DELIBERATELY DIVERSE | by Frances Sorrow
Deliberately Diverse represents the opinions of a group of Taylor friends who almost never entirely agree on anything but enjoy celebrating the diverse viewpoints of each other in our beloved community.
You probably know the parable of the Good Samaritan. But do you know that the Samaritans still exist in Israel and in the West Bank? Yes, and they are descendants of the ancient Samaritans. Their ancestors lived there over 3,000 years ago.
To understand the Samaritans, we must cover some ancient history.
Around 1250 B.C.E., most of the 12 Israelite (Hebrew) tribes entered Canaan, although a close reading of Genesis indicates that some were already in the land. Ten tribes settled in the north and two in the south.
They formed a confederacy for mutual protection but were largely independent.
However, we know from the biblical Song of Deborah (Judges 5:1-31) that there was no central authority to require mutual support.
So when the Philistines, of Aegean origin, often called the Sea Peoples, arrived c. 1175 B.C.E., the confederacy failed to stop their advance from the coastal cities toward the interior.
Israelite efforts to halt them usually failed.
The Israelites demanded a king to unite them and selected David. It was during his reign the story of David versus Goliath takes place. David succeeded Saul, and Solomon succeeded David. Solomon’s taxes were heavy and only helped the south. The 10 northern tribes were fed up, so when Solomon died, the north seceded.
They formed the kingdom of Israel, and the south became Judah.
For 200 years Israel prospered. They rebuilt the ancient sanctuary at Shechem.
However, according to the prophets, the Israelites assumed pagan practices and incurred the wrath of God. When in 722 B.C.E. the Assyrians conquered Israel, the prophets felt vindicated.
Assyria deported most of the Israelites. They became known as the 10 Lost Tribes.
A remnant was left behind. Some moved to Judah. Others remained in the area called Samaria, and became, and still are, strict monotheists. They built their own temple on Mount Gerizim and codified their version of the Five Books of Moses.
Only 136 years later, in 586 B.C.E., Judah in the south — and still ruled by the descendants of King David — was conquered by Babylon. Later when allowed to return, many stayed in Babylon, but thousands returned.
The returnees rejected the people who stayed behind, as described in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Then, around 122 B.C.E., the Judean king, John Hyrcanus, razed the Samaritan temple. That was the last insult and resulted in the antagonism between the Jews and Samaritans as seen in the New Testament.
So, while both the Jews and Samaritans come from ancient Israelite roots, the Samaritan’s have never been Jews.
Part 2 will describe the Samaritans of today.
Sorrow is a long-time Taylor resident and amateur historian.
