Samaritans

The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious community that follows Samaritanism and traces its ancestry and religious tradition to ancient Israel. Their distinct tradition centers on Mount Gerizim and the Samaritan Pentateuch.

Samaritanism: The religion of the Samaritan community, centered on the Torah and worship at Mount Gerizim. It is the religious tradition that defines the community.
Kingdom of Israel: An ancient Israelite kingdom centered in the northern part of the land of Israel. Samaritan tradition traces its ancestry to the ancient Israelites of this kingdom.
Sanballat the Horonite: A Persian-period governor of Samaria who appears in the biblical books of Nehemiah and Ezra. Later traditions associated him with the origins of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim.
Samaritan Passover: The Samaritan observance of Passover, including a communal sacrifice at Mount Gerizim. The annual rite is among the clearest expressions of Samaritan worship.
Samaritan diaspora: The dispersal of Samaritan communities beyond their historic center in Samaria. Periods of dispersal reshaped where Samaritans lived and worshiped.
Samaritan Pentateuch: The Samaritan community’s Hebrew text of the Five Books of Moses, preserved in a distinctive textual tradition. Its text and interpretation anchor Samaritan religious life.
Samaria: A historical region and ancient capital in the central highlands of the southern Levant. The community’s name and much of its history are tied to this region.
Abisha: A Samaritan priestly figure traditionally associated with an ancient Torah scroll kept by the community. The Abisha Scroll is linked by Samaritan tradition to this ancestral priest.
Samaritan calendar: The calendar used by Samaritans to determine religious festivals and ritual dates. It governs the timing of Passover and other community observances.
Samaritan population: The number and distribution of people who identify with the Samaritan community. A very small population makes demographic continuity a central concern.

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