When the Samaritans wanted to join in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, their assistance was rejected. You will find this in the Book of Ezra, Chapter Four. With the rejection came political hostility and opposition. The Samaritans tried to undermine the Jews with their Persian rulers and slowed the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple.
Nehemiah tells us Nehemiah that a grandson of the high priest, Eliashib, had married a daughter of Sanballat, the governor of the province of Samaria. For defiling the priesthood by marrying a non-Jewish woman, Nehemiah drove Eliashib from Jerusalem—though Sanballat was a worshiper of Yahweh. According to the historian Josephus, Sanballat then had a temple built on Mount Garizim in which his son-in-law Eliashib could function.
Apparently this is when the full break between Jews and Samaritans took place. In our own era which has witnessed the vandalism of synagogues and the burning of black churches, we should be able to understand the anger and hate such acts would incite.
The meeting was very friendly, until I mentioned that I had once eaten camel. The High Priest grew ashen and his family looked away, as though embarrassed. He said I had to atone and do penance. The meeting was clearly over. Completely deflated, I began skulking out of the room in shame.
The High Priest burst out laughing. Tsedaka later told me that after I left, the High Priest asked if the camel-eater had got home safely. It was the second time I realised that Samaritans have one foot in orthodoxy and serious tradition, and another in a world of humour — and a friendly acceptance of visitors who come to learn about them. Our Unique World is a BBC Travel series that celebrates what makes us different and distinctive by exploring offbeat subcultures and obscure communities around the globe.
If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Our Unique World Religion. The last of the good Samaritans. Share using Email. By Judith Fein 29th August You may well be aware of the New Testament parable of the good Samaritan. Our Unique World Our Unique World explores distinctive subcultures around the globe in celebration of what makes us different.
Check back each week in August and September to discover a new, unique world. No longer did the inhabitants of the north travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice and worship cf Deuteronomy Instead, Jeroboam set up idols in Dan and Bethel. The Samaritans were also a continuous source of difficulty to the Jews who rebuilt Jerusalem after returning from Babylonian captivity Ezra 4, esp v 10; Nehemiah 4, esp v 2. Eventually, the religion of the Samaritans evolved to the point that they held only the Pentateuch Genesis-Deuteronomy as being the law of God, rejecting all the books of poetry and prophecy.
Answer: The Jews had an ongoing feud with the Samaritans from the time they returned from Babylonian captivity. Bible students call this the Samaritan Schism. When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was conquering most of the Middle Eastern world, he used a tactic designed to keep his captives from uniting and rebelling. He played a kind of "Fruit Basket Turn-Over" by moving large populations of countries to different locations. So, when he took most of Judah to Babylon he resettled other people in their place.
Not all the Jews were carried off. The elderly and sickly were left, and many Temple scribes were left to care for them.
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