Historical Reasons for Jewish Dislike of Samaritans
The historical dislike between Jews and Samaritans originated in the 8th century BC, when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and repopulated the region with foreigners [2]. These new inhabitants, known as Samaritans, intermarried with the remaining Israelites and developed a distinct culture and religious practice. The Samaritans built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim, using their own version of the Pentateuch (Genesis—Deuteronomy) as their Scripture [7].
Tensions between Jews and Samaritans escalated after the Babylonian exile (586 BC), when the Jews returned to Jerusalem and refused to allow the Samaritans to participate in the rebuilding of the Temple [2]. The Samaritans, feeling excluded, built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, which became a source of contention between the two groups. In 128 BC, the Jewish leader John Hyrcanus destroyed the Samaritan temple, further exacerbating the animosity [8].
The New Testament reflects this historical tension. In John 4:9, a Samaritan woman expresses surprise that a Jewish man, Jesus, would ask her for a drink, noting that "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" [5]. Similarly, in John 8:48, the Jews accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan, implying that this is an insult [6]. The Gospel of Luke also highlights the animosity between Jews and Samaritans, as seen in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) and Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan villagers (Luke 9:52-53) [7].
The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus provides additional insight into the historical context of the Jewish-Samaritan conflict. He describes a quarrel between the Samaritans and Jews during the Roman prefecture of Pontius Pilate (c. AD 26-36), in which the Samaritans were accused of causing a disturbance [3]. Josephus also notes that the Samaritans were known to have clashed with the Jews on multiple occasions, including during the reign of Claudius (AD 41-54) [1, 4].
Rabbinic sources, such as the Babylonian Talmud, offer a nuanced view of the Samaritans. Rabbi Yishmael is quoted as saying that Samaritans are "lion converts," implying that they were not fully Jewish [9, 10]. The Talmud also notes that the Samaritans were considered to be of flawed lineage, which contributed to the Jewish disdain for them.
The historical reasons for Jewish dislike of Samaritans are complex and multifaceted. The Assyrian conquest and repopulation of Samaria, the building of the rival temple on Mount Gerizim, and the subsequent conflicts between Jews and Samaritans all contributed to the animosity between the two groups. The New Testament and rabbinic sources reflect this historical tension, highlighting the deep-seated cultural and religious differences between Jews and Samaritans. The destruction of the Samaritan temple by John Hyrcanus in 128 BC marked a significant turning point in the conflict, cementing the divisions between the two groups [8].
Sources
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 6, section 1: . How There Happened A Quarrel Between The Jews And The Samaritans; And How Claudius Put An End To Their Differences. 1. Now there arose a quarrel between the Samaritans and the Jews on the occasion following: It was the custom of the Galileans, when they came to the holy city at the festivals, to take their journeys through the country of the Samaritans; 11 and at this time there lay, in the road they took, a village that was called Ginea, which was situated in the limits of Samaria and the great plain, where certain persons the”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Samaritans — The name given to the new and mixed inhabitants whom Esarhaddon (B.C. 677), the king of Assyria, brought from Babylon and other places and settled in the cities of Samaria, instead of the original inhabitants whom Sargon (B.C. 721) had removed into captivity (2 Kings 17:24; comp. Ezra 4:2, 9, 10). These strangers (comp. Luke 17:18) amalgamated with the Jews still remaining in the land, and gradually abandoned their old idolatry and adopted partly the Jewish religion. After the return from the Captivity, the Jews in Jerusalem refused to allow them to take”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 4, section 1: . How The Samaritans Made A Tumult And Pilate Destroyed Many Of Them; How Pilate Was Accused And What Things Were Done By Vitellius Relating To The Jews And The Parthians.”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 6, section 1: . How There Happened A Quarrel Between The Jews And The Samaritans; And How Claudius Put An End To Their Differences.”
- John “The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) -- John 4:9”
- John “Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?” -- John 8:48”
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 10:33: 10:33 a despised Samaritan: This reversal in the story must have left the listeners aghast. Jews and Samaritans hated each other (see 9:52-53; 17:16; John 4:4-42). After the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, Assyrian colonists intermarried with Israelites left in Samaria; these inhabitants became known as Samaritans. After the Judeans returned from Babylon, conflict arose between the Jews and the Samaritans (Ezra 4:1-24), who built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim and used their own version of the Pentateuch (Genesis—Deuteronomy) as their Scripture”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 10:5: 10:5 Don’t go to the Gentiles: Jesus’ mission was limited to Jews at this stage (15:24). Through the Jews, God would reach the Gentiles (Isa 2:2-4; 42:6-7; 49:6; 60:3). • Jews regarded Samaritans as impure Jews (Luke 17:18) because of their intermarriage with Gentiles during and after the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles (2 Kgs 17:24-41). Tension was provoked in 128 BC when the Jewish leader John Hyrcanus destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim (Josephus, Antiquities 13.9.1).”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 75b.8: Rabbi Yishmael holds that Samaritans are lion converts, and the priests who assimilated among them were unfit priests, as it is stated: “And made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places” (II Kings 17:32). And Rabba bar bar Ḥana says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: What is the meaning of “from among themselves”? From the thorns that are among the Jewish people, meaning those of flawed lineage. And it was due to that reason that the Sages disqualified them, not due to the Samaritans themselves, who are gentiles, but due to the Jews of flawed lineag”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 165a.150:8: Rabbi Yishmael holds that Samaritans are lion converts, and the priests who assimilated among them were unfit priests, as it is stated: “And made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places” (II Kings 17:32). And Rabba bar bar Ḥana says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: What is the meaning of “from among themselves”? From the thorns that are among the Jewish people, meaning those of flawed lineage. And it was due to that reason that the Sages disqualified them, not due to the Samaritans themselves, who are gentiles, but due to the Jews of flawed l”