Samaritanism holds that the summit of Mount Gerizim is the true location of God's Holy Place. Samaritans trace their history as a separate entity to a period soon after the Israelites' entry into the Promised Land. Samaritan historiography traces the schism to High Priest Eli leaving Mount Gerizim, where stood the first Israelite altar in Canaan, and building a competing altar in nearby Shiloh. The dissenting group of Israelites who had followed Eli to Shiloh would be the ones who in later years would head south to settle Jerusalem (the Jews), whereas the Israelites who stayed on Mount Gerizim, in Samaria, would become known as the Samaritans.7
Abu l-Fath, who in the 14th century wrote a major work of Samaritan history, comments on Samaritan origins as follows:8
A terrible civil war broke out between Eli son of Yafni, of the line of Ithamar, and the sons of Pincus (Phinehas), because Eli son of Yafni resolved to usurp the High Priesthood from the descendants of Pincus. He used to offer sacrifices on an altar of stones. He was 50 years old, endowed with wealth and in charge of the treasury of the Children of Israel. ... He offered a sacrifice on the altar, but without salt, as if he were inattentive. When the Great High Priest Ozzi learned of this, and found the sacrifice was not accepted, he thoroughly disowned him; and it is (even) said that he rebuked him. Thereupon he and the group that sympathized with him, rose in revolt and at once he and his followers and his beasts set off for Shiloh. Thus Israel split in factions. He sent to their leaders saying to them, Anyone who would like to see wonderful things, let him come to me. Then he assembled a large group around him in Shiloh, and built a Temple for himself there; he constructed a place like the Temple [on Mount Gerizim]. He built an altar, omitting no detail—it all corresponded to the original, piece by piece. At this time the Children of Israel split into three factions. A loyal faction on Mount Gerizim; a heretical faction that followed false gods; and the faction that followed Eli son of Yafni in Shiloh.
A terrible civil war broke out between Eli son of Yafni, of the line of Ithamar, and the sons of Pincus (Phinehas), because Eli son of Yafni resolved to usurp the High Priesthood from the descendants of Pincus. He used to offer sacrifices on an altar of stones. He was 50 years old, endowed with wealth and in charge of the treasury of the Children of Israel. ...
He offered a sacrifice on the altar, but without salt, as if he were inattentive. When the Great High Priest Ozzi learned of this, and found the sacrifice was not accepted, he thoroughly disowned him; and it is (even) said that he rebuked him.
Thereupon he and the group that sympathized with him, rose in revolt and at once he and his followers and his beasts set off for Shiloh. Thus Israel split in factions. He sent to their leaders saying to them, Anyone who would like to see wonderful things, let him come to me. Then he assembled a large group around him in Shiloh, and built a Temple for himself there; he constructed a place like the Temple [on Mount Gerizim]. He built an altar, omitting no detail—it all corresponded to the original, piece by piece.
At this time the Children of Israel split into three factions. A loyal faction on Mount Gerizim; a heretical faction that followed false gods; and the faction that followed Eli son of Yafni in Shiloh.
Further, the Samaritan New Chronicle or Adler, named after its editor Elkan Nathan Adler (1861-1946), which is believed to have been composed in the 18th century using earlier chronicles as sources, states:
And the Children of Israel in his days divided into three groups. One did according to the abominations of the Gentiles and served other gods; another followed Eli the son of Yafni, although many of them turned away from him after he had revealed his intentions; and a third remained with the High Priest Uzzi ben Bukki, the chosen place.
Modern genetic studies (2004) suggest that Samaritans' lineages trace back to a common ancestor with Jews in the paternally-inherited Jewish high priesthood (Cohanim) temporally proximate to the period of the Assyrian conquest of the kingdom of Israel, and are probably descendants of the historical Israelite population.910 The religion of the proto-Samaritans at this time was probably no different than that of their southern counterparts in Judea. This likely remained the case for several centuries after the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel, as Judean cultic reforms instituted by the kings Hezekiah and Josiah experience little opposition extending to the Samaritan people in the north, according to the biblical text.11
Though Samaritans certainly were culturally unique, they were closely intertwined with the Jews to the south. As such, Samaritanism likely did not emerge as a distinct tradition until the Hasmonean and Roman era, by which point Yahwism had coalesced into Second Temple Judaism.12[page range too broad] The temple on Mount Gerizim, the central place of worship in Samaritanism, was built in the 5th century BCE,13 as one of many Yahwistic temples in Samaria. However, the temple precinct experienced a centuries-long period of large-scale construction beginning around the 4th century BCE, which indicates that its status as the pre-eminent place of worship among Samaritans had only just been established. Likewise, theological debates between Jews and Samaritans are attested as early as the 2nd century BCE, indicating that the Samaritan Pentateuch had already taken shape, in some form.14
The Hasmonean king John Hyrcanus destroyed the Mount Gerizim temple and brought Samaria under his control around 120 BCE, which led to a longlasting sense of mutual hostility between the Jews and Samaritans.15 From this point, the Samaritans likely sought to consciously distance themselves from their Judean brethren, and both peoples came to see the Samaritan faith as a religion distinct from Judaism.
The relationship between Jews and Samaritans only further deteriorated with time. By the time of Jesus, Samaritans and Jews deeply disparaged one another, as evinced by Jesus' Parable of the Good Samaritan.16
The principal beliefs of Samaritanism are as follows:17[better source needed]1819
The Samaritans preserve a form of the proto-Hebraic script, conserve the institution of a high priesthood, and the practice of slaughtering and eating lambs on Passover eve. They celebrate Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot,22 but use a different mode from that employed in Judaism in order to determine the dates annually.23[page range too broad] Yom Teru'ah (the Biblical name for "Rosh Hashanah"), at the beginning of Tishrei, is not considered a New Year as it is in Rabbinic Judaism.
The sabbath is observed weekly by the Samaritan community every Friday to Saturday beginning and ending at sundown. For 24 hours, the families gather together to celebrate the rest day: all electricity with the exception of minimal lighting (kept on the entire day) in the house is disconnected, no work is done, and neither cooking nor driving is allowed. The time is devoted to worship which consists of seven prayer services (divided into two for sabbath eve, two in the morning, two in afternoon and one at eve of conclusion), reading the weekly Torah portion (according to the Samaritan yearly Torah cycle), spending quality time with family, taking meals, rest and sleep, and visiting other members of the community.24
Passover is particularly important in the Samaritan community, climaxing with the sacrifice of up to 40 sheep. The Counting of the Omer remains largely unchanged; however, the week before Shavuot is a unique festival celebrating the continued commitment Samaritanism has maintained since the time of Moses. Shavuot is characterized by nearly day-long services of continuous prayer, especially over the stones on Gerizim traditionally attributed to Joshua.
During Sukkot, the sukkah is built inside houses, as opposed to outdoor settings that are traditional among Jews.25 Samaritan historian Benyamim Tsedaka traces the indoor-sukkah tradition to persecution of Samaritans during the Byzantine Empire.26 The roof of the Samaritan sukkah is decorated with citrus fruits and the branches of palm, myrtle, and willow trees, according to the Samaritan interpretation of the four species designated in the Torah for the holiday.27
Samaritan law differs from Halakha (Rabbinic Jewish law) and other Jewish movements. The Samaritans have several groups of religious texts, which correspond to Jewish Halakha. A few examples of such texts are:
Sela, Shulamit (1994). "The Head of the Rabbanite, Karaite and Samaritan Jews: On the History of a Title". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 57 (2): 255–267. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00024848. ISSN 0041-977X. JSTOR 620572. S2CID 162698361. https://www.jstor.org/stable/620572 ↩
Tsedaka 2013, p. xxi. - Tsedaka, Benyamim (2013). The Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802865199. https://books.google.com/books?id=-wn8ABo-Fz0C&q=samaritans+gerizim&pg=PR7 ↩
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 6 May 2022. https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5706/ ↩
Fairclough, Owen (14 November 2024). "29 Facts About Samaritanism". ohmyfacts.com. Retrieved 13 February 2025. https://ohmyfacts.com/religion-history/29-facts-about-samaritanism/ ↩
"An Internet Newsletter & Archive Regarding the Samaritan-Israelites". thesamaritanupdate.com. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2025. http://www.thesamaritanupdate.com/ ↩
Anderson & Giles 2002, p. 11–12. - Anderson, Robert T.; Giles, Terry (2002). The Keepers: An Introduction to the History and Culture of the Samaritans. Hendrickson Publishing. ISBN 1-56563-519-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=TIcWAoiRhgAC&q=Anderson%2C+Robert+T.%3B+Giles%2C+Terry+%282002%29.+The+Keepers%3A+An+Introduction+to+the+History+and+Culture+of+the+Samaritans ↩
Shen, P; Lavi, T; Kivisild, T; Chou, V; Sengun, D; Gefel, D; Shpirer, I; Woolf, E; Hillel, J (2004). "Reconstruction of patrilineages and matrilineages of Samaritans and other Israeli populations from Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA sequence variation" (PDF). Human Mutation. 24 (3): 248–60. doi:10.1002/humu.20077. PMID 15300852. S2CID 1571356. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20200420110753/http://evolutsioon.ut.ee/publications/Shen2004.pdf ↩
Kiaris 2021, p. 14. - Kiaris, Hippokratis (15 June 2021). Genes, Polymorphisms, and the Making of Societies: A Genetic Perspective of the Divergence between East and West (Revised and Extended ed.). Universal-Publishers. ISBN 978-1-62734-345-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=LncvEAAAQBAJ ↩
Knoppers 2013, pp. 82–85. - Knoppers, Gary N. (2013). Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-195-32954-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgZUPT6CusC&pg=PA11 ↩
Knoppers 2013, pp. 125–133. - Knoppers, Gary N. (2013). Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-195-32954-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgZUPT6CusC&pg=PA11 ↩
Knoppers 2013, pp. 178–179. - Knoppers, Gary N. (2013). Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-195-32954-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgZUPT6CusC&pg=PA11 ↩
Knoppers 2013, p. 177. - Knoppers, Gary N. (2013). Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-195-32954-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgZUPT6CusC&pg=PA11 ↩
Knoppers 2013, pp. 173–174. - Knoppers, Gary N. (2013). Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-195-32954-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=YAgZUPT6CusC&pg=PA11 ↩
"Samaritan | Definition, Religion, & Bible | Britannica". britannica.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Samaritan ↩
"Religion of the Israelite Samaritans : The Root of all Abrahamic Religions". 13 April 2020. https://www.israelite-samaritans.com/religion/ ↩
"Religion of the Israelite Samaritans". http://www.thesamaritanupdate.com ↩
"Samaritan - Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/bible/bible-general/samaritan ↩
"History of the Samaritan Israelites". 17 August 2023. https://www.israelite-samaritans.com/history/ ↩
Sassoni, Osher (12 December 2019). "Reflections on Relationship between Qumran and Samaritan Messianology". The Samaritans. Retrieved 11 February 2024. https://www.the-samaritans.net/2019/12/12/reflections-on-the-relationship-between-qumran-and-samaritan-messianology-by-ferdinand-dexinger/ ↩
de Hemmer Gudme 2013, p. 52. - de Hemmer Gudme, Anne Katrine (28 May 2013). Before the God in this Place for Good Remembrance: A Comparative Analysis of the Aramaic Votive Inscriptions from Mount Gerizim. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-030187-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=StMCvsROU1IC ↩
Powels 1989, pp. 691–741. - Powels, Sylvia (1989). Crown, Alan David (ed.). The Samaritans. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-145237-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=pzo6KAH3FmUC&pg=PA693 ↩
"Sabbath Observance: How Israelite Samaritans Keep the Sabbath". Israelite Samaritan Information Institute. Retrieved 1 May 2023. https://www.israelite-samaritans.com/religion/sabbath-observance/ ↩
Lieber, Dov; Luzi, Iacopo (19 October 2016). "Inside the Samaritan high priest's fruity sukkah, literally". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 December 2019. https://www.timesofisrael.com/inside-the-samaritan-high-priests-fruity-sukkah-literally/ ↩
VanderKam & Flint 2005, p. 95. - VanderKam, James; Flint, Peter (10 July 2005). The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Significance For Understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-567-08468-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=SBMXnB4CRpUC ↩
Law 2013, p. 24. - Law, Timothy Michael (15 August 2013). When God Spoke Greek: The Septuagint and the Making of the Christian Bible. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-978172-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=YZoeAAAAQBAJ ↩
Seeligmann 2004, p. 64. - Seeligmann, Isaac Leo (2004). The Septuagint Version of Isaiah and Cognate Studies. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-148372-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=BHYnIhREtzgC ↩
Bowman 1977, p. 331. - Bowman, John, ed. (1 January 1977). Samaritan Documents: Relating to their History, Religion, and Life. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-0-915138-27-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=HMlJAwAAQBAJ ↩
Tsedaḳah 1958. - Tsedaḳah, Avraham Nur (1958). זבח קרבן הפסח: הגדה של פסח, נוסח שומרוני [Samaritan Haggada and Pessah Passover] (in Hebrew). Tel-Aviv: מוציא לאור לא ידוע. https://books.google.com/books?id=IesGAQAAIAAJ&q=%D7%96%D7%91%D7%97%20%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%9F%20%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A1%D7%97%20:%20%D7%94%D7%92%D7%93%D7%94%20%D7%A9%D7%9C%20%D7%A4%D7%A1%D7%97,%20%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%97%20%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99 ↩