Samaritanism
| Samaritanism | |
|---|---|
| הַדָּת הַשּׁוֹמְרוֹנִית السامرية | |
 Israelite Samaritan Torah scrolls in the Israelite Samaritan synagogue on Mount Gerizim | |
| Type | Ethnic religion |
| Classification | Abrahamic, Israelite |
| Scripture | Samaritan Pentateuch |
| Theology | Monotheistic |
| High Priest | Aabed-El ben Asher ben Matzliach |
| Language | Samaritan Hebrew and Samaritan Aramaic |
| Territory | Mount Gerizim and Land of Israel |
| Founder | |
| Origin | c. 6th – 3rd century BCE History of ancient Israel and Judah |
| Members | c. 900 (Samaritans) |
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Samaritanism (Hebrew: הַדָּת הַשּׁוֹמְרוֹנִית, romanized: Ha-dat Ha-Shomronīt; Arabic: السامرية, romanized: Al-Sāmirīyya) is an Abrahamic monotheistic ethnic religion. It comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Samaritan people (Samaritan Hebrew (Samaritan script): ࠔࠞࠌࠜࠓࠨࠉࠌ , transl.: Shamerim, Šāmerīm, Šamerim), who often prefer to be called Israelite Samaritans.
Samaritans originated from the Hebrews and Israelites and began to emerge as a relatively distinct group after the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the Iron Age. Keeping the Patriarchal and Mosaic covenant as specified in the Samaritan Torah (Biblical Hebrew: תּוֹרָה, lit. 'Law') is central to the Samaritans' continuity as an Indigenous Heritage in the Holy Land. The Abisha scroll is traditionally held by the community to be the oldest existing scroll written by Abisha son of Aaron the Priest.
Samaritanism asserts itself as the truly preserved form of the monotheistic faith that the Israelites kept under Moses. Samaritan belief also holds that the Israelites' original holy site was Mount Gerizim, and that Jerusalem only attained importance under Israelite dissenters who had followed Eli to the city of Shiloh; the Israelites who remained at Mount Gerizim would become the Samaritans in the Kingdom of Israel, whereas the Israelites who departed would become the Jews in the Kingdom of Judah. Mount Gerizim is likewise revered by Samaritans as the location where the Binding of Isaac took place; this belief contrasts with the Jewish belief that the Binding occurred at Jerusalem's Temple Mount.
As of 2025, there are approximately 900 registered communal Samaritans. Samaritans believe that this small population is a prophecy fulfilled from a scriptural passage that says, "You will be left few in number." Samaritans hope for a future time when a prophet known as the "Taheb" (Restorer) will perform three signs, an era of divine favour will return, the hidden tabernacle of Moses will be miraculously revealed, and Mount Gerizim will be restored to its former glory.