century Commentary on Genesis by Ṣadaqa al Ḥakīm (read: 13th century). A.B. Samaritan News, 896-897, 1/4/2005,
pp. 20-19, 898-899, 8/4/2005, pp. 20-19, 900, 15/4/2005, pp. 28-26, 9001-902,
6/5/2005, pp. 20-19, 903-904, 20/5/2005, pp. 20-19, 905-906, 27/5/2005, pp.
20-19, 914-915. 24/6/2005, pp. 24-23, 916-917, 1.7.2005, pp. 24-22; Haseeb
Shehadeh & Habib Tawa (eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International
Congress of the Sociéteé D’Études Samaritaines, Helsinki, August 1-4 2000.
Studies in Memory of Ferdinand Dexinger. Geuthner, Paris 2005, pp. 125-147.
Samaritans on their Pilgrimage on Mount Gerizim, during
Shavuot, Sunday June 28th, 2015.
(Image from The
Samaritan Museum Facebook page.)
2015 Passover & Shavuot
Links
Ancient Samaritan Sect,
Straddling Israel And Palestine, Celebrates Passover On West Bank Hilltop by Sophia Jones (Huffington Post) May 3,
2015
Members of the
Samaritan sect in Israel skewer sheep for the traditional Passover ceremony in
West Bank city of Nablus by Khaleda Rahman
(Dailymail.co.uk) May 3, 2015
Samaritans hold annual
Passover sacrifice ceremony on Mt. Gerizim by Italy
Blumental (Ynet News.com
Samaritans Sacrifice
Sheep in ‘Hardcore’ Passover Celebration By Naomi
Zeveloff, Images by Bruce Shaffer
(Forward.com) May 3, 2015
YouTube Videos
Arabic title. English Translation: The Samaritan community
in Nablus celebrating glades on Mount Sinai (Arabic Video) (Nablus City: www.Nabluslive.net)
Uploaded by Yevgeny Granat
Samaritan Shavuot at Mt. Gerizim (2015) ... Explain About Samaritans and Mount Gerizim in Hebrew..
Samaritans pray during pilgrimage marking the holiday of
Shavuot
28 June
2015 by Yaniv Nadav
SAMARITANS NIGHT ON SHAVUOT: PHOTO REPORT
850
of Samaritans from Mount Gerizim are celebrating Shavuot Holiday. Please, enjoy
our special footage made by Einat Klein
from this holy celebration!
http://inthetravellab.com/en/samaritans-night-shavuot2015/
САМАРИТЯНСКАЯ
НОЧЬ В
ШАВУОТ: ФОТО
28
июня
самаритянская
община
отметила
праздник
Шавуот. 850
человек
собрались на священной
для
самаритян
горе Гризим,
что в Самарии,
дабы
произнести
одну из самых
красивых и
удивительных
молитв Земли
Израиля.
Эта
съемка,
несмотря на
то, что на
Гризим я снимаю
уже много лет
подряд, была
одной из самых
сложных, в
частности,
из-за погодных
условий.
Дичайший
ветер
буквально
сдувал
самаритян и
гостей
церемонии с
горы, а первосвященник
был даже не в
силах
поднять раскрытый
свиток Торы,
который
становился на
таком ветру
прекрасным
парусом.
В
общем, с
одной
стороны,
погода все
усложнила, с
другой —
ветер
настолько
красиво
развивал
талиты, а
тучи на небе
рассеивали
свет, что, как
по мне, оно
того стоило.
Поздравляю
всех
самаритян с
праздником Шавуот,
а всему
народу
Израиля
желаю мира,
понимания и
терпимости
друг к другу.
More links
Samaritans Play it Cool with their Jewish Neighbors by Gedalyah Reback (Arutz Sheva 7)
The Samaritan enclave of Kiryat Luza stands as one of the last outposts to the ancient Jewish offshoot, just meters away from Har Bracha.
Har Bracha is nestled on the
southern end of Mt. Gerizim in Samaria, which is more of a mountain range than
it is a single peak. The town takes its name from the mount of Biblical fame,
where six tribes stood to recite blessings into the ampitheatrical valley
between Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, which look down on the ancient city of
Shechem.
The town is looking to build its next neighborhood facing Kiryat Luza to
the north, including the subtle but scenic Samaritan temple on the
mountain's northeastern tip.
The “Good” Samaritans of Mount Gerizim
Posted by
William A. Jacobson, May 30, 2015 http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/05/the-good-samaritans-of-mount-gerizim/
~~~~~~
Shomrey haTorá lhe dá boas vindas!
Shomrey haTorá - "Os
Guardiões da Torá". Instituição divulgadora o estudo do hebraico e da
Torá, agora acessível a todas pessoas. Aprenda o hebraico e a Torá segundo a
sabedoria Israelense Samaritana, sob a supervisão e direção de Ben Sedaka da
Comunidade Israelense Samaritana.
English Translation: Shomrey
HaTorah - "Guardians of the Torah." Institution disclosing the study
of Hebrew and the Torah, now accessible to all people. Learn Hebrew and the
Torah according to Israeli wisdom Samaritan, under the supervision and
direction of the Israeli Ben Sedaka Community Samaritan.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AHp1AtD8yTzqqhqajtYgxEDik80L-tSGt76cic87u_o/viewform?c=0&w=1 Also see a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ara7GjIyk&feature=youtu.be
~~~~~~~
Photographs from the Frank Hurley Collection
This photos taken by
Frank Hurley were taken between 1939-1945, right and below are Samaritan
Priests with the Torah.
See more wonderful photos at the National Library of Australia
website.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Samaritan's
Medal for Scholarship
Ralph Benko presents Steve Green with the Samaritan's Medal
for Scholarship for his work in building the Bible Museum in Washington DC.
This was a very interesting meeting learning about the great work of the Bible
Museum. It is coming in Fall of 2017. See the Samaritan Metal Foundation Website
for past recipients. http://samaritanmedal.com/
(Photo 2015)
~~~~~~~~~~
Call for Papers
European Association of Biblical Studies
2015 Cordoba
https://eabs.net/site/research-groups/hebrew-bibleold-testament/samaritan-studies/
~~~~~~~~~~~
A Samaritan Inscription from
Dr. Schröder’s article.
The inscription
is 40 cm long and 25 cm high and contains twelve lines, of which the first ten
the biblical texts.
We find
the same text again, but only in Abbreviation, two published by Dr. M.
Sobernheim in Samaritan inscription stones from Damascus. Of the last two lines
(11 and 12), unfortunately, only the beginnings are obtained, which is all the
more regrettable than it is likely the date of the dedication of the stone and
the name of the founder (Ishmael?) Contained. After the imitation as to the
photograph of the inscription, it seems that in the middle on the first line of
a few (5-6) are weathered letters, of which the last two look like or hb lb. -
At the beginning and at the end of the first 7 rows consistently missing one or
two letters.
The
inscription does not follow the Masoretic, but the Samaritan text. The fo nt
character suggests a fairly advanced age of the inscription, which is probably
derived from the period before the 12th century AD. In some places it is,
because of weathering of the stone, no longer completely legible.
Schröder, Paul (1844-1915) was German
consul in Constantine Opel. He dealt with ancient Semitic epigraphy. He wrote
the article ‘Die samaritanische Inschrift von es-Sindiäne’ in Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Karmels by Egbert Friedrich von Mülinen
Leipzig: In Kiommission bei K. Baedeker, No. 31, 1908, pp. 349-253. (in German)
Below are the images of the Samaritan inscription from his article.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Marble piece with Samaritan inscription; Exodus
15:3 and 11; 31 x 12.2 x 5 cm. ca. 3rd-6th century. If you look closely you can
even see the lines that were etched for the letters. http://etd.lib.msu.edu/islandora/object/islandora%3A63
Niche from a Samaritan house
from Damascus, now located in the Pergamon Museum. See larger
photo and information.
Hosted website: Museum
with No Frontiers.
~~~~~~~~~~
From the Editor
Recently Diane Ferland,
Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, just finished a dissertation 2015, Etre n pont de paix:
affirmation d'une identité samaritaine multiséculaire er re-construction d'une
frontière identitaire dans le contexte actuel du Proche-Orient. (In
French) (English title translation: Being a bridge of peace: affirmation of
identity Samaritan centuries-re-construction of a border identity in the
current context of the Middle East.)
Below English
Translation by the Editor of the Samaritan Update
Topic
Today, a small
community of Samaritans lives, divided between Israel and the West Bank. The
e-newsletter The Samaritan Update teaches us that in May 2014, it counted 760 people.
The objective of this e is thus stated: "The purpose at our site is the
education of the existence and history of the Samaritan-Israelites, descendants
of the ancient Northern Kingdom of Israel." The information has been the source of
questions relating to history and identity of this small group that still
exists in the 21st century.
Two facts have
therefore retained our attention. The first relates to the news of this small community
which still exists in the environment of the current Middle East. She lives in daily
regional conflict that divides Israelis and Palestinians "as an entity
fighting for that is her existence in the sensitive Most Region in the
political world."
The second concerns
the existence of the bimonthly newsletter, hosted on the official website Samaritans,
TheSamaritanUpdate.com set foot in 2001 and whose distribution is made possible
by the "AB - The Samaritan News Services." In short, these are all
companies good Samaritan media.
This thesis is
concerned with the identity of contemporary Samaritans, threats that weighed on
transmission as well as identity strategies they deployed. The community Samaritan
had asserted its identity centuries but claiming under multiple reports it has
developed with the world. Here including the State of Israel, Palestine but
also members of a virtual community of supporters accessible the web. And it is
especially through its various media companies that the group Samaritan
announced its current identity and that we had access to it, "we are - An
Ancient Israelite people who preserve a special tradition and trying to be a
model of living together in a divided political area under conditions of peace."
The title of this
paper reflects the above considerations: Be a peace bridge: affirmation of
identity Samaritan centuries and re-construction of a border identity in the
current context of the Near East.
French is
not a language I am familiar with, so enjoy. I used a translation program and
viewed a little of the article. I read this; ‘By deciding to work with the
bulletin, The Samaritan Update. We made a choice that some might
blame us. This newsletter and many media companies are the work of Samaritan
community leaders living in Holon - Yephet the brothers and Tzedakah Benyamim.’
The
Samaritan Update is and has always been open to any articles that are relative
to Samaritan Studies.
I was just reading about the Letter of Aristeas, were it concerns the story
of the translation of the Greek Septuagint. The story goes that six men from
each tribe of the Jews, totaling 72, translated the Hebrew Law into Greek. So,
if that is the case then why is it that the Septuagint translation has Gerizim
as the location of the altar of stones, via, chosen verses choose in
Deuteronomy 27: 4-6. The Jewish version today clearly has mount Ebal as the
location. Obviously, the Jews that were spoken of, must have been the Jews that
left Jerusalem and worshipped on Mount Gerizim. Hence as I wrote in the last issue of the Update, there was a sect in the area of
Samaria that was called the Family of Seventy, who had their own high priest.
If it was the Jews from Jerusalem that did the translation,
then they must had made the alteration of Gerizim for Ebal after the
translation was finished. The story is documented in the Jewish Babylonian Talmud (Megillah
9a).
So the Question is: Is the Septuagint the product of the
Jerusalem Torah or from another source? Or did the Jews change Gerizim with
Ebal at a time after the translation was completed? Was the translation done by
the sect of former Jews that transplanted themselves on Mount Gerizim? Or was
the people of the temple in Egypt that had a different Torah then Jerusalem,
maybe the same as the former Jews mentioned? If the reformer Jews and the
people of the temple in Egypt were like minded than maybe they claimed that it
was a Samaritan Torah translated to Greek, hence the ever elusive Samareitikon?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An essay
towards restoring the true text of the Old Testament; and for vindicating the
citations made ... in the New Testament. To which is subjoined, a large
appendix: containing I. The variations of the Samaritan Pentateuch from the
Hebrew ...
by William Whiston. London: Printed for J. Senex, and W.
Taylor, 1722, pp. 164- 171.
Proposition VI.
The Samaritan Pentateuch, even as now among us, is generally a faithful and uncorrupt Copy of the Five Books of Moses, as that Pentateuch was extant, both in Hebrew and Greek, in the Days of Christ and his Apostles.
This Proposition is so evident when we come to examine into this Pentateuch, and to compare it with either the present Hebrew, or the Greek, or the Ancient Quotations, that I need only just name the particular Arguments.
(1.) It is written in the same Original Samaritan, or Old Hebrew Character in which alone the Pentateuch ever was extant till the Beginning of the Second Century; and so has never been expos'd to those Alterations which the Change of the Jewish Pentateuch from one Character to another might occasion.
(2.) The Samaritans had so great an Abhorrence of the Jews, that all the Corruptions which we have shewn the Jews have brought into their Copies, since the First Century, would no way affect the Samaritan Copies; but they would still persevere in their former State, notwithstanding such Jewish Corruptions.
(3.) The Samaritans never appear to have been particularly concern'd with the Christians; and so were under none of those Temptations, which the Jewish Nation had, to correct or corrupt their Copies in Opposition to them.
(4.) When we compare the Samaritan Copies with the Masorete Hebrew, in the Way of Judgment and Criticism, as any one may easily do in the Appendix to this Essay, where all the Variations are noted, he will soon find that, generally speaking, the Samaritan Copy is the true one. Thus the Hebrew has most frequently She for He; contrary to common Sense: but the Samaritan never. Thus the Hebrew has always Benjamin, with a Chaldee Termination, which in Hebrew signifies, the Son of the Right Hand; without any good Sense at all; while the Samaritan has it always with an Hebrew Termination, Benjamim, which agrees to Philo, and the Old Jews Etymology, and signifies the Son of Days, or of Old Age, as he is elsewhere called: which agrees well to the youngest of all Jacob's Sons, as Benjamin was; he being born to him really in his Old Age. But I shall not enlarge, because I have frequently touch'd upon this Head already; and shall do it again hereafter; and he that will please to review the following Appendix, with a critical Eye, will soon find now Examples of this Kind to give him still more full Satisfaction upon this Head.
(5.) When we compare the Hebrew and the Samaritan Copies with the Septuagint Version, even in its present corrupted State, wherein it has been frequently corrected to the present Hebrew, as has sufficiently appear'd already, we find that it still very frequently confirms the Samaritan Copy against the Hebrew: sometimes in Two or Three Instances for one; and in general in about half the Instances: as the following Appendix, wherein this Agreement is all along accurately noted, will fully demonstrate. So that there is no Reason to doubt, but if we had the Original uncorrupt Septuagint it self, it would still much more frequently and fully confirm the Reading of the present Samaritan, even against the present Hebrew, than now it does.
(6.) The Samaritan Copy, besides others entirely wanting, has near Thirty large Passages, or Repetitions in the Pentateuch, which the modern Hebrew wants; and which yet the old plain Method in the Bible elsewhere, and in Homer, one of the Ancientest Heathen Authors now extant, gives us Reason to expect; and which indeed the Coherence sometimes requires: of the Addition of which in the Samaritan no Reason can be assigned; but of the Omission of which in the Hebrew, the Reason is obvious, because the same Passages being repeated, might be left out in one of the Places. So that it appears from the plain and honest Repetition of them all in the Samaritan, that this is the full and compleat Copy; and that the present Hebrew does here, as well as in other Places, abridge the History, and omit some Parts of the same.
(7.) The Chronology of the Samaritan Pentateuch, as to the Periods till the Death of Moses, is plainly and evidently the true Chronology; and that in Opposition to the present Hebrew and Greek Numbers: and it was anciently confirm'd, as I have already shew'd, both by Josephus's Hebrew, and the Septuagint Greek Copies before the Second Century: While the present Hebrew and Greek Chronologies, so far as they contradict the same, are usually unsupported by all ancient Testimonies whatsoever; nay, seem both to have been wilfully and on Purpose corrupted, since the First Century; as we have already demonstrated in Part, and shall hereafter more fully demonstrate.
(8.) The Citations in the New Testament, in Josephus in the Apostolical Constitutions, and the Apostolical Fathers, made from the Pentateuch, do almost always agree to the Samaritan, even when they differ from the present Hebrew and Greek Copies; as we have already frequently seen, and shall still farther see in the Progress of this Essay. Indeed, it seems to me doubtful whether the Samaritans have ever admitted any one voluntary Corruption into their whole Pentateuch; and very plain that the Number of the involuntary ones, since the First Century, are not very considerable. So that there is certainly no room to doubt of the Accuracy and Integrity of this Samaritan Pentateuch; which in my Opinion is the most authentick Record now extant in the Church that relates to the Times before the coming of our Saviour; and by Consequence the greatest Treasure relating to those Timey now extant in the whole Christian World.
N. B. There are indeed in the Samaritan Pentateuch Two Places, Ex. xx. 17. and Deut. xxvii. 4. which enjoin an Altar to be built, and Sacrifices offer'd, not at Mount Ebal, as our present Copies, both Hebrew and Greek, have it; but at Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans did long afterwards build a Temple. Which Reading of that Copy may therefore be justly suspected, as favourable to their later Practice; and is indeed universally rejected by the Learned, both Jews and Christians in all these latter Ages. But then, I must even here honestly declare for my self, that upon a fair Examination, I do not see Reason to accuse the Samaritans, but the Jews rather of the Corruption in this Matter. My Reasons are: (1.) That in all other Cases, the Samaritans cannot be censured but the Jews; which makes it unreasonable to charge the Corruption upon the Samaritans without evident Proof, (2.) That it seems most agreeable to the Nature of Things, that the Altar for divine Worship and Sacrifice, as well as for the Inscription of Laws, which is here concern'd, should be at the Mountain appointed for the Blessings, as Gerizim was; and not at that appointed for the Curses, as was Ebal. (3.) That this seems to be the very Place where Joshua set up a Stone for a Witness unto the Israelites, because, as he speaks, It had heard all the words of the Lord which he spoke unto them: Which was expressly at Shechem, or close by Mount Gerizim, and not at Mount Ebal. (4.) That when the Woman of Samaria said to our Saviour, from her Samaritan Pentateuch, that their fathers worshipped in that mountain of Gerizim; which probably refers to this very Matter, and these very Texts: Our Saviour's Answer seems to allow, from his Jewish Pentateuch,' that what she said was true. (5.) I see no other sufficient Reason for the Samaritans Choice of Mount Gerizim before Mount Ebal, but because the ancient Place for Worship was in their old genuine Copies Gerizim, and not Ebal. For had it been otherwise, they would naturally have made choice of Ebal, which was but a little way from Shechem and Gerizim, and recommended by their Pentateuch: which would, in that case, have serv'd their turn as well as the other. (6.) It seems to me that Josephus, the Jewish Historian, read in the Hebrew Copy the same that the Samaritans still read in theirs; and to have had here Gerizim, and not Ebal. For he informs us, that this Altar was in a Plain, between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal; and particularly not far from Sichem: Which last Designation of the Place is in the Samaritan Copy, but omitted in the Hebrew; and is agreeable to the Situation of Mount Gerizim, which was close by Sichem. He also takes particular notice, for which the Scripture here gave him no Occasion, that such Oblations were never to be made there any more after that day; as it were to guard against such an Inference, as the Situation of this Altar, by Mount Gerizim, gave then an Handle for among the Samaritans. ‘Tis true, Josephus’s present Copies are made, a good while afterward, to say, agreeably to our present Hebrew, that this Altar was on Mount Ebal. But this directly contradicting what he had before said, that it was between the two Mountains, and near Sichem, may justly be suspected as an Interpolation, or Correction, to favour the present Hebrew and Greek Copies; which has not very seldom been the Case with ancient Authors. Nor does the entire Context in this latter place, if compar'd with the other above, well agree to the same. So that, upon the whole, there is not, I think, Evidence enough to charge the Samaritans with a voluntary Corruption of their Pentateuch, even in this single place, where they were under the greatest Temptation, much less in any other place whatsoever.
~~~~~~~~~
The
Washington Times, Oct. 14, 1906 Sunday Magazine section,
page 51.
[Copyright, 1903 by Wm. H. Rau,
Phila.]
The
Samaritans, Most Ancient Jewish Sect. Appeal for Help. Only 150 of Them Left.
The
oldest Jewish sect on earth, and once very numerous, the Samaritans have
dwindled to thirty families and fewer than 150 persons. As a people they have
defied the ravages of war, poverty and oppression nearly three thousand years.
Never has their unity been broken; their customs and manner of worship have
remained unchanged.
Except
that they are so pitifully few in number, the sect is the same today as it was
when the Good Samaritan of the parable succored the traveler who had fallen
among thieves; its unbroken line stretches back to the morning of history, when
Abraham crossed the Jordan and pitched his tents in the land of Shechem.
A
long and valiant struggle for existence, asking nothing but to be let alone
with their traditions and their religion, have these people made, but the
rapacious Turk is now slowly crushing out the life of the little remnant. In
despair they raised their voices to Christendom and cry, “Save us, or we
perish.”
Visitors
to the small city of Nablus, in Northern Palestine are attracted there, more
than anything else, by the pathetic little religious community that has clung
desperately, through centuries of oppression and poverty, to the foot of its
sacred Mount Gerizim.
No
more tenaciously has the cactus root held to the granite sides of somber Ebal,
across the valley, than has this devoted band nestled in its chosen abode to
await the advent of a new religious era.
Of
all religious sects, this is the most ancient, the most extraordinary, in a
way, and yet the smallest numerically and the feeblest in the world. Their
story is one of pathos and tears, yet of unfaltering loyalty to the traditions
and beliefs that have come down to them unchanged from the time of Father
Abraham.
Among
the millions of the human race, the Samaritans assert themselves to be the only
true worshippers of God, the sole depositaries of His revealed will.
“The
fire that was kindled from heaven on the sacred altar of the Jews has long been
extinguished,” says an authority in expressing the convictions of the
Samaritans. “The light that age after age, shone out upon the surrounding
darkness from the holy Mount of Jerusalem has been quenched in endless night,
but its latest illuminations linger still on the cliffs of Gerizim, in the
mountains of Samaria, a gleam of inextinguishable light.
“Chosen
Seed of Israel”
“Clinging
to these cliffs and steadfastly watching that heavenly light, these ancient
Samaritans as the chosen seed of Israel, are waiting in sure and certain
expectation the coming of the cheerful morn that shall yet rise on the dark and
dreadful night that is still gathering around them. ‘We know that Messiah
cometh, which is called Christ. When He is come, He will tell us all things,’
is their cry.”
A
single long, narrow street, running east and west through a wonderful cleft in
the mountain, composed Nablus. The Samaritans are clustered in a colony on the
southwest quarter. Several hundred feet above them towers Gerizim, their sacred
mountain.
While
other people of Palestine have scattered to the four corners of the earth, the
true Samaritans would never think of removing permanently beyond the shadow of
his beloved Gerizim.
There,
clustered together in a recess of the cliff, they dwell quietly, close by their
little synagogue, where they assemble for devotions, conducted as they were
3000 years ago.
Every
Samaritan dresses in white, especially when appearing in public, in the
religious assemblies and on all festival occasions. In order to comply with
Moslem regulations, rather than from taste, the men wear red turbans. The women
are permitted to wear earrings, because of them the golden calf was made.
The
valley in which the Samaritans dwell is a sparkling gem of nature. In all the
country roundabout there is nothing that approaches it in beauty and fertility.
While
barren lands and deserts stretch their miles over much of the surrounding
country, this quiet, half-concealed little valley blooms as the rose. The
profusion of fruits and flowers suggests a glimpse of the tropics. Figs,
mulberries, grapes, oranges, pomegranates, apricots, almonds and other fruits
vie with each other in luxurious growth in this miniature Eden. Over all is a
peculiar coloring of sky and atmosphere which has been deserted as “a lovely
plush [sp] haze.”
Samaritans
assert that their real name is Israelites- “the true Israel of God,” they say,
“in distinction from the Jews, descendants of Judah, who have forsaken the religion
of their fathers.”
They
declare that a copy of the Pentateuch in their possession is older than that of
the Jews. They have other ancient manuscripts of priceless value as well. Among
these is a scroll which has been used in their synagogue for many centuries.
Enclosed
in a silver case and kept in a chest, the original scroll is rarely shown to
visitors. It consists of dingy skins, which were prepared long before the
invention of parchment, sewed together. The skins are about fifteen by twenty-five
inches, and are now worn and patched; ????, large portions of writing are
illegible.
When
the Samaritans want a new copy of the Pentateuch, some scholar among them
slowly prints it out by hand. They have no printing presses. A year is required
to make a copy, which is never sold, but kept for the use of the community.
In
religion the Samaritans are strict monotheists. They permit no pictures in
their homes or temples- not even the portrait of a triead [?] holding fast to the injunction against representation “in the
likeness” of anything “in heaven above or in the earth beneath.”
They
believe in good and evil angels, in heaven and hell, where good and wicked
abide after death. After a future judgment, they believe that body and soul are
reunited for happy or unhappy existence, according to the life lived on earth.
They fix the coming of the Messiah at 6000 years from the creation of the
world.
“He
will quickly come and gather all nations unto himself.” His throne of universal
dominion will be on Mount Gerizim. The twelve stones on which Joshua wrote the
Ten Commandments will be recovered, as will the sacred vessels of the temple
and the pot of manna now buried on the mountain.
Amram,
then high priest of the Samaritans, related to the late Bishop Hurst, of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, a few years ago, some of the theological views of
the dying community.
For
fifty-five years, he stated, men will go on increasing in wickedness, after,
which will come a time of great peace and purity. Then there will come on a new
period of great wickedness, which will last 300 years. This time will be closed
by the destruction of the world.
After
the general judgment will take place, where the righteous will go to live with
God and the wicked will be finally dispatched to the domain of Satan.
The
Samaritans assert that they alone have kept the faith as it was committed to
Abraham, that other Jewish peoples have wandered away from pure religion and
the prescribed worship. Enmity between the Jews and Samaritans, spoken of in
the New Testament, continues unabated to this day.
Strictly
orthodox are the domestic institutions of the Samaritans. Their names are taken
from the ancient Scriptures. The family of their priesthood has descended directly
from the tribe of Levi.
When
Samaritans want to marry, which they do at an early age, the proposal of the
young man is made- frequently by his father- to the girl’s father. The
prospective bridegroom must guarantee an acceptable dower before his proposal
is considered.
Written
out at great length, the marriage agreement is witnessed with much solemnity
during which ceremony prescribed portions of the law are read aloud. The
wedding festivities last several days, and end with an interchange of gifts between
the newly married pair and their friends.
A
Samaritan priest never comes in contact with the dead. If the relatives
themselves perform the last offices of affection for their departed ones, they
subject themselves to the Levitical law, which provides penance for ceremonial
uncleanness. For this reason, persons not of the sect are called in to perform
the burial offices.
After
morning service on the Sabbath following a burial, the entire congregation
gathers about the grave and eats a simple meal, accordance with the lovefeast
of ancient times.
Every
Sabbath is strictly observed, but the severest regulations and solemnity
surround the Day of Atonement. For twenty-four hours the people do not eat,
drink, sleep or converse. The entire time is given to silent meditation and
reading the Scriptures.
Processions
to the holy mountain mark the feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles and Passover,
today, as they did 2000 years ago. The Passover is marked by especially solemn
and ancient ceremonies.
Before
the sun sets on the preceding day the entire community proceeds to the top of
Mount Gerizim and encamps. For the Pascal sacrifice six lambs without blemish
are provided.
As
the sun sets the members of the congregation, in white robes, gather about the
sacrificial fires. They chant prayers and sacred songs, reciting the entire
history of the plagues of Egypt and the establishment of the Passover.
While
this ceremony is in progress the lambs are led out, and the young men appointed
to slay them draw their long, sharp knives. At a certain passage the lambs are
slain and the slayers cross themselves with the blood.
Next
the lambs are roasted over the fires while bitter herbs, inclosed in strips of
unleavened bread, are handed around. The people then retire to their tents
until midnight, when the feast begins.
After
certain recitations each man tears off pieces of flesh are then taken to the
women in the tents.
When
the feast is over every particle of remaining flesh and bone is thrown into the
fire and burned. The rest of the night is passed in prayer, and in the morning
the people return to their homes and their daily occupations.
“Thus
on this sacred mountain in Samaria the Pascal lamb is offered year after year-
the only Jewish sacrifice that still lingers in the world”- says a writer.
Every detail of ceremonial as prescribed by the ancient law is faithfully
observed.
Such
is the strange sect in historic Palestine, the oldest and smallest sect in the
world, which for the first time is all its remarkable history sends out a cry
to be preserved from total extinction.
~~~~~~~~
Richmond Times-
Dispatch., July 18, 1920 Page 3.
Richmond Man Witnesses Jewish Riots in
Palestine
L. Brooke
Anderson, 3605 East Mashall, Gives Interesting Account of Fights Staged in
Churches and Market Places of Holy Land.
K. Brooke
Anderson, 3605 East Marshell Street, who has been for several years connected
with the Y.M.C.A. work in Egypt and the Holy Land, writes an interesting letter
relative to the revolutionary changes that are taking place in those countries
at the present……….
The letter
follows:
Belel,
P.O.W., April 12, 1920. ……..
I soon
discovered that the Samaritan high priest- I thought that the Samaritans had
died out or had been assimilated by surrounding nations centuries back- was in
touch with Dr. Harte, seeking aid for his impoverished race, of which probably
100 or less remain.
Dr. Harte had
met him several years ago in company with a rich American, who had aided the
colony until his death. The high priest did not recognized him, and Dr. Harte
did not remind him of the fact.
He came in
several times while I was in the office and I found him to be a very capable
man in many ways, although I was told that his followers were rather
disrespectable in every way. If true, it is probably due to the enmity of their
neighbors.
Followers to
Marry Jews
In the course
of our meetings he explained that his followers were so few in number that it
had been decided to allow the men to marry in the surrounding Jewish families.
However, it is improbable that such will occur to any extent unless their
worldly goods be increased.
Dr. Harte
asked him if he were not afraid of his people becoming Christian should this
sect move into his immediate neighborhood. The reply was that he was willing to
go to America or somewhere that he might suggest: that the Christian might
surround his people for years and yet they would not adopt Christianity. On
being asked if he believed in Jesus Christ he replied, “No, I do not believe He
has come.”
He Brought
the Samaritan manuscript with him at one of our meetings and made comparisons
with certain portions of the Book of Genesis, and I must confess that his
interpretation was clearer in each instance, for me anyhow.
In making his
plea for assistance he said: “You believe in the story of the Samaritan woman
giving Jesus Christ a cup of water when He was thirsty. It is now the Samaritan
who is thirsty and the Christian has the opportunity of assuaging the
Samaritan’s thirst.
Priest Seeks Protection.
When the
rioting was going on Monday morning he came to Dr. Harte’s house and although
he were not in, he had the caretaker open the door and take him on the inside.
On arriving we asked him where he wanted to go. He seemed content to remain with
Dr. Harte, but it is a very difficult matter preparing food for him, as he can
eat only certain things, and, not having any sleeping accommodations, Dr. Harte
was unable to take care of him; also it was impossible to send him to Nobians,
ancient Shechem, some miles distant, and he didn’t care to go to any place to
the natives which Dr. Harte knew of and finally decided to go back to his
hotel, just inside of Joffa gate.
Frankly, I
didn’t think it wise, but he was insistent, and I finally got permission from
military authorities and passed him through quite easily. He resembled a Jew
one moment, I thought, and an Arab the next, and I was not sure that the
natives could tell that he was the Samaritan high priest, but he said that he
would be safe in the hotel, and as there was a strong guard just opposite, he
was probably as safe there as any house in the city. He thanked me profusely
for having brought him there. His English is as limited as my Arabic………..
[From the
Editor: we had shown a photo on page 7 of The Samaritan Update, September/October
2014 issue of Dr. Harte
and the Samaritan High Priest Yithaq b. Amram from the Gutenberg archive.]
Marlborough
Express, (New Zealand) Vol. 39, Issue 231, October 1906,
page 4
Last of the Samaritans.
Members of the Oldest
Jewish Sect in London
In an
unpretentious house in Commercial Road East (said a recent London Express) four
men, who are as strange to them, are staying. They are the representatives of a
dyong race- the Samaritans.
Of
extraordinary stature, gaunt, dignified and silent, and clad in the robes of
their priestly office, their names might have been taken, like their creed,
from the Pentateuch. They are Ishak ben Amram ha-Cohen, ah-Levi, Shafeet ben
Jacob ha-Cohen, ha-Levi Nage ben Khader Ha-Cohen, ha-Levi, and Shelabee ben
Jacob Shelabee,
They have
with them books and manuscripts of priceless worth. Among these is a scroll-
one of three that have been used in their synagogue for untold centuries. They
also carry with them ancient prayer-books and a time-worn copy of the
chronology of their departed priests.
The
Samaritans have come to England to attempt to raise funds on which the tribe,
harried and taxed by the Turks, may live. They are the bearers of a letter of
introduction from the Bishop of Jerusalem to the Bishop of London, and they
hope to secure an audience with the King. Ishak ben Amram is the son of the
high priest who showed the King, then Prince of Wales, the famous scrolls of
the tribe.
Dr. Gaster,
the Hebrew scholar and Jewish Rabbi, told an Express representative that the
Samaritans represent the last remnant of the oldest Jewish sect on earth.
“There are only 200 of them left, he said.
“They cannot
speak English, or, indeed, any European language, but converse either in Arabic
or in the difficult Hebrew.
“They believe
only in the five books of Moses, and regard us as schismatics.
“I am now endeavouring
to arouse interest in them, and hope that soon a room will be placed at their
disposal for an exhibition of their wonderful treasures. I am using my
influence with the Royal Asiatic Society to this end. Probably, too, the
Biblical Archaeological Society will take them up.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reviews
Tal, Abraham: Samaritan Aramaic by Christian Stadal Orientalistische
Literaturzeitung. Volume 110,
Issue 1, Pages 36–37, ISSN (Online) 2196-6877, ISSN (Print) 0030-5383, DOI: 10.1515/olzg-2015-0013, April
2015
New Publication
Myths of Exile: History and Metaphor in the Hebrew
Bible
by Anne Katrine Gudme, Ingrid
Hjelm
Publisher: Routledge
Hardcover – July 1, 2015
~~~~~~~~~
Man Claims Ancestors were Samaritan Cohanim
Recently, a web page was discovered (http://gnosticwarrior.com/bedard-geneology ) posted by
Maurice Bedard. He claims that through his research, his family descended from
the Samaritan Cohanim (the tribe of Levy). He says his YDNA blood type as
E1b1b1cM123+. Yet, it appears as Shalom ben Amram had a TDNA of E1b1b1-a3.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The
Story of Cambridge by Charles
W. Stubbs, D.D. Dean of Ely. Illustrated by Hebert
Railton
London:
J.M. Dent & Co. 1905
Page 334
Case C.
Original Manuscripts
49.
Samaritan Pentateuch. This MS. (Hebrew) known as the “burned codex,” is one of
the oldest in existence, and according to tradition was preserved by a miracle
when cast into the flames. There is a tradition that it was shewn to Nehemiah
who spat upon it.
~~~~~~~~~
Image
left from page 31, of Sir Henry Layard, His Adventures and Discoveries by Alfred R. Lomax, New York: Thomas
Whittaker, 1894.
Old Articles
‘”Sacrifices” continue in Israel’ by Zev
Golan The Canadian Jewish News,
Thursday, April 9, 1987 page 46
‘Passover… with a
difference.’ The Jewish Western Bulletin (Vancouver B.C.)
Friday March 28, 1969 pages 49-51
‘The Samaritan Passover-
Great Religious Festival’ by Charles E. Cooper, Victoria Daily Colonist, Sunday May 31, 1908 page 16.
New York Tribune. January 28,
1900, page 5
Sandals of the Greeks-Toes Fastened to Knees, Boot
Tops Turned Down to the Ankles and Other Odd Styles Worn.
The fads and fancies that are displayed this year in
slippers are seemingly without end. Among bedroom slippers there are mules,
Romeos, Venetians and d’Orseys……
Shoe History
….. In a London collection of historical shoes there
is a clog sandal that came from Palestine, and is said to have been worn by a
Samaritan high priest.
[From the
Editor: I searched for the Samaritan show and located the image shown below.
No. 14, bottom left is said to be: ‘Sandal Clog worn by a Samaritan High
Priest, said to be very ancient, from Palestine.’ The source of the image is
referenced as Ancient Shoes. Illustration for the Graphic, 11 May 1889. John
Mills mentioned in his ‘The Modern Samaritans page 108, the same style of
footwear used by a few Samaritans in the 19th century. ‘When in the
room they are barefooted like the males; but when out in the court they wear
the Kulkols, a kind of wooden patterns, or rather sandals, with two upright
bits of board under each, which lift them from the ground from six to twelve
inches, as the case may be. When thus walking, the woman looks just as if going
on low stilts, stamping along, until she reaches the door of the room, where
the kulkols are dropped off, and left on the outside till she again leaves the
room.” How the collector came by the Samaritan footwear is not known at this
time but the possibility that it may have somehow came from Jacob Shelaby when
he visited London on one of his trips. I have also noticed in foreign
historical movies over the years that the same style of footwear was used in
Asia, notably Korea (ancient Joseon dynasty), China and Japan.]
~~~~
Media Edge #363 by Randy
VanDalsen
(April 21-23, 2012) Video
Day 59: The Samaritan's Passover
"is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for He passed over the houses of
the people of Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians but spared our
houses," a Samaritan explains. Lambs will be sacrificed and roasted in the
pits on Mount Gerizim. The sheep must be healthy and of a year in age and of
the best. Samaritan youths wear special attire for this task. Their clothing is
entirely of white: a white gown, white trousers, and a white girdle. Why? The
altar is in a long ditch, not too deep, built of plain stone. Two hours before
the sacrifice a fire is kindled beneath the pots. Within this oven they place
wood and straw and light it. And then the sheep are rapidly stretched out upon
the altar and slaughtered. They then take some of the blood of the sacrifices
and smear it on the lintels of their dwellings and the brows of their children,
the sheep are then placed on sharp-edged wooden poles which pierce them
lengthwise, and then carried by the youths to the oven, which is by now
red-hot. Who can and cannot eat of the meat and what are the rules and
regulations according to Samaritan traditions? This Special Edition is
dedicated to this event.
See 1:16:00- 1:34:00
Catalogue 424. Lantern Slide Department. Church of
England in Canada, 604 Jarvis Street, Toronto
Motion Pictures [just
referenced, no film link here] Silent Films (page 5)
39RF21- Biblical background, Reel 14- The Captivity.
A Samaritan Passover- the Samaritan Pentateuch manuscript. B.N.S.Y.A.- 20 Min.-
Rental $1.00
~~~~~
Pitt
Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
Note. 58. Jacob esh
Shellaby- via Alfred Harris, sent to EBT by 1917, donated by Anna Tylor 1917
[Private Collection]
It appears they have 3 manuscripts that came to them through Jacob
esh Shellaby
It appears that Anna Tylor inherited the MSS. Origin
information: unknown.
~~~~~~~
‘Conversazione at the London Institution.’ In The Engineer, vol. 33. From January to June, 1872. London:
Office for Publication and Advertisements. March 29, 1872, Page 216
‘In the library were exhibited Syrian pottery and
articles of domestic utility, portrait in bas-relief of Jacob esh Shellaby, a
Samaritan, by Fontana, &c, contributed by Miss Rogers, author of “Domestic
Life in Palestine.”
~~~
Samaritan Embroidery
Also was found a Samaritan embroidery in: Croslegh, Charles - Bradninch, being a short historical sketch of the honor, the
manor, the borough, and liberties, and the parish. London: Alexander Moring Ltd., 1911. Page
201.
‘Gifts made to the church… Violet Frontal’ [note 1] ‘This altar
cloth is made of a fine piece of Eastern embroidery from Nâblus- the
ancient Shechem. It was brought to England many years ago by the sheik of the
Samaritans, Jacob esh Shellaby, and presented by him to the vicar.’
An email was sent to try to locate the
item! The cloth may still be at St. Denis, the parish
church of Bradninch which became more popularly known as St. Disen’s in the
late 19th century. http://bradninch-tc.gov.uk/
It may not have been an altar cloth at
all but a Pentateuch wrap. See article below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
SMALL CLOTH "TO SAMARITAN TORAH CODEX FROM 1913
CE"
IN PRIVATE COLLECTION
Let us start with the text embroidered in two squares on the
green silk cloth to an ancient Torah manuscript in codex form:
1- In the name of Shehmaa [= the Almighty] the great: Did this
cloth to the sacred Torah Book Jacob b. Aaron' the High Priest to the
[community of]
2- Keepers in the city of Shechem, and this in the year 3551 to
the settlement of the sons of Israel in the Land of Canaan. I am grateful to
Shehmaa.
There are some words embroidered partly:
The year 3551 of the Samaritan Calendar starts with the entrance
of the People of Israel to the Land of Israel 3652 years ago led by Joshua.
Since 3652 parallels to 2014 CE; 3551=1913AD
Background:
Samaritan priests and elders have visited London frequently at
the end of the 19Th century and the beginning of the 20Th century, Samaritan
delegations headed by the Priest Yitzhaq b. 'Amram [High Priest: 1916-1932]
sold hundreds of Samaritan items [mostly ancient manuscripts] especially to the
scholar and Rabbi Moses Gaster [all items donated by him to the British Library
in London and John Rylands Library in Manchester. The other buyer was the world
known scholar A. E. Cowley [his collection is in Bodliyen library in Oxford.
During the 1930's till the 1950s many books of prayers and Torah all
handwritten sold in Nablus to British and American visitors that donated them
to many libraries all over England, Ireland and Scotland, USA and Europe.
The number of Samaritan Manuscripts and other item in libraries
all over the world is around 4000. 40 of them sold between 1584 to 1850 and the
rest 3960 sold between 1851 till 1955. Only few tens were sold in the present
from private inheritances.
No doubt this cloth was sold during 1913-1916, when Yitzhaq b.
'Amram became High Priest he stopped his journeys outside the Land of Israel.
No doubt the "cloth" made by High Priest Jacob b.
Aaron [1840-1916` High Priest 1874-1916].
The form of the cloth is unusual because it was used to cover an
ancient manuscript of the Torah in codex form during a pilgrimage to the top of
Mount Gerizim when the weather was wet. In these cases the pilgrims didn't use
the scrolls to wave with them during the prayer. The use instead the codex form
to wave with it.
The writer is grateful to Mr. Hugh Rance from West Kork,
Ireland, for sending him the pictures attached for his research and notes].
Benyamim Tsedaka. (posted the images below on his Facebook page August 13,
2014.)
This article was also featured in A.B.- The Samaritan
News-Weekly, vol. 1171-1172, 29.8.2014 pp. 30-33.
If you would like to subscribe to the A.B.- The Samaritan
News-Weekly, please feel free to contact Benyamim
Tsedaka at tsedakab@netvision.net.il
Hugh
Rance is a Music teacher at County Cork School of Music. He lives in Bantry, a town in the Civil
Parish of Kilmocomoge in the barony of Bantry on the coast of West County Cork, Ireland.
Hugh had posted his discovery on his Facebook page
on August 2, 2014. He wrote, “Just found down Portobello Road, this antique
Armenian silk textile embroidered with two panels in Aramaic or a proto Hebrew
script. I understand that it was made for a book cover, but not being able to
read the script so far, I can't confirm this yet! Any tips or translation
skills are welcome.”
Image
from page 303 Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature Prepared by
The Rev. John Strong, S.T.D., Vol. IX- RH-ST. New York: Harper & Brothers,
1894.
GRAVURE 1888 ENGRAVING PALESTINE PALESTINA MONT AR GARIZIM TEMPLE
~~~~~~~~~
Palestine in Late Antiquity
By Hagith Sivan
Print publication date: 2008
Print ISBN-13: 9780199284177
Published to Oxford Scholarship
Online: May 2008
Recalcitrance,
Riots, and Rebellion: The Samaritans and the Emergence of Intolerance
Hagith Sivan (Contributor Webpage)
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284177.003.0004
Chapter 3
This chapter
focuses on Samaritan history in late antiquity. Topics covered include the road
to rebellion against Christianity, the conflict between Palestinian Christian
orthodoxy backed by Constantinople and Samaritanism, the Samaritan ‘revolt’ of
529, and Samaritans' opposition against Jews. It argues that the discourse of
recalcitrance and resistance that characterized Samaritans in late antiquity
was caught between two reefs. On one side ranged a repetition of governmental
legal statements that disadvantaged and condemned; on the other stood the
uniqueness that Judaism assumed vis-à-vis Samaritanism.
Tal, O. and Taxel, I.
Samaritan Cemeteries and Tombs in the Central Coastal Plain: Archaeology and History of the Samaritan Settlement outside Samaria (ca. 300–700 CE) (Ägypten und Altes Testament 82). Münster: Ugarit-Verlag 2015.
Printed edition in production
Printed edition + e-book in production
This book discusses Samaritan burial customs
outside Samaria based on the finds of yet unpublished tombs excavated in the
second half of the 20th century in the central Coastal Plain of Israel (within
the northern city limits of modern-day Tel Aviv, which forms part of the
southern Sharon Plain). The burial sites analyzed here include the cemetery
of Khirbet al-ʻAura / Tel Barukh, a burial cave at Khirbet al-Ḥadra
/ HaGolan Street and another one at Tell Qasile. The burial caves excavated at
these sites are associated with Samaritan rural populations because of their
location and the finds discovered, which include elements of Samaritan material
culture (non-epigraphic and epigraphic alike). Our study constitutes a full report
on the excavations of these burial sites and offers an archaeological
re-evaluation of Samaritan settlement history and material culture. The
appendices complete this study by bringing forward small-scale unpublished
excavations of probable Samaritan settlements or revising published material
that normally bears relevance to research on this subject. Our re-evaluation is
holistic in nature, based upon the sites we studied in full, as well as other
published Samaritan sites that have been excavated and surveyed in the central
Coastal Plain. This publication contributes to our understanding of daily
habits and afterlife beliefs of the Samaritans outside their heartland in the
heyday of their expansion to the Palestinian lowlands.
See more on the book at Ugarit-Verlag.com
https://www.ugarit-verlag.com/publikation.html?id=462
~~~~
The Burnt
Codex; Codex Zurbil @ University of Cambridge
http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-ADD-01846/8
~~~~~~~~~~
Biblio
Anderson, George
‘Some
Impressions of a Visit to the Holy Land, March and April, 1910.’ in Glasgow University Oriental Society: Transactions from 1907-12 with
Introduction by George Anderson, Glasgow: James MacLehose &
sons, 1913. p. 40 [article is very brief: saw manuscripts at Nablus, 160
Samaritans.]
Akpoigbe, Steohen
Avwoghokoghen
The Samaritans’ Problem
in Its Historical Perspectives: The Politico-Religious Implications for
Nigerian Christians NIDCASREL:
Niger Delta Journal of Religious Studies, vol. 2, Number 1, May, 2015, pp.
74-83
Basnage, Jacques, Sieu de
Beauval
‘Remarks
upon the Continuation of the History of the Jews,’ Remarks on some Books lately Publish’s, viz. Mr. Basnage’s History of the
Jews. Printed by W.B. for Richard Sare, at
Grays-Inn-Gate, in Holborn. 1709
(reviewer)
The Samaritan Liturgy, Edited, with Introduction, Glossary, and Index of First
Lines, by A.E. Cowley, In Two Volumes. London: Henry Frowde. 1909. In Bibliotheca Sacra vol. 68, 1911, pp. 166- 168
Beaton, Patrick
No# The Jews of the East, Vol.
2, London: Hurst and Blackett, 1859 [from the German of Dr. Frankl]
Ben-Zvi, Izhak
‘A Samaritan Inscription
from Kfar Bilu.’ In Yedi ‘ot ha-Hevrah la-hakirat Erets-Yisra’el
ye-‘ atikoteha Vol. 18. 1954 (in Hebrew)
Bergsma, John
Burton, William
Researches into the Phraseology,
Manners, History, and Religion of the Ancient Eastern Nations, as illustrative
of the Sacred Scriptures; and into the Accuracy of the English Translation of
the Bible. [London] [Printed & sold by W. Barton], [1805]
Cappel, Louis
Ludovici Cappelli Critica sacra, sive, De variis quae in Sacris Veteris
Testamenti libris occurrunt lectionibus libri sex, etc. Lutetiae Parisiorum: S. Cramoisy
1650
Conder, Claude Reigner and H.H.
Kitchener
The Survey of Western Palestine. Memoirs of the Topography, Orography,
Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. II,
Sheets VII-XVI. Samaria. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund
1882
Cross, F.M.
“The
Samaria Papyri”, BA 26 (1963), 110–121; and in Vetus Testamentum Supplement 40
(1988)
Dawson, Abraham
A New
English Translation, From the Original Hebrew, of the Three First Chapters of
Genesis; with Marginal Illustrations, and Notes Critical and Explanatory. London: Sold by T. Field. 1763
Diaz, J. Ramon
“Arameo
samaritano”, Estudios Biblicos 18 (1959), 171–178.
Dobrovský, Josef
De Antiquis Hebraeorum Characteribus Dissertatio in qua speciatim
Origenis Hieronymique fides testimonio Josephi Flavii defenditur. Pragae: Schmadl, 1783.
Donaldson,
F.L.
‘A Colonial Large Bronze of Antoninus Pius;
Illustrating the Temple of Flavia Neapolis Syrise (Mount Gerizim)’ in Spink
& Son’s Monthly The Numismatic Circular, Vol. 1, No. 11, October 1893,
London, pp. 111-112
Farrar,
Fredrick William
‘Days in the Holy Land. Chapter V.-The Passover of
the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim’ in The Quiver, An Illustrated Magazine for Sunday and General Reading. Vol. VI- Toned-Paper Series,
London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin 1871, p. 293-298.
Finn,
James
‘The Opening Address by the President. 12TH December,
1851.’ Jerusalem Literary Society Jerusalem p. 1-8
Fosdick,
Dr. (Harry Emerson?)
‘High Priests of the Samaritans’ The Children’s Newspaper, December 31, 1932, page 7
Fosdick, Harry Emerson
A Pilgrimage to Palestine. New York: MacMillan, 1927
Frankl, Ludwig August
Jerusalem: The book Journey to the Greece, Asia Minor, Syria and the holy
land (In Hebrew with Hebrew Title)
Ferland, Diane (Université de Sherbrooke (University of Sherbrooke),
Faculté de théologie et d'études religieuses)
Friedheim, P.
Sur les relations
judéo-samaritaines en Palestine du Ier au IVème siècle p.C. : entre
accommodement et eviction Jahrgang 60, Heft 3, 2004 p. 193-213.
Giron Blanc, L. F. "The Parallel Manuscripts of the 'Mahberet
nushaot sel ha-Tora': The 'Samaritan Pentateuch' Translated into Arabic." Sefarad, Vol. 59, No. 1 (1999), pp.
43-52. [Spanish]
Greenfield, Jonas C.
“Samaritan
Hebrew and Aramaic in the work of Z Ben Hayyim”, Biblica 45 (1964), 261–268.
Hamilton, George
A General Introduction to the Study of the Hebrew Scriptures; with a
Critical History of the Greek and Latin versions of the Samaritan Pentateuch,
and of the Chaldee Paraphrases.
Dublin:
printed for T. Johnson 1814
Harel, Yaron
A Joint Educational
Initiative by Jews and Samaritans in Shechem (Nablus), Cathedra, 119 (2006), pp. 121-132.
(Hebrew)
Hensel, Benedikt
“Israeliten“ zu
„Ausländern“: Zur Entwicklung anti-samaritanischer Polemik ab der hasmonäischen
Zeit, ZAW 126/4 (2014), 475-493
Holmes, Robert
The First Annual Account of the Collation of the MSS. of the
Septuagint-Version. To Which is prefixed a Tract. London: Clarendon Press 1789
Holmes, T.
Heart and Thought Memories of Eastern Travel, Bolton: J.W. Gledsdale, 1887 p. 185.
Hopkins, William (Vicar of
Bolney)
Exodus. A Corrected Translation: With Notes, Critical and Explanatory. London: J.
Johnson 1784
Lindsay, James Ludovic (Earl of Crawford)
Bibliotheca Lindesiana: Hand List of the Boudoir Books [Leipzig, Printed by E. Hermannsen.] 1881.
Bibliorum Sacrorum Exemplaria, tam manuscript, quam
impressa, quae in Bibliothaca Lindesiana adservantur. Romae: ex typographia
senatus, 1884. 8vo, pp. 28. (Only 50 copies printed for private circulation) World Cat reference
Lomax, Alfred R.
Sir Henry Layard, His Adventures and Discoveries New York: Thomas
Whittaker, 1894
Luria, Ben-Zion
‘The
Development of the Mezuzah.’ in Dor le Dor, Vol. V, No. 1, Fall 1976, pp. 6-15.
Rieu, Charles
Supplement to the Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the British
Museum. London: Longmans & Co. 1894
Robertson, Edward
Catalogue of the Samaritan manuscripts in the John Rylands Library,
Manchester. Vol. I, Manchester University Press. 1962
Catalogue of the Samaritan manuscripts in the John Rylands Library,
Manchester. Vol. II, The Gaster Manuscripts, Manchester
University Press. 1938
Rye, Reginald Arthur
Catalogue of the Printer Books and Manuscripts Forming the Library of
Frederic David Mocatta. London: Harrison and Son, 1904, pp. 437-8
Schröder, Paul
‘Die
samaritanische Inschrift von es-Sindiäne’ in Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Karmels by Egbert Friedrich von Mülinen
Leipzig: In Kiommission bei K. Baedeker, No. 31, 1908, pp. 349-253. (in German)
Shehadeh, Haseeb
TAL, OREN
A
Bilingual Greek-Samaritan Inscription from Apollonia-Arsuf/ Sozousa: Yet More
Evidence of the Use of ΕΙΣ ΘΕΟΣ ΜΟΝΟΣ
Formula Inscriptions Among the Samaritans. aus: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie
und Epigraphik 194 (2015) 169–175
Tupper, Kerr
B.
‘The Samaritan Pentateuch’ The Hebrew Student Volume 1, pp. 7-8
Whiston, William
An essay towards restoring the true text of the Old Testament; and for vindicating the citations made ... in the New Testament. To which is subjoined, a large appendix: containing I. The variations of the Samaritan Pentateuch from the Hebrew ... London: Printed for J. Senex, and W. Taylor, 1722.
Zsengeller, Jozsef
Samaritan Rewritings: The Toledot in Samaritan Literature 2014
New-York Daily Tribune, Sunday, March 5, 1911 [page 8]
The Notable Collection of Penmanship Specimens and Treatises on Exhibition at Teachers College Runs the Entire Gamut from Time of the Pharaohs of Egypt to the Present Day.
Any person who looks at the collection of handwriting textbooks, copybooks and specimens of writing on exhibition until March 30 in the Educational Museum of Teachers College will go away a wiser and a sadder penman………..
This remarkable collection of penmanship treatise, old and new, was lent by George A. Plimpton, of New York. Among the specimens shown is a fragment of the Pentateuch in the Samaritan which is fascinating. It makes a person feel like composing a language of his own……….
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