El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-12-31

- - ABIOOS, Tdleoeih0'
NJ have just had an interview with nth
= a Ifneal descendant OF Aaron, the
brother of Moses. / refer TO Jacob the
biob nriest of the Samaritans. He be-
LONGS TO the tribe of Levi who in
ancient times were at the head Of the
priesthood, and claims to nave
genealogical tree which reaches from
then until now. His family has lived
here for more than 5000 years and hlgn
priest has succeeded high priest uhtii
this man took the position at the age
of IL. his childless uncle. the hlgn
priest. having died. That was %
xears ago. and Jacob has been high
nrtest ever since. He is now almost
so and he looks, 1 imagine, as Aaron
or Moses may have looked in the latter
mart of their lives. Over SIX IeeI III
height. he has the face and form OF q
nronhet. His long beard falls down
upon his chest and his scholarly race is
refined and spiritual looking.
The Oldest of Bible Manuscripts.
met Jacob here at Nablous. on the
.,+a Of old Shechem. within stones
throw of the well where Christ talked
with the Samaritan woman 1t Is not
Far from a farm which Abraham owned
and about on the spot where Joshua
gathered the tribes of Israel together
and read them the law of Noses
Our conversation took place in the
heart of the city in the synagog OF
the Eamaritans 1 had to go through
vaufted passageways and cavellke
streets to reach it. I had an inter-
preter with me, and as we talked to-
gether the high priest showed me the
original parchments of the five BOOKS
of Moses as they were written py Apou,
the son Of Ben Hassan, the son OF
Eleaz who, you remember, was one
OF the two sons of Aaron by. Eilsnepa'
his wife Theshigh priest tells me that
these five manuscripts were wrllten
only - years after the 1sraelites
came into the Holy Land, and that they
are now 1878 years old. They are the
oldest Bible manuscripts in existence
They are written in the Hebrew or the
times of Moses, upon long sheets OF
parchment about two feet in wlctn-
The scrolls are rolled upon three roos'
zach TIPPED with q silver knob as pig
as a teacup, and they are so arranged
that they can be rolled and unrolled
8 they are read. The ink is still plain,
and the letters distinct, although the
parchnent is yellow with age Inc
manuscript is treasured by the Samarl-
tans. being kept in brass case lnlalo
with gold It is said to have been dug
ND about 800 years ago, and 1t mas
formed q subject Of controversy among
oriental scholars. The Samaritans De
1ieve that it was written by the grand
son of Aaron. as the high priest here
claims; but the Jews reject 1T as false,
denouncing the Samaritans as pagan
outcasts from the children of lsreaL
The Sarnarftans of 1910.
was surprised to find that there
were any Samaritans living. 1 supposed
that they had been swallowed up by
the Mohammedans, and other Syrians
who have absorbed everything in Paivs-
tine excepting the Jews 1 find, now
ever. that there are about zoo In NAB
Ious. and that they practice the same
religion as they had when Christ came:
They annually celebrate the feasts OF
the Passover and Pentecost on Mount
Gerizfm These feasts are different
from those Of the latter-day Jews AT
the time of Christ the Feast OF the
Passover was eaten reclining and as
though at the end of a journey rather
than at the beginning
The Samaritans eat their Passover
with their shoes bound upon their feet
and slaves in their hands as though
ready to start out on their wanderings
in the wilderness. They do this on the
top Of the mountain. camping in tents
They smear the blood of the sacrifice
uDon the tents to commemorate the
passage of the angel of death over the
houses of Israel. They dress IN WnlIe
garments, and they kill the animals
which are burnt according to the
methods which were in use when Aaron
lived The sacrifice consists Of buck
lambs each of which is carefully ex-
anined that it may be without wound
or blenish. At given signal the
throats of the lambs are cut, and at
the same time some Of the blood is
caught in a tin cup and smeared over
the tent As the blood flows the people
shout out the words There Is but one
God" and they shout this sentence
again and again At the same time
there is a service, beginning with
hymn praising Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, and followed by prayer OF
thanksgiving.
The meat for the sacrifice is. cooked
over q fire in the earth AS soon the
animals are killed they are scalded and
the wool is pulled off The entrails are
removed and sailed. Then a pole is
thrust through each lamb, and it is
laid on the hot Goals of a fire made in
a trench. The meat is then covered