Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-21
SAMARITAKS OF KABLUS.
THE OLDEST AND SMALLEST SECT IN
THE WORLD.
Peculiar Theological Views of Amram.
the High Priest Sacred Lamb
skins-An Ancient Relic.
[Erom Harper's 5 Magazine.

There Is TO be found in the heart of the
small city of Nablus in North Palestine. :
little religious community-now number
ing about one hundred and fifty souls
which has de6ed the ravages of war and
poverty and oppression nearly three thou
sand years. Unlike the Vaudois these
Samaritans have had no friendly system oi
mountain buttresses to defeud them
through the centuries; and still more un.
like the long-lived Savoyard Protestants
they have been right in the pathway along
which the devastating armies have
| marched back and forth, from the time Of
Sargon TO Napoleon. But they have
lived on, and their uniIy has never been
broken. They have clung to little NabIus
and to their sacred Mount Gerizim. as the
very cactus roots to the granite sides OF
the somber Ebal that confronts them
across their little enchanted valley.
The feeling with which the present
Samaritans regard the MohaInmedans is
that of intense bitterness with which thew
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 infant religion which has been in
| existence for only the trihe of twelve CEN
turles? Is not the Koran one of your new
| catchpenny romances, while that mysteri-
| Gus copy of the Pentateuch, made of sacred
| tambskins, which the Samaritans have
been reading and kissing through these
many ages, is the Oldest copy in existence,
written down by Aarons own grandson,
and the Yeritable original of all the Penta-
teuchs in the world?
As the population of Nablus is Just
| about 1900, the little Samaritan com
munlty is almost absorbed by the surround
ing Mohammedan mass. Save to careful
observer, the very existence and presence
Of Samaritans as a distinct element of
citizenship Nablus would not be noticed.
The Samaritans wear a turban much like
that Of their true Moslem neighbors but
between the history and theology of the
two classes there is not a single point of
| positive resemblance.
The Samaritan synagogue is small
building in the center of NabIus. half OBJ
scured by the surrounding dwellings. l
passed through arched and Uttered streets
to little court, in the middle of which
was little plot of grass, relieved by three
trees, two of which were lemon. here
found little Samaritan school. and at the
sight Of 4 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
greatly surprised at falling to find Amram
himself, but in the end this circumstance
aided me in my chief object, for the young
man was wlllin0, for good fee, to show
me the ancient Pentateuch. His father
might have been deaf to all entr2aties.
The claim of the Samaritans to have
copy of the Pentateuch older than the
Jewish is supported by their own unbroken
tradition, and by the opinion of some
learned men of the present time in Chris
tian countries. But the weight of internal
evidence Is against it-among which may
be mentioned grammatical emendations,
late CLOSES in the text, insertions of fer
eign passages, alterations, Samaritanisms,
and changes IN support of Samaritan doe
trine
There are three codices kept in the little
synagogue in Nablus, two being generally
shown to strangers. 1t is very rare that
the yeritable one can be seen. My good
fortune in getting hasty look at it was
due to the venturous and avaricious spirit
OF Amram's son, rather than to any man
agement of my own. Having first exhib-
tied the two limitations, the young man,
upon the offer of an additional fee, then
brought out the original scroll from
chest. After the removal of the red satin
cover l saw that the codex was inclosed in
silver cylindrical case, which had two
doors opening on two sets of hinges. When
these doors were thrown back the whole
column was exposed to vision. This cylin-
der is of rich workmanship. 1t is about
two feet and half long, and nearly foot
in diameter. and presents, in exquisitely
raised work, a good plan of the Tabernacle,
with every part given with the utmost
minuteness and rarest skill. The roll con-
sists of dingy skins-prepared before the
invention of parchment-sewed together
with neat stitches, and worn and patched,
and here and there entirely illegible. The
skins are of equal size, and measure each
twenty-five inches long and fifteen wide.
Before leaving Nablus | had the oppor-
tunity OF spending an evening with Am
ram at his own house. He lived in the
greatest simplicity, though in Palestine
that is the rule rather than the exception.
Mrs. El Karey, the wife of the missionary
in Nablus in the heemploymentof the Church
Missionary Society of London, was good
enough to accompany me and serve as in
terpreter. The venerable high priest, who
was barefooted, and clad in great turban
and loose flowing robe, received us with
calm and dignifed cordiality in his room
at once his parlor, dining room and bed
room. His very aged mother was lying on
the floor, covered with bedclothing, and
asleep. There were several children, half
asleep, lying about the room. Abrams
son-in-law was slowly copying a Penta-
teuch-for the Samaritans have no print
ing press. 1t requires a year to make a
copy, which is never sold, ana is only used
by the community. The mother of Amram
arose after we had been present a few min
utes, the many ornaments on her neck and
In her ears making harsh tinklipg sound
as she moved. ] was invited to seat on
the floor, and to take coffee and cigarettes.
The mother, seeing guests in her presence,
took q 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 may be
said to represent very fairly the theology
of his dying community. The world, he
claimed, is about seven thousand years old
For fifty-five years men viii go on increas-
ing in wickedness, after which there will
come time of great peace and purity
Then there viii come on a new period Of
eonsummate wickedness, which will last
three hundred years. This time will be
consummated by the total destruction of
the world. After this the general judg.
ment will take place, when the righteous
will go TO 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.