Samaritan Christians

Samaritan Christians or Christian Samaritans (Aramaic: ࠔࠌࠓࠉ ࠀࠅࠓࠇࠀ Shamrey Urkha or ࠍࠈࠓࠉ ࠀࠅࠓࠇࠀ Naṭrey Urkha “Keepers/Samaritans of the Way”)^[1] are followers of Jesus of Nazareth whose ancestral roots are in Samaria and whose forebears were of Samaritan Israelite origin. Being descendants of the northern tribes of Israel, mainly Ephraim, Manasseh, and Levi, they (or their ancestors) formerly practiced Samaritanism, one of two major expressions of the ancient religion of Israel, i.e., the worship of YHWH.^[2]

The Samaritan Christian community is the second oldest community, or church, of practitioners of what would eventually become known as Christianity. This particular community was established subsequent to the Jewish Christian community in Galilee and Judea but prior to the Gentile Christian community at Antioch. It is often overlooked by Church historians because of its perceived lack of prestige or historical import, but in fact it is the only Christian community, other than that of the Jews, that Jesus himself started when he spent two days in Sychar.^[3] According to the New Testament book of Acts, Philip the Evangelist conducted a mission in Samaria and significantly increased the number of Christian believers there.^[4] This was followed by the apostolic visitation of Peter and John, who were sent by the elders in Jerusalem to lay hands upon the baptized Samaritans so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.^[5]

The fate of the original Samaritan Christian community is not documented, but it is known that some Samaritans left Christianity early on, and followed the teachings of either Simon Magus or his contemporary Dositheos, both of whom were Samaritans. A few Samaritan Christians may have joined the early Jewish Christian community, but it is more probable that the majority of them, facing internal and external pressure, either returned to traditional Samaritanism or joined one of the Gentile Christian communities in Samaria or abroad. Justin Martyr, recognized as the first Christian philosopher, is thought by some to descend from Hellenized Samaritans, and at one point he even called himself a Samaritan.^[6]

By the end of the second century CE, the original Samaritan Christian community had disbanded and was lost to history. A few scholars, like Dr. Ze’ev Goldmann, believe that Samaritan Christianity continued on for some time thereafter, and argue that “Samaritan Neo-Christians” had moved to Capernaum and had adopted the use of the pelta (shield) symbol as a representative sign, having a function similar to the Jewish star of David, which can be seen at several archaeological sites associated with them.^[7] Today, the Samaritan branch of the Christian religion survives in parts of Europe and Asia, where descendants of the once-thriving Samaritan diaspora have revived their ancestral culture.

Role of Samaritans in Christianity

From the story of the Samaritan woman at the well to the parable of the Good Samaritan, Samaritans were very much a part of Early Christianity. The Jews of that time despised Samaritans, and went so far as to call Jesus a demon-possessed Samaritan as an insult.^[8] Jesus, however, championed the underdog. While he instructed his disciples not to go to the Samaritans, he dealt with the Samaritans directly, and referenced them in his teachings.

Stephen

Among the most prominent early Samaritan converts to Christianity is Stephen, who was appointed as one of the seven original deacons in Jerusalem. His Samaritan background is disputed by scholars, but his testimony recorded in Acts 7 reveals several bits of information about Stephen that support a Samaritan origin. Stephen's emphasis on Shechem, Joseph, and the Tabernacle fits a Samaritan perspective more than a Jewish one, and his reliance upon the Samaritan Torah over the Jewish Torah is overt and unmistakable—he says that Abraham left Haran after his father Terah had died. According to the Jewish Torah, Terah begot Abraham at 70 years old and lived until the age of 205, which would make him 145 years old when Abraham left Haran. The Samaritan Torah, however, states that Terah lived 145 years, which puts the timing of his death in the months before Abraham's departure. Stephen makes special note of this in Acts 7:4.

Moreover, Stephen seems to rely upon an oral tradition held by certain Hellenized Samaritans of that time, which claimed that a parcel of land in Shechem was originally purchased by Abraham but was reclaimed by the locals during his long absence, then repurchased by Jacob many years later. Stephen's reference to Abraham as the purchaser of the tomb^[9] can only be explained this way from an orthodox viewpoint; otherwise one would have to allow for scribal error. It is also significant that Samaria is highlighted after Stephen's martyrdom, as if Philip's mission was carried out in honor of Stephen's life and testimony. It could be further argued that Philip himself may have had some Samaritan heritage, since he met with such a warm reception in Samaria (a welcome not usually extended to Jews), but Samaritan Christians regard him as a Jew who had a genuine love for Samaritan people.

Prochorus

A nephew of Stephen and one of the original Seven Deacons of the Jerusalem Church, Prochorus played an important role in the development of early Christianity among Jewish and Samaritan converts. After his uncle's martyrdom, Roman and Jewish violence toward Christians increased and eventually led to the dispersion of the Christian community at Jerusalem. Christian tradition holds that Prochorus gave aid to the Apostle Peter in his mission work and went on to become a close companion and personal scribe for the Apostle John, penning various letters and books for him, including his Gospel and his Revelation. Prochorus met a martyr's death in Antioch at the end of the first century AD.

Later Samaritan Christians and modern revival efforts

Nothing of the original Samaritan Christian community remains, but Samaritans continued to convert to Christianity at different times during the centuries that followed the spread of Christianity throughout Rome.^[10] A great number of conversions were forced on account of persecution, which ultimately led to the assimilation and disappearance of the Byzantine Samaritan diaspora and the near annihilation of Samaritans in the Levant.

Historical characteristics

Little is known about Samaritan Christianity from the first few centuries A.D., but based upon the writings of Early Church fathers and from the witness of Samaritans themselves, those who left traditional Samaritanism to follow Jesus never abandoned their former identity as "Shamerim" (Keepers). As evidenced in the testimony of St. Stephen, they continued to use (and keep) the Samaritan Torah and hold typical Samaritan biases. Most embraced aspects of gnosticism and held the two Johns (John the Baptist and John the Apostle) in very high regard. St. Paul and his letters do not appear to have had any significant influence upon their communities; it is likely that some even followed in the path of the Ebionites, rejecting Paul and the Jewish prophets entirely. Their original position regarding Jesus is not clear, but it can safely be said that they believed him to be a prophet like Moses, and that they saw him as the Ta'eb/Taheb (Restorer) after Joseph, their ancestor and patriarch. Whether they considered him divine cannot be ascertained.

References

1. Acts 24:14.
2. Meier, John P. (2000). "The Historical Jesus and the Historical Samaritans: What can be Said?". Biblica. GBPress. 81 (2): 217.
3. John 4:5-42.
4. Acts 8:4-8.
5. Acts 8:14-17.
6. http://www.al-bushra.org/holyland/section4.htm. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
7. http://zeevgoldmann.blogspot.com/2008/08/vi-pelta-amazon-shield.html. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);
8. John 8:48.
9. Acts 7:16.
10. http://www.askelm.com/people/peo008.htm. Missing or empty |title= (help); External link in |website= (help);