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Most people associate the term "Samaritan" exclusively with the New Testament stories about the Good Samaritan and the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. Very few are aware that a small community of about 750 Samaritans still lives today in Palestine and Israel; they view themselves as the true Israelites, having resided in their birthplace for thousands of years and preserving unchanged the revelation given to Moses in the Torah. Reinhard Pummer, one of the world's foremost experts on Samaritanism, offers in this book a comprehensive introduction to the people identified as Samaritans in both biblical and nonbiblical sources. Besides analyzing the literary, epigraphic, and archaeological sources, he examines the Samaritans' history, their geographical distribution, their version of the Pentateuch, their rituals and customs, and their situation today The identity of the Samaritans -- Samaritans in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament? -- The Samaritans and the New Testament -- Samaritans in Jewish writings of antiquity -- Archaeological excavations -- Samaritan sects -- The Samaritans in history -- Geographical distribution and demography -- The Samaritan Pentateuch -- Samaritan literature -- Samaritan rituals and customs -- The Samaritans today -- New challenges.
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