535 B.C. The people who lived in Samaria offered to help with the building of the Temple, claiming that they
also worshipped the Lord. (Ezra 4:1-3). Although there was some credibility to this claim, they were
considered to be an unreliable religious and political mixture and were identified as the "adversaries of Judah
and Benjamin". The Jews refused to allow them to help build the Temple, saying they would build it
themselves.
445 B.C. Sanballat opposed the building of the wall of Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah, and asked for
help from the army of Samaria (Neh 4:1-2).
Samarian belief
As in Biblical times, the Samaritans still exist today in the West Bank of Israel. Now only a few hundred in
number, the Samaritans consider themselves to be the descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses and
original High Priest of the Tabernacle. Aaron's family was promised the "covenant of everlasting priesthood"
by YHWH in Num 25:11-13.
The Samaritans, therefore, teach that, while Aaron's priesthood stood in covenant with YHWH, the later
priesthood of Eli was an illegitimate one and the entire kingship of Israel was illegitimate with it. It is the
Tabernacle, then, and not the Temple in Jerusalem which they believe was the single most holy place for the
Jewish people.
In general:
Ten tribes rebelled during the days of Jehoshaphat and went to Samaria, separating themselves from the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Judah was the dominant tribe, so that those who remained in Jerusalem and
the surrounding area were called Judeans. They were subsequently known as Jews.
The ten separated tribes were subjugated by the Assyrians, assimilated, and most of them taken captive.
The Judeans, because of their unfaithfulness years later, were also invaded and besieged; and many of
them were taken captive into Babylon, but they stayed adhering to the Torah during their captivity and
returned after 70 years.
At the time of Y‘shua the Samaritans had their own place of worship on Mount Gerizim. They were excluded
from the Temple worship in Jerusalem, except for small minorities from some of the tribes who renounced
the Samaritan worship and joined themselves to the Judeans.
―(5) These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and
into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: (6) But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel‖. (Mat
10:5-6)
Ant. 20.6.1 118 (also War 2.12.3-4 232-235): ―It was the custom of the Galileans, when they came to the
Holy City at the festivals, to take their journeys through the country of the Samaritans. On their route lay a
village called Ginea, which was situated on the border between Samaria and the Great Plain, and at this time
certain persons fought with the Galileans, and killed a great many of them. When the leaders of the Galileans
were informed of what had been done they came to Cumanus and desired him to avenge the murders; but
he was bribed by the Samaritans to do nothing. The Galileans, indignant at this, urged the Jewish populace
to resort to arms and to regain their liberty, saying that while slavery was a bitter thing but that, when it was
joined with direct injuries it was completely intolerable...they entreated the assistance of Eleazar son of
Dineus, a robber who had for many years made his home in the mountains, and with his assistance they set
afire and plundered many villages of the Samaritans‖.
There was hostility between the Samaritans and Jews that sometimes became violent. The forced contact
between the groups as Galileans journeyed to festivals appears both in Josephus and the New Covenant.
Some other points:
In both passages, there is a mention of Galileans setting fire to Samaritan villages (or wanting to) as revenge
(Luke and Josephus). One of these, Eleazar – is a "robber," lêistês, of the sort that recurs in Josephus, some
of whom were anti-Roman guerrillas that followed the revolutionary philosophy of Judas the Galilean.
Incidentally, this Eleazar is also mentioned in the Mishnah, the Rabbinic work compiled about 100 years after
Josephus wrote the Antiquities; describing a time "when murderers became many", Mishnah Sotah 9.9
reads: "When Eleazar son of Dinai came (and he was also called Tehinah son of Parishah) they changed his
name to 'son of the Murderer‘‖.