Samaritan theology?

[menardsguy]

I am meeting in a group and we are supposed to find out about samaritan theology. Can someone give me some resourses to look up this subject. We are looking closely at Acts and especially St. Stephen’s solilquay and comparing it to Genesis.Thanks

 

[NotWorthy]

This comes from Scott Hahn’s discussion on the Jesus and the Samaritan woman:

the Samaritans didn’t believe in the prophets. If you had a copy of the Samaritan Bible, it was much shorter than the Jewish Bible. The Jewish Bible consisted of the Law and the Prophets. The Samaritan Bible consisted of the Law, the five Books of Moses, and that was it. They didn’t accept any of the prophets as inspired scripture. Why not? Because all of the prophets, practically without exception, denounced Samaria and called the Samaritans idolaters for worshipping God on Mount Perazim and following the ways of the idolaters, the Baal worshippers, the followers of Baal.

So, if you are constantly hearing prophets denounce your own nation, your own people, your own lifestyle, you’re not going to include their writings in your sacred scripture, and the Samaritans didn’t. Consequently, the Samaritans didn’t believe in prophets like the Jews did. But the Samaritans did believe in the one prophet, because in the Law, in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 18, Moses issues a promise: that there will come one like unto Moses. God will send the Messiah, a deliverer, and He will be, “a prophet like unto Moses.”

So, the Samaritans didn’t believe in prophets. They only believed in one prophet, the prophet who was to come, the “prophet like unto Moses.” That prophet they identified with the Messiah. Listen to this woman again. Jesus had just said to her, “You’re right in saying you have no husband. You have had five husbands and the one you are with now is not your husband. She said, 'Sir, I perceive you are a prophet.’” For a Samaritan to say, “You are a prophet,” is practically tantamount to saying, “I perceive you might be the Messiah.”

I hope this helps.

Notworthy

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

Look up Dositheus and Sabbæus the founders of the two Samaritan sects.

jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=453&letter=D&search=samaritan

bible.tmtm.com/wiki/DOSITHEUS_(Jewish_Encyclopedia

catholicity.com/encyclopedia/d/dositheans.html

newadvent.org/cathen/05136c.htm

google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=samaritan++Dositheus++

google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=samaritan+theology

This article is likely the best you will find on the internet:

John P. MEIER Biblica 81 (2000) 202-232
The Historical Jesus and the Historical Samaritans:
What can be Said?

bsw.org/?l=71811&a=Comm05.html

 

[tjmiller]

I recall Josephus having some things to say about the Samaritan scism.