Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
in the terms applied to the Creator. Thus in the Samaritan Pentateuch no one in the antediluvian
times begets his first son after he has lived 150 years; but one hundred years are, where necessary,
subtracted before, and added after, the birth of the first son. An exceedingly important and
often-discussed emendation of this class is the passage in (Exodus 12:40) which in our text reads,
“Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty
years.” The Samaritan has “The sojourning of the children of Israel [and their fathers who dwelt
in the Land of Cannaan and in the land of Egypt ] was four hundred and thirty years;” an
interpolation of very late date indeed. Again, in (Genesis 2:2) “And God [?] had finished on the
seventh day,” is altered into “the sixth ” lest God’s rest on the Sabbath day might seem incomplete.
•Alterations made in favor of or on behalf of Samaritan theology, hermeneutics and domestic
worship.
Samaritans
Strictly speaking, a Samaritan would be an inhabitant of the city of Samaria, but the term was
applied to all the people of the kingdom of Israel. After the captivity of Israel, B.C. 721, and in our
Lord’s time, the name was applied to a peculiar people whose origin was in this wise. At the final
captivity of Israel by Shalmaneser, we may conclude that the cities of Samaria were not merely
partially but wholly depopulated of their inhabitants in B.C. 721, and that they remained in this
desolated state until, in the words of (2 Kings 17:24) “the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon
and front Cuthah, and from Av. (Ivah,) (2 Kings 18:34) and from Hamath, and front Sepharvaim,
and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel and they possessed Samaria,
and dwelt in the cities thereof.” Thus the new Samaritans were Assyrians by birth or subjugation.
These strangers, whom we will now assume to hare been placed in “the cities of Samaria” by
Esar-haddon, were of course idolaters, and worshipped a strange medley of divinities. God’s
displeasure was kindled, and they were annoyed by beasts of prey, which had probably increased
to a great extent before their entrance upon the land. On their explaining their miserable condition
to the king of Assyria, he despatched one of the captive priests to teach them “how they should
fear the Lord.” The priest came accordingly, and henceforth, in the language of the sacred historian,
they “Feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children and their children’s
children: as did their fathers, so do the unto this day.” (2 Kings 17:41) A gap occurs in their history
until Judah has returned from captivity. They then desire to be allowed to participate in the rebuilding
of the temple at Jerusalem; but on being refused, the Samaritans throw off the mask, and become
open enemies, frustrate the operations of the Jews through the reigns of two Persian kings, and are
only effectually silenced in the reign of Darius Hystaspes, B.C. 519. The feud thus unhappily begun
grew year by year more inveterate. Matters at length came to a climax. About B.C. 409, a certain
Manasseh, a man of priestly lineage, on being expelled from Jerusalem by nehemiah for an unlawful
marriage, obtained permission from the Persian king of his day, Darius Nothus, to build a temple
on Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans, with whom he had found refuge. The animosity of the
Samaritans became more intense than ever. They are sid to have done everything in their power to
annoy the Jews. Their own temple on Gerizim they considered to be much superior to that at
Jerusalem. There they sacrificed a passover. Toward the mountain, even after the temple on it had
fallen, wherever they were they directed their worship. To their copy of the law they arrogated an
antiquity and authority greater than attached to any copy in the possession of the Jews. The law
(i.e. the five books of Moses) was their sole code; for they rejected every other book in the Jewish
canon. The Jews, on the other hand, were not more conciliatory in their treatment of the Samaritans.
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William Smith