The ancient guardians of a forgotten covenant
With only 900 members remaining today, the Israelite Samaritans represent one of the world's smallest surviving ethnoreligious groups. They maintain a lineage they claim stretches back 3,600 years, preserving a sacred identity that has survived empires, conquests, and centuries of religious upheaval.
The Samaritans, or Shamerim—meaning 'Guard/Watchers'—identify as the direct descendants of the biblical tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Levi. While contemporary scholars suggest their distinct identity crystallized during the Persian and Hellenistic periods through a mix of local populations and Mesopotamian arrivals, the community maintains a different narrative. They believe they are the authentic continuation of the Mosaic covenant, centered not on Jerusalem, but on Mount Gerizim, which they regard as God's chosen sanctuary.
The origins of the schism between Samaritans and Jews remain a subject of intense historical debate. Jewish tradition often points to the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom around 722–721 BCE, suggesting the community formed from resettled populations from places like Babylon and Kutha. Conversely, Samaritan chronicles, such as the 1355 Kitab al-Ta'rikh, attribute the division to a religious revolt led by the priest Eli, who allegedly usurped the high priesthood and established a rival shrine at Shiloh.
The community's survival has been marked by extreme fragility. Following Byzantine repression in the 5th and 6th centuries CE, and subsequent waves of Christianization and Islamization, their numbers plummeted. By the 12th century, traveler Benjamin of Tudela estimated only 1,900 remained; during the early modern period, the population reached a record low of approximately 100 people. Today, the community has rebounded to roughly 900 individuals, split between Holon in Israel and Kiryat Luza in the West Bank.
Despite their small numbers, they preserve a rich liturgical heritage, using Samaritan Hebrew and Aramaic. Their religious life is anchored by the hereditary high priesthood, a line they claim has continued uninterrupted since the prophet Aaron. Since 2013, this office has been held by Aabed-El ben Asher ben Matzliach.
Source: Samaritans
