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Who Were the Samaritans?

(and Why Did the Jews HATE Them?)

 

The Samaritans occupied the country formerly belonging to the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The capital of the country was Samaria, formerly a large and splendid city. When the ten tribes were carried away into captivity to Assyria, the king of Assyria sent people from Cutha, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to inhabit Samaria. These foreigners intermarried with the Israelite population that was still in and around Samaria. These “Samaritans” at first worshiped the idols of their own nations, but being troubled with lions, they supposed it was because they had not honored the God of that territory. A Jewish priest was therefore sent to them from Assyria to instruct them in the Jewish religion. They were instructed from the books of Moses, but still retained many of their idolatrous customs. The Samaritans embraced a religion that was a mixture of Judaism and idolatry. Because the Israelite inhabitants of Samaria had intermarried with the foreigners and adopted their idolatrous religion, the Samaritans were universally despised by the Jews.

            There were several other reasons why they were so hated by the Jews. After their return from Babylon, the Jews began rebuilding their temple. While Nehemiah was engaged in building the walls of Jerusalem, the Samaritans vigorously attempted to halt their construction. Why were the Samaritans so opposed to the Jews rebuilding the Temple? The Samaritans initially offered to help rebuild the Second Temple but were rejected by the Jewish leaders.  Their opposition, which sought to stop the temple construction, stemmed from being turned away, plus they viewed the restoration of pure Jewish worship in Jerusalem as a threat to their own religious practices.

The Samaritans built a temple for themselves on “Mount Gerizim,” which the Samaritans insisted was designated by Moses as the place where the nation should worship. Sanballat, the leader of the Samaritans, established his son-in-law, Manasses, as high priest. The idolatrous religion of the Samaritans thus continued on.

Samaria became a place of refuge for all the outlaws of Judea. The Samaritans willingly received Jewish criminals and refugees from justice. The violators of the Jewish laws, and those who had been excommunicated, found safety for themselves in Samaria, greatly increasing the hatred which existed between the two nations.

Religiously speaking, the Samaritans received only the five books of Moses, yet rejected the writings of the prophets and all the Jewish traditions.

That was the final straw for the Jews. The differences between the Samaritans and the Jews had now become irreconcilable, as the Jews now regarded the Samaritans as the worst of the human race and had absolutely no dealings with them. Jesus broke down the barriers between them, in spite of the hatred that existed, preaching the gospel of peace to the Samaritans and His apostles later followed Jesus’ example.

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org