Lester L. Grabbe
praise, and be very happy forever and ever. They will see all their punish
ments and curses on their enemies. 23 :3iTheir bones will rest in the earth
and their spirits will be very happy. They will know that the Lord is one
who executes judgment but shows kindness to hundreds and thousands
and to all who love him.The standard interpretation has been that this represents a type of "resurrec
tion of the spirit"; i.e., in contrast to some forms of Judaism, the body is not
resurrected. It remains in the earth but the spirit continues to live, usually in
a celestial realm.^20
As with the Jews, the eschatological views of the Samaritans developed
over the centuries, and there were differences between the sects.^21 There are
some rabbinic statements to the effect that the Samaritans did not believe in
the resurrection, and in "Samaritan sources from the fourth century to the
fourteenth century the evidence for a belief in resurrection is also uncer
tain."^22 However, it appears that the Dositheans sect did believe in the resur
rection.^23 In any event, resurrection has become a part of Samaritan think
ing in recent centuries, even if it is difficult to trace it to an earlier period.
One interpretation is that the original Samaritan eschatology was limited
and set on the earth; a more transcendent version, with the concepts of the
Day of Vengeance (a sort of day of judgment or "day of the Lord") and the
resurrection, developed later, perhaps some key elements as late as medieval
or later times. Whether the Samaritans had a belief like that in Jubilees is un
certain, but it is possible.
Messiah/Messianic Kingdom
One aspect of Samaritan eschatology is belief in the Taheb. This figure is of
ten compared to the Jewish messiah. This has been denied because the Taheb
is basically an eschatological prophet like Moses; however, considering the
- G. W. E. Nickelsburg, Resurrection, Immortality, and Eternal Life in Intertesta-
mental Judaism, HTS 26 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1972), 31-33. - F. Dexinger, "V. Samaritan Eschatology," in The Samaritans, 266-92; M. Gaster,
The Samaritan Oral Law and Ancient Traditions, vol. 1, Samaritan Eschatology (London:
Search Publishing Co., 1932). - Dexinger, "V. Samaritan Eschatology," 283.
- S. J. Isser, The Dositheans: A Samaritan Sect in Late Antiquity, SJLA 17 (Leiden:
Brill, 1976), 143-50.