Table Of ContentTradition
Kept
Priest Abisha ben Phinahas holding a Torah scroll case in front of his
wooden shelter on Mount Gerizim at the 1934 Samaritan Passover.
Standing next to Abisha is his daughter, Azziah. Abisha became High
Priest of the Samaritans in 1943 until his death in January 1961.
Used by permission of Eduard Fischer.
ROBERT T. ANDERSON
and TERRY GILES
Tradition
1^ f
The Literature of
1 K.
the Samaritans
G.M. ELLIOTT LIBRARY
Cincinnati Christian University
FS 1 HENDRICKSON
k WJ PUBLISHERS
© 2005 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
P. O. Box 3473
Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473
1-56563-747-X
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
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from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing — March 2005
Cover Art: The cover photograph depicts the waving of the Torah scrolls at the Sa
maritan celebration of Pentecost on Mt. Gerizim, ca. 1980—1997. © Hanan
Isachar/Corbis. Used with permission.
English translations of the Hebrew Bible are the authors’ except where otherwise
noted. Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Ver
sion of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are
used by permission. Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from the Revised
Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 (2d ed., 1971) by the Division of
Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Anderson, Robert T, 1928-
Tradition kept : the literature of the Samaritans / Robert T. Anderson,
Terry Giles.
p. cm.
Contains commentaries on various Samaritan works and selections
from them in English.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 1-56563-747-X (alk. paper)
1. Samaritan literature—History and criticism. 2. Samaritan
literature—Translations into English. 3. Samaritans—History.
4. Samaritans. I. Giles, Terry. II. Title.
BM935.A53 2005
296.8'17—dc22
2004028784
Table of Contents
List of Abbreviations vii
Preface „ xj
Manuscripts xii
Language and Problems of Translation xii
Divisions within Samaritan Literature xii
Choice of Selections for This Book xiiL
List of Illustrations xv
Part One: The Samaritan Story
1. Samaritan Pentateuch 3
Introduction 3
Origin 4
History 6
Manuscripts 11
Characteristics 17
Decalogue 34
The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls 43
Significance 46
2. Samaritan Joshua 49
Introduction 49
History 49
Description 50
Benedictions 52
Themes 56
The Book of Joshua the Son of Nun 64
3. Kitab al- Tarikh (The Annals of Abul Fath) 143
Introduction 143
The Annals of Abul Fath: Excerpts 146
4. Additional Samaritan Chronicles: The New Chronicle
(Chronicle Adler) and Chronicle II 221
vi TRADITION KEPT
Introduction 221
The New Chronicle (Chronicle Adler) 221
The New Chronicle (Chronicle Adler): Excerpts 223
Chronicle II (Sepher ha- Yamim) 236
Chronicle II (Sepher ha- Yamim): Excerpts 237
Part Two: Samaritan Theology and Worship
5. Tibat Marqe (Memar Marqe) 265
Content 265
Manuscript Witness to Marqe 267
Author 269
Historical Context 271
Sources 271
Categories 277
Types of Literature 278
Book 1 279
Book 2 286
Book 3 301
Book 4 325
Book 5 341
Book 6 347
Extract from Asatir 11:15-42 on the Impending Death of Moses 355
6. The Samaritan Liturgy 359
Physical Description 359
Historical Context 360
Services 360
Scripture 366
Hymns 377
Concluding Comments 396
7. Miscellaneous Texts 399
Inscriptions 399
Amulets 405
Astronomical Texts 409
Bibliography 413
Index of Modern Authors 423
Index of Subjects 425
Index of Ancient Sources 427
List of Abbreviations
GENERAL
A.H. anno hegirae, in the year of the Hegira (622 C.E.)
ca. circa
ch(s). chapter(s)
diss. dissertation
DSS Dead Sea Scrolls
ed(s). editor(s), edited by
e-g- exempli gratia, for example
esp. especially
et al. et alii, and others
etc. et cetera, and the rest
frg(s). fragment(s)
i.e. id est, that is
ibid. ibidem, in the same place
LXX Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament)
MS(S) manuscript(s)
MT Masoretic Text (of the Old Testament)
n(n). note(s)
n.p. no place; no publisher; no page
no(s). number(s)
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
NS new series
OG Old Greek
p(p)- page(s)
repr. reprinted
rev. revised
RSV Revised Standard Version
SJ Samaritan Joshua (Chronicon samaritanum)
SP Samaritan Pentateuch
trans. translator, translated by; transitive
vol(s). volume(s)
PRIMARY SOURCES
Talmudic Tractates and Targumic Texts
b. Babylonan Talmud
Sanh. Sanhedrin
Sotah Sotah
Tg. Ps.-J. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
Josephus
Ant. Jewish Antiquities
Biblical Books
Gen Genesis
Exod Exodus
Lev Leviticus
Num Numbers
Deut Deuteronomy
Josh Joshua
Judg Judges
2 Chr 2 Chronicles
Isa Isaiah
Matt Matthew
1 Cor 1 Corinthians
Col Colossians
2 Pet 2 Peter
Rev Revelation
SECONDARY SOURCES
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by D. N. Freedman.
6 vols. New York, 1992
AbrN Abr-Nahrain
BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester
BO Bibliotheca orientalis
KZJiW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft
List of Abbreviations ix
CW Chamberlain-Warren collection at Michigan State
University
ER The Encyclopedia of Religion. Edited by M. Eliade. 16 vols.
New York, 1987
HTR Harvard Theological Review
JA Journal asiatique
JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JQR Jewish Quarterly Review
JSOT Journalfor the Study of the Old Testament
JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement
Series
MW Muslim World
NedTT Nederlands theologisch tijdschrift
NovT Novum Testamentum
NTS New Testament Studies
OTP Old Testament Pseudipigrapha. Edited by James H.
Charlesworth. 2 vols. New York, 1983
RB Revue biblique
REJ Revue des études juives
TSK Theologische Studien und Kritiken
TZ Theologische Zeitschrift
ZAW Zeitschrift Jur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
