Who Were the Samaritans?
The Samaritans were a group of people who inhabited the region of Samaria in ancient Israel. One theory claims their origins can be traced back to the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BCE. The Samaritans themselves lay claim to much older origins and what they believe is a purer form of Abrahamic religion. Yet another theory claims that a schism between the Jews and the Samaritans occurred during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. So, let us consider the theories and gain insight into who the Samaritans during the time of Jesus were.
In the Protestant canon, the word “Samaritans” appears only once in the Old Testament. This instance seems to refer to the ten tribes of Israel that constituted the Northern Kingdom of Israel as Samaritans. Contextually it speaks to the Assyrian conquest of the Northern kingdom that exiled its people.
The Assyrians brought people from different parts of their domain to settle in Samaria. These groups eventually intermarried with the remnant of the Israelites who did not go into exile. According to the Biblical narrative, God sent lions among them who killed some of the residents. The Assyrian king then decreed that one of the priests they sent into exile must return to teach the residents “the law of the god of the land” (2 Kings 17:29) so that they could avert the killings. The people continued to worship their gods alongside the Israelite practices they learned from the priest. Idolatry continued at the high places in the Northern Kingdom.
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