Jews Vs. Samaritans: What’s the Difference?

In The Well, the conflict between Jews and Samaritans is part of the story of Mara, Shem and their journey to find Jesus. But what was the differences that caused such enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans?

We know that their faith was central to the lives of both Jews and Samaritans. So how did the practices of Jews and Samaritans differ? First, let’s look at what they had in common:

• Both Jews and Samaritans believed that they came from the seed of Abraham—that they were the Chosen People.
• Both groups worshipped the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the one and only God.
• Both considered Moses the law-giver and prophet of God

To a foreigner—say, a Roman soldier—there wasn’t much difference between a Jew and a Samaritan. But to both Jews and Samaritans, these 3 things made all the difference in the world:

• Samaritans accept only the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) as Holy Scripture and accepted none of the other prophets as sent by God. The Talmud, written by Jewish rabbis, was rejected.
• Samaritans made their sacrifices and celebrated their high holy days on Mt. Gerizim, while Jews considered Jerusalem the Holy City and any other site was blasphemous.
• The Samaritans considered the Levite priests to be the highest religious authority, and the Jews looked to the rabbis as their interpreters of the law.

In addition to those main beliefs, Samaritans disagreed with most Jews on the idea of resurrection after death. Until well into the third century, they held that there was no promise of resurrection after death, since it was not mentioned in the Pentateuch.
And, as we see in The Well, the Samaritans await “The Restorer”, whom they call the Taheb—a prophet who will establish a period of peace and justice. The Jews, of course, awaited the Messiah, who would overthrow the Romans and give them back their land.
These differences, while seemingly minute to some, were the basis for the division that existed between Jews and Samaritans for thousands of years and still separate them today.

Can you see differences between Christian denominations today that mirror the rift between Jews and Samaritans?

Have you read The Well or another book in the Living Water Series? Let me know what you enjoy about biblical fiction in the comments below.