Who Are the Samaritans?

The northern Kingdom of Israel, centered on its capital Samaria, was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 720 BCE. Many members of the nobility were deported to Mesopotamia where they eventually assimilated, the so-called “Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.” However, the overwhelming majority of the northern Israelite people continued to live under Assyrian rule in the provinces of Samaria, Megiddo, and Gilead. When Assyrian rule was replaced by Babylonian and finally Persian rule, the people of Samaria (the Samaritans) continued to maintain their Israelite identity and even offered to help the returning Judean exiles (the Jews) rebuild the Jerusalem Temple. This offer was refused and over time, Jews and Samaritans became bitter rivals. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at Samaritan history from antiquity to the present.

Join the livestream to participate in the discussion and to ask questions to our lecturer during the Q&A.

Other topics covered in this lecture include:
Lost Tribes of Israel
Twelve Tribes of Israel
United Monarchy of David and Solomon
Shechem
Mount Gerizim
Neo-Assyrian Empire
Modern Samaritanism

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