The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group that originated from the Israelites of the Ancient Near East. They are named after and derive their religious tradition from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Samaritans trace their lineage to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, two of the original Twelve Tribes of Israel that Joshua led into the Promised Land after the Exodus from Egypt as recorded in the Bible.
The Samaritans are mentioned several times in the New Testament, most notably in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In this parable told by Jesus Christ, a man is beaten, robbed and left for dead on the road to Jericho. First a priest and then a Levite come by and pass by without helping him. Finally, a Samaritan comes by and takes pity on the injured man, cleans his wounds, puts him on his animal and takes him to an inn to recover (Luke 10:25-37). This story illustrates the superiority of loving one’s neighbor as oneself as opposed to selfish religious elitism. The Samaritan exemplified what it truly means to “love your neighbor” while the priest and Levite were more concerned with ceremonial cleanliness.
So who exactly were the Samaritans and what made them distinct in Israelite society at that time? Samaritans claimed descent from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and were closely related to other Israelites. However, Samaritans split off as a separate entity during the Assyrian exile in the 8th century BC when the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians deported most of the population while leaving a remnant behind. They then resettled the area with foreign peoples who intermarried with the remaining Israelites. Samaritan identity coalesced from this mix of Israelites who had remained behind and foreign settlers brought in by the Assyrians. The result was a people who were ethnically and culturally very similar to the Jews in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but with distinct practices and customs.
While the Jews centered their worship on the Temple in Jerusalem, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim near Shechem in Samaria. The Jews rejected this rival temple and viewed the Samaritans as ethnically impure because of their partial foreign ancestry and intermarriage. Consequently, Samaritans were scorned and excluded from mainstream Jewish society. Jews traveling between Judah and Galilee would intentionally bypass Samaria by crossing the River Jordan rather than traveling directly through Samaritan territory. The animosity between Jews and Samaritans at the time of Jesus was captured in a comment recorded in the Gospel of John: “Jews do not associate with Samaritans” (John 4:9).
However, Jesus himself crossed this divide and ministered to the Samaritans in defiance of social conventions. In speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, respecting her and offering her living water, Jesus showed love and acceptance that transcended ethnic and religious barriers. Another time Jesus healed a Samaritan leper, notable because the other nine lepers he healed that day were Jews (Luke 17:11-19). The Good Samaritan parable likewise underscored a Samaritan as worthy of emulation for exemplifying the command to “love your neighbor as yourself”. Jesus taught that this moral obligation extended to all people regardless of social labels or constructs.
The animosity between Jews and Samaritans was rooted in history and ethnic tension. But Jesus used encounters with Samaritans to teach critical spiritual truths: namely, that outward divisions should not hinder expressing God’s love, and that one’s spiritual standing is not determined by human ancestry but by an inward condition of the heart. By highlighting virtuous Samaritans in his teachings, Jesus emphasized that social barriers and preconceptions must be overcome in order to fulfill God’s commandments and see all people as neighbors. The Samaritans were marginalized by the religious establishment, but Jesus showed how they could be central to illustrating key lessons about unconditional love toward all.
Beyond the New Testament period, the Samaritan population dwindled significantly due to repression during the Jewish and Roman revolts. However, a small community still survives today, numbering around 800 people. They live in Israel and the West Bank and practice a religion closely related to Judaism while preserving their own unique identity and traditions. The modern Samaritan community maintains its ancient Israelite lineage by requiring men to marry within the community. Samaritans share the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy) as their scriptures with Jews, though with some variations, such as Mount Gerizim rather than Jerusalem as the holy site. They continue offering sacrifices prescribed in the Pentateuch as well.
This enduring Samaritan community provides a remarkable link back to the ancient biblical world. And their presence today is a testament to the resilience of this unique Israelite strand that diverged after the Assyrian exile. Visiting Samaritans in the modern West Bank village of Kiryat Luza enables one to glimpse practices that hearken back millennia. Their Passover sacrifice of lambs adheres to meticulous biblical specifications, for instance. This ethno-religious community straddling Jewish and non-Jewish identity continues enriching understanding of the biblical region’s diverse history.
The Samaritans originated as northern Israelites who survived Assyrian invasion and intermarried with resettled foreigners in the 8th century BC. Schism with the Jews of Judah crystallized over rival temples and rejection of Samaritans’ impure lineage. This schism formed the social context for Jesus’ radical inclusion of Samaritans in teachings and healings. By upholding virtuous Samaritans, Jesus emphasized spiritual status is based on faith rather than human labels. Although diminished over time, the Samaritan community persists today as an ancient strand of Israelite tradition and living window into the Bible.
The Samaritans provide a valuable lens for understanding biblical history and context. This ethnoreligious group descends from northern Israelites yet diverged from mainstream Judaism after Assyrian invasion and exile. Jesus deliberately engaged with Samaritan outcasts to underscore radical inclusive love that disregards human divisions. The Parable of the Good Samaritan remains one of Christ’s most famous teachings, eternally relevant for prompting self-reflection on who we consider “neighbor”. Modern Samaritans preserve ancient Israelite practices despite centuries of repression, a remarkable testament to this community’s resilience.
Ultimately, the biblical saga of the Samaritans illustrates vital spiritual truths that resonate through the centuries. Ethnicity, ancestry and ritual purity matter far less than faithfulness and compassion. No human labels or barriers should hinder us from fulfilling God’s command to “love your neighbor”. Jesus exemplified and taught these principles by showing love to Samaritans condemned by religious elites of his day. As modern readers, we are challenged to reflect on prejudices lurking within ourselves that may blind us from seeing others as neighbors. The biblical Samaritans provide an enduring model of neighborly love that transcends division.
In conclusion, the Samaritans emerge prominently in the Bible despite being marginalized in ancient Israelite society. Their distinct northern Israelite identity formed amid Assyrian resettlement of their land centuries prior to Jesus’ ministry. Samaritans were spurned by Jews for supposed impure lineage and worship on Mount Gerizim rather than the Jerusalem Temple. Jesus defied this ethnic hostility by embracing virtuous Samaritans in his teachings and healings. Through parables like the Good Samaritan, Christ emphasized that spiritual standing comes through faith rather than human ancestry or ritual. Though diminished over time, the Samaritan community endures today as testimony to this group’s remarkable resilience. Their biblical witness continues highlighting the need to see all people as neighbors, transcending divisions through unconditional love.