| Samaritanism | |
|---|---|
| הַדָּת הַשּׁוֹמְרוֹנִית السامرية | |
 | |
| Type | Ethnic religion |
| Scripture | Samaritan Pentateuch |
| Theology | Monotheistic |
| High Priest | Aabed-El ben Asher ben Matzliach |
| Associations | Judaism |
| Language | Samaritan Hebrew and Samaritan Aramaic |
| Territory | Land of Israel |
| Founder | Abraham (traditional) Moses (traditional, lawgiver) |
| Origin | c. 6th–3rd century BCE Kingdoms of Judah and Israel |
| Separated from | Judaism/Yahwism |
| Members | ~900 (Samaritans) |
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Samaritanism (Hebrew: הַדָּת הַשּׁוֹמְרוֹנִית; Arabic: السامرية) is an Abrahamic monotheistic ethnic religion.[1] It comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Samaritan people, who originate from the Hebrews and Israelites and began to emerge as a relatively distinct group after the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the Iron Age. Central to the faith is the Samaritan Pentateuch, which Samaritans believe is the original and unchanged version of the Torah.[2]
Although it developed alongside and is closely related to Judaism, Samaritanism asserts itself as the truly preserved form of the monotheistic faith that the Israelites adopted under Moses. Samaritan belief also holds that the Israelites' original holy site was Mount Gerizim, near Nablus,[3] and that Jerusalem only attained importance under Israelite dissenters who had followed Eli to the city of Shiloh; the Israelites who remained at Mount Gerizim would become the Samaritans in the Kingdom of Israel, whereas the Israelites who left would become the Jews in the Kingdom of Judah. Mount Gerizim is likewise revered by Samaritans as the location where the Binding of Isaac took place, in contrast to the Jewish belief that it occurred at Jerusalem's Temple Mount.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Tsedaka 2013, p. xxi.
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 6 May 2022.