Samaria, City

1693. A geographical dictionary representing the present and ancient names by Edmund Bohun.

Samaria, a City of Palestine, mentioned by Ptolemy and Strabo, as well as by the Sacred Writers. It was seated upon a Mountain in the Tribe of Ephraim; built by Omri King of Israel, as is recorded 1 Kings 16. (about the year of the World 3112, or as others 3•19.) and becoming from thenceforward the Royal City of that Kingdom, it became one of the greatest, strongest, and most populous, as well as most beautiful Cities of the East. Benhadad, King of Syria, besieg'd it first, about 3146. with a vast Army; and reduced it to great Extremities: it was then delivered by a Miracle. Salmanazar, King of Assyria, was the next that attempted it, and took it after a Siege of three years in 3314. He carried the Israelites into Captivity, and peopled it with a new Colony, composed of divers Nations and Religions; who were the implacable Enemies of the Jewish Nation; especially after the building of a Temple in Samaria (after the manner of that of Jerusalem) about the times of Nehemiah, by one of the Sons of Joida the High Priest; who had married a Daughter of Sanballat (the Horonite, Governour of Samaria under Darius King of Persia), for whom his Father-in-law built a Temple on Mount Gerizim. Hyrcanius the High Priest of the Jews about the year of the World 3941. took, and intirely ruined this City; which lay desolate, till Herod the Great rebuilt it about 4033. and called it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Honour of Augustus. The Temple of Samaria was standing in our Saviour's time, as appears in S. John's Gospel: after our Saviour's Passion, this City received the Christian Faith, by the Preaching of Philip the Evangelist, about the year of Christ 35. Simon the Father of Heresie, was one of these new Converts, and the Founder of the Gnosticks. About 42. Herod Agrippa obtained this City as an Addition to his Kingdom from Caligula. In the first ruin of the Jewish Nation, (under Vespasian) this Nation and City had no great share of the Calamity; because I suppose, they sided with the Romans in this first Revolution against the Jews. But in the second, under Adrian the Emperour, they acted otherwise; and about the year of Christ 135. were, together with the Jews, extirpated by the Arms of that Prince. This City has ever since lain buried in its Ruins; though there are some few remainders of the Samaritan Nation to this day in Palestine and Grand Cairo, where they keep their Synagogues and their ancient Sacrifices: Especially at Sichem, now called Naplouse, in Palestine; (the residence of their High Priest, who pretends to be of the Race of Aaron.) But following Laws and Rites, different from those of the Pentateuch, they have nevertheless the esteem of Hereticks amongst the Jews. The Samaritans of Mount Gerizim were mortal enemies to the ancient Christians there, till the Emperour Justianian took and burnt their King Julian, and curbed them from time to time by very severe Edicts. See Gerizim. It stood thirty five Miles from Jerusalem to the North. Long. 66. 40. Lat. 31. 30. or as Mr. Fuller saith. Long. 69. 10. Lat. 32. 30. //Paris Meridian was used in the book

1694. The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary by Louis Moreri.

Samaria, a City of Palestina, and Capital of the Kingdom of Israel. Omri King of Israel bought a Mountain in the Tribe of Ephraim of Shemer, and there built this City, which he called Samaria from the name of the first Possessor, 1 Kings 16. about A. M. 3112. Benhadad King of Syria besieged it first, A. M. 3146. with a vast Army, and reduced it to great Extremity, so that the Head of an Ass was sold for eighty Shekels of Silver, which is about 11 l. Sterling, but was then miraculously delivered according to the Prediction of Elisha the Prophet. A. M. 3314. Samaria was taken by Salmanassar after three Years Siege; this Prince took away the Israelites Captives, and instead of them sent a new Colony of diverse Nations into that City, who carrying their Idols with them, the whole Country was soon overspread with abominable Idolatry; whereupon God sent Lyons amongst them, which destroy'd so many of the Inhabitants, that they sent to Salmanassar, desiring they might no longer live there; upon their instance he sent them one of the Priests of the true God, to instruct them in the Ceremonies of his Worship, and thereby to remove the Judgment that was upon the Country. But these new Inhabitants, notwithstanding this, still retaining their Superstitions, patch'd up a Religion of both these. Joannes Hyrcanus, A. M. 3941. took this City and wholly ruined it, which was afterwards repaired by Herod the Great in 4033. and called Sebaste in Honour of Augustus, but is now called Naplouse according to some Authors: Sanballat was Governour of the Country of Samaria for Darius King of Persia, but proved Treacherous to him, and took part with Alexander the Great, who in recompense of his Treason, gave him Permission to build a Temple upon Mount Gerizim, like to that at Jerusalem, whereupon Sanballat made his Son-in-Law Manasses High Priest thereof, who was the Brother of Jaddus. All the Priests who had espoused strange Wives, as well as he, to avoid the Punishment due to their Fault, joyn'd themselves to him, and Samaria ever after was the Refuge of those who could not endure the severe Discipline of the Law. And this was a main cause of the Schism the Samaritans made from their Brethren the Jews; for neither did they Sacrifice at Jerusalem, neither had they any Communication with the Jews in Matters of Religion. They denied the Resurrection of the Dead, and of all the Canonical Scripture received only the five Books of Moses. After this, in the Reign of the Emperor Zeno, they began to torment the Christians, spoil'd their Churches, and to Massacre their Bishops and Priests; but the Emperor having chastised their Insolence, put the Christians in Possession of their Temple But some time after, in the Reign of Anastasius, they surprised Mount Gerizim, and kill'd all the Christians they found there: Procopius revenged this Affront, by defeating and killing the Undertakers. In the time of Justinian the Emperor their Insolence came to that heighth, as to set up a King called Julian, under whose Conduct they ravaged all the Country about Samaria, burning the Churches, plundering the Holy Vessels and Ornaments, massacring the Priests, and broiling their Flesh with the Relicks of Martyrs they found in the Holy places. Justinian being informed hereof, sent an Army which defeated these Rebels, and Julian their King was taken and Burnt. After this Justinian published very severe Laws against them, which he renewed from time to time to keep them to their Duty. At last in 551, finding themselves unable to make Head against the Christians, they resolved to make shew of a feigned Conversion, and making their Intent known to Sergius Bishop of Cesarea, he applied himself to the Emperor on their behalf, who vouchsafed them the Liberty of bequeathing by Testament and receiving Donations as his other Subjects. This City was very stately, as appears by the marble Pillars found in its Ruins, but has now but a few Colleges inhabited by Grecian Monks. The Temple of Samaria was in being in our Saviours time, as appears by St. John iv. 20. and in the 35th of Christ, Philip the Evangelist preached the Gospel in this City, and amongst other Converts had Simon the Heretick and Founder of the Sect of Gnosticks. An. 42. Herod Agrippa obtained this City from Caligula, and siding with the Romans against the Jews under Vespasian, they avoided the publick Calamity of the Nation; but Anno 135, taking other Measures, they were together with the rest of the Jews extirpated by the Emperor Adrian, and the City has ever since been Ruinous; yet there are some Remains of the Samaritans in Palestine and Grand Cairo, where they have their Synagogues and ancient Sacrifices; their High Priest resides at Sichem, now Naplouse, and pretends to be descended from Aaron. The Province of Samaria was bounded with the Mediterranean on the West, on the North by Galilee, on the East by Jordan, and on the South by Judea. It was very Fruitful in Corn and Pasture, and consequently Populous, but now Poor and Desolate. Samaritans. There are to this day some Remainders of the ancient Sect of Samaritans, who are Zealous for the Law of Moses, and yet are look'd upon by the Jews as Hereticks, because they receive only the Pentateuch, and observe different Ceremonies from theirs. There are of these at Gaza, Damascus, Grand Cairo; and in some other places of the East, but especially at Sichem now called Naplouse, which is risen out of the Ruins of the ancient Samaria, where they sacrificed not many Years ago, having a place for that purpose on Mount Gerizim. Joseph Scaliger, who knew this, wrote a Letter to the Samaritans of Egypt, and to their High Priest, who had his Residence at Naplouse, in which he proposed several Difficulties, to which they answered, though their answer never came to Scaliger's hands, but came since to the hands of Genebrardus and afterwards of Peyrese, who gave it to Fa. Morinus, who translated it into Latin, as may be seen in Morinus his Letters printed here at London under the Title of Bibliotheca Orientalis. And Father Simon had, before this, in the Supplement of his first Edition concerning the Ceremonies and Customs of the Jews, published the Substance of the two Letters sent to Scaliger, by the two Samaritan Synagogues of Naplouse and Egypt. R. Benjamin who makes mention of these Samaritans in his Travels, amongst other things observes that they have Priests that pretend to be of the House of Aaron, who never Marry but in the same Line, for fear of Confounding the Priestly Race, and that they Sacrifice on Mount Gerizim, upon an Altar made of the Stones which the Children of Israel, at Gods Command, took out of the River Jordan, and set up in Memory of their miraculous passage over it. He adds that these Samaritans are very scrupulous of defiling themselves by touching any dead Body, that they change their Cloaths when they go to the Synagogue, and wash themselves before they put them on. He saith that they are of the Tribe of Ephraim, and that they have the Sepulchre of Joseph amongst them, besides the Sepulchres of many of their Prophets, and amongst the rest those of Eleazar and Ithamar Sons of Aaron, and of Phineas his Grandchild. They preserve also amongst them an Inscription, which they suppose to have been writ by Phineas himself, the fifteenth Year after the Israelites entrance into the Land of Promise. Some of our English, not many Years ago, sent Letters to these Samaritans, who answered them much to the same purpose as they did Scaliger, the Inscription of their Letter runs thus, To their Dear Brethren in England (by which it seems they supposed them to be of their own Sect) they declare that they have no longer any High Priest, and that they are not tainted with those Errors the Jews charge them with, and particularly that they are no Sadducees. Pietro della Valle, a Roman Noble-man, had some Converse with these Samaritans in his Eastern Journies, and bought of them the Hebrew Samaritan Copy of the Pentateuch, which M. de Sancy, then French Ambassador at the Port, brought along with him from Constantinople, and now it is kept in the Library of the Fathers of the Oratory of Paris. From this Manuscipt was printed the Samaritan Pentateuch which is in the great Bible of M. le Jay, and has since been reprinted in our English Polyglot. The Characters of this Manuscript are much more Fair and Majestick, than those of the Printed. The Samaritans boast of their having a Copy of the Law writ by Phineas himself: However this much is certain, that those of Naplouse have a very ancient Copy of the Books of Moses, and it were to be wished that we had an exact Copy of some Lines of it at least, to know the Characters in which it is writ. One of the High Priests of the Samaritans in 1590, called Eleazar, writ a Book in which he reckons up 122 High Priests from Aaron to himself, maintaining that the Jews have no Priests of the Race of Aaron; and saith, that the Samaritan Character is the same God himself made use of in writing the Law he gave to Moses. F. Simon. Jovet. Histoir. des Religions.