Who were the Samaritans?

Answer 1

The Samaritans (In Hebrew: שומרונים‎ Shomeronim) are an ethno-religious group of the Levant with the capital in Damascus, that have discussions to join Israel. They had been formed as people at the time of the Babylonian Exile according 2 Kings chapter 17. when immigrants that came to live in Shomeron (In Hebrew: Shomerim - Keepers of the Law) were eaten by lions and the King sent priests to teach them what the God of the land requires. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion or Mosaic branch closely related to Judaism. Based on the Samaritean Torah, Samaritans claim their worship is the true religion of the ancient Israelites prior to the Babylonian Exile, preserved by those who remained in the Land of Israel, as opposed to Judaism, which they assert is a related but altered and amended religion brought back by those returning from exile. There are tensions between Jews and Samaritans since they always had their own Temple and claimed that it was the original sanctuary.

Answer: According to Jewish sources (2 Kings 17:24), after the Assyrians exiled the Israelite Ten Tribes, the Assyrian king brought non-Jews from Cutha, Babylonia and Syria (Hamat), and settled them in the depopulated area where the Ten Tribes had lived (Samaria). They were taught Judaism by one of the Jewish priests (2 Kings 17:27), and they were taught the Torah, which they wrote in the Old Hebrew script.

The Talmud relates how the Samaritans adopted some of the mitzvot (Torah-commands) but not others (Talmud, Berakhot 47b), how they denounced the Jews to Alexander in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to destroy the newly-built Second Temple (Talmud, Yoma 69a), and how they interfered with the declaring of Rosh Hodesh (the New Moon) (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 22b). Our traditions relate how the Samaritans would waylay the Jews who tried to journey to the Holy Temple.

Answer 2

The Samaritans (In Hebrew: שומרונים‎ Shomeronim) are an ethno-religious group of the Levant with the capital in Damascus, that have discussions to join Israel. They had been formed as people at the time of the Babylonian Exile according 2 Kings chapter 17. when immigrants that came to live in Shomeron (In Hebrew: Shomerim - Keepers of the Law) were eaten by lions and the King sent priests to teach them what the God of the land requires. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion or Mosaic branch closely related to Judaism. Based on the Samaritean Torah, Samaritans claim their worship is the true religion of the ancient Israelites prior to the Babylonian Exile, preserved by those who remained in the Land of Israel, as opposed to Judaism, which they assert is a related but altered and amended religion brought back by those returning from exile. There are tensions between Jews and Samaritans since they always had their own Temple and claimed that it was the original sanctuary.

Answer: According to Jewish sources (2 Kings 17:24), after the Assyrians exiled the Israelite Ten Tribes, the Assyrian king brought non-Jews from Cutha, Babylonia and Syria (Hamat), and settled them in the depopulated area where the Ten Tribes had lived (Samaria). They were taught Judaism by one of the Jewish priests (2 Kings 17:27), and they were taught the Torah, which they wrote in the Old Hebrew script.

The Talmud relates how the Samaritans adopted some of the mitzvot (Torah-commands) but not others (Talmud, Berakhot 47b), how they denounced the Jews to Alexander in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to destroy the newly-built Second Temple (Talmud, Yoma 69a), and how they interfered with the declaring of Rosh Hodesh (the New Moon) (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 22b). Our traditions relate how the Samaritans would waylay the Jews who tried to journey to the Holy Temple.

Answer 3

The Samaritans were a people who lived a region of modern-day Israel called Samaria. They were considered "unclean" by the Hebrews back in Jesus' time because their ancestors were part-Jew, part Assyrian. Therefore, even if they beleived in God, they were not welcomed by Jews because of their uncleanliness.

Answer 4

Samaria was the successor state to Israel, which had ceased to exist over seven hundred years before the time of Jesus, and was the nation or province between Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The province was actually named after the former capital city of Israel - Samaria.

Samarians or Samaritans were residents of Samaria and may have been descended partly from the remnant Israelites allowed by the Assyrians to remain in Samaria and partly from the various peoples who were brought in to replace the Israelites taken into exile. They became implacable enemies of the Jews since the Jews overran Samaria during the second century BCE. Samaritans had become monotheistic, worshipping one God but with many differences compared to the religion of their southern Jewish neighbours. Almost all the Samaritans eventually adopted the Jewish religion but a small community of Samaritans remains in modern Israel.