The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-11-21
THE OLDEST AND SMALLEST SECT IN
THE WORLD.


THE OLDEST AND SMALLEST SECT IN
THE WORLD.
There is to be found in the heart Of
the small city of Nablus, in North Pal
estine, little religious community
now numbering about $50 souls-which
has defied the ravages of war and pow
erJy and oppression nearly three thou
sand years, Unlike the Vandois, these
Sama itans have had no friendly system
of mountain buttresses to defend them
through the centuries and still more
unlike the long-lived Savoyard Protes-
tants, they have been right in the path
way along which the devastating armies
have marched back and forth, from the
time of Sargon to Napoleon. But they
have lived on and their unity has never
been broken. They have clung to little
Nablus and to their sacred Mount Geriz-
i'm, as the very cactus roots to the granite
sides of the sOmbre Ebal that confronts
them across their little enchanted valley.
The feeling with which the present
Samaritans regard the Mohammedans is
of that intense bitterness which they
have always manifested toward the Jews
And why not Does not the Samaritan
date his faith from Abraham, or rather,
from Adam ? And has he not right to
call that an infant religion which has
been in existence for only the tritle oI
twelve centuries Is not the Koran one
of your new catchpenny romances
while that mysterious copy of the Pen
tateuch, made of sacred lambskins,
which the Samaritans have been read
ing and kissing through these many
ages, is the oldest copy in existence,
written down by Aaron own grandson
and the veritable original of all the Pen
tateuchs in the world ?
As the population of Nablus is just
about 1900, the little Samaritan CON-
munity is almost absorbed by the sur
rounding Mohammedan mass. Save tC
a careful observer the very existence
and presence of the Samaritans as dis
tinct element of citizenship in Nablus
would not be noticed. The Samaritans
wear turban, much like that of their
true Moslem neighbOrs but between the
history and theology of the two classes
there is not single point of positive re-
semblance.
The Samaritan synagogue is small
building in the center of Nablus, hall
Obscured by the surrounding dwellings
passed through arched and Uttered
streets to little cour >, in the middle ol
which was little plot of grass. relieved
by three trees, two of which were lem
on. | here found little Samaritan
school, and at the sight of stranger the
children sprang from the floor where
they were sitting, kissed my hand and
begged for backsheesh, The teacher
was a youth of about fourteen. the son
of Amram, the high priest. was grea
ly disappointed at failing to find Amram
himself, but in the end this circumstance
aided me in my chief object, for the
young man was willing for a small fee
to show me the ancient Pentateuch. Hi:
father might have been deaf to all en-
treaties.
The claim of the Samaritans to have q
copy of Pentateuch older than the jew
ish is supported by their own unbroker
tradition and by the opinion of some
learned men of the present time in
Christian countries But the weight oi
internal evidence is against us-among
which may be mentioned grammatical
emendations, late CLOSES in the text
Insertions of foreign passages, altera
tions, Samaritanisms, and changes in
support of Samaritan doctrine.
There are three little codices kept in
the little synagogue in Nablus, two be.
ing generally shown to strangers. 1t is
very rarely that the veritable one can
be seen. My good fortune in getting q
hasty look at it was due to the ventur.
Gus and avaricious spirit of Amram 5
son, rather than to any management OF
my own. Having first exhibited the
two limitations, the young man, upon
the offer an additional fee, then brought
out the original scroll from a chest
After the removal of the red satin cover
| saw that the codeX was enclosed in a
silver cylindrical case, which had two
doors opening on two ses of hinge
When these doors were thrown back
the whole column was exposed to the
vision. This cylinder is of rich work.
manship. 1t is about two and hall
feet long and nearly foot in diameter,
and presents in eXquisitely raised work
a good p an of the Tabernacle, with ev-
cry part given with the utmost minute,
ness and rarest skill. The roll consists
of dingy skins-prepared before the in
vention of parchment-sewed together
with neat stitches, and worn and patched
and here and there entirely illegible.
The skins are of equal size, and meas
ure each twenty-five inches long and
fifteen wide.
Before leaving Nablus l had the OPP
portunity of spending an evening with
Amram at his own house. He lived IN
the greatest simplicity, though in Pales-
inc that is the rule rather than the ex-
ception. Mrs. FL Karey, the wife of the
missionary in Nablus, in the employ
ment of the Church Missionary Society
of London, was good enough to accom-
pany me and serve as interpreter. The
venerable high priest, who was bare
footed and clad in great turban and
loose flowing robe, received us with
calm and dignified cordiality in his room
at once his parlUr dining room and
bedroom. His very aged mother was
lying on the floor, covered with bed
clothing. and asleep. There were sew
eral children half asleep lying about the
room. Amram's son in law - as slowly
copying q Pentateuch-for the Samari-
tans have no printing press. 1t re-
quires a year to make copy, " hi h is
never sold and is only used by the COM
munity. The aged mother Of Amram
arose after we had been present a few
minutes, the many ornaments on her
|
tinkling sound as she moved. Twas in
vited to a seat on the floor, and to take
coffee and cigarettes. The mother, on
seeing guests in her presence, took a
rude bellows and blew up the dull Goals
under the copper kettle. Coffee. the
Oriental's unfailing proof of hospitality,
was handed us in little cups.
| The peculiar views of Amram mey be
/ caf1 TO- fafrl. tho fhanln-
gy of his dying community. The world,
he claimed, is about seven thousand
years old. For fiiiy-fiye years men will
go on increasing in wickedness. after
which there will come time of great
peace and purity. Then will come on a
new period of consummate wickednesS
which will last three hundred years
This time will be cOnsummated by the
total destruction of the world AfteI
this the general judgment will take place
when the righteous will go and live with
God and the wicked with Satan. There
are some people who have clean hearts
or at least are accepted as clean, though
none are absolutely pure. just here
Amram looked off, as if in he distance
and said. God is one ~ Here he intend
ed slight thrust at all Christians. be
Sduse VI luciI 6ln npudSlo Ou SullsJ dhe
his divine character.
He spoke with interest Of the ruins OF
Mount Gerizim, and of the increase o
his community within the last thirty
years. He closed by expressing hi
firm belief that the time would come
when the Samaritans would be the mos
numerous body in the world.
Amram has since died, and the sedatC
son-in-law, being the eldest male rela'
tive, has succeeded him in the high
priesthood. .-HdrpeU Magazine,