Samaritans

Samaritans, a small Israelitish community of Nablus (Neapolis, Sichem) at the north foot of the sacred Mount Gerizim, Samaria. They claim direct descent from the old Israelitish inhabitants of Palestine, and profess a primitive form of the Hebrew religion, as embodied in a very ancient version of the Pentateuch in a Semitic language formerly current in Samaria, but modified by numerous Hebrew and Aramaic elements, and written in a Phoenician script which appears to have been in use in Palestine under the Maccabees. The MS., which is of great age, is preserved at Nablus with some other venerable documents. The Samaritans rigorously observe the prescriptions of the law, are strict Sabbatarians, and still offer sacrifices on Gerizim according to the rites ordained in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. They also, like the Jews, await the Messiah, who is to descend on the holy mountain, rival of Zion, and lead the faithful into everlasting bliss; but meantime the faithful are dying out, having been reduced in 1881 to 98 men and 62 women. (Reports, Palestine Exploration Fund, July, 1881.)