Samaritan High Priest

The Samaritan High Priest is the head of the Samaritan religion. They were originally the same person as the Jewish High Priest until a disagreement in succession led to the two splitting apart

 Pummer's list 
The following list gives the names and terms of office according to Reinhard Pummer.Reinhard Pummer: An Update of Moses Gaster’s "Chain of Samaritan High Priests", Berlin / Boston 2018, S. 154–172. Pummer uses a spelling for the name of the high priest that is based on the English Bible for the bearers of biblical names, while he chooses a more scientific transcription for the full name (last column). The traditional counting begins with the first post-biblical high priest Sheshai. It differs in order in some cases from the list prepared by Moses Gaster and Reinhard Pummer on the basis of the ancient Samaritan sources, and includes additional names (italics here).

Traditional Numbering High Priest Name Term Comments Civil name and life dataAaron I. (אהרן)Biblical figure, brother of Moses. He is considered in the Torah to be the "ancestor of the legitimate Levitical-Aaronid priesthood."Joachim Schaper: Aaron. In: Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart (RGG). 4. Auflage. Band 1, Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen 1998, Sp. 2–3., vgl. Exodus Kap. 28–29; Levitikus Kap. 8–10; Numeri Kap. 3–4; 8 und 16–18.Eleazar I. (אלעזר)Biblical figure, son of Aaron and his successor as high priest.Phinehas I. (פינחס)Biblical figure, son of Eleazar. Because of his religious "zeal" he and his descendants are awarded a perpetual priesthood.Abishua I. (אבישע)According to Samaritan tradition, Aaron's great-grandsonIn der Tora nicht erwähnt, aber in  und  (Schriften des jüdischen Kanons) als Sohn des Phinehas aufgeführt. is said to have written down a Pentateuch scroll that is first mentioned by Abū l'Fatḥ in the 14th century and, in a very poor state of preservation, is kept by the Samaritan community as a precious possession. The Abisha Scroll is considered the original of all Samaritan Torah scrolls.Alan D. Crown: The Abisha Scroll – 3000 Years Old? In: Bible Review 7, 5 (1991), online: Center for Online Judaic Studies.1Sashai ben Abishua2Bakhi ben Sashaiprobably identical to the Jewish High Priest Bukki3Uzzi ben SashaiAccording to Samaritan tradition, Uzzi hid the tent sanctuary of the desert migration (Mishkan) in a cave at Garizim when the Israelites introduced the cult at Shiloh, which was illegitimate from the Samaritan point of view.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, p. 417.4Shashai II ben Uzzi5Bakhi II ben Sashai6Shembet ben Bakhiwho served at the shrine to God at Shechem alone7Shalom I ben Shembet8Hezekiah I ben Shalom9Jonathan I ben Abiathar (ben Hezekiah?)According to Samaritan tradition, he is said to have been a contemporary of King David.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 412. (2 Samuel 15:27), served as a messenger during Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15:36, 17:17) 10Jair I ben Jonathan11Daliah I 12Jair II ben DaliahIn his time the Jerusalem temple is said to have been built.13Jonathan II ben Jair14Ishmael ben Jonathan15Tabia IThis high priest is said to have been murdered by the Ishmaelites.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 413.16Zedekiah I17Ahid18Jair III19Jehozadak20Zadok (צדוק)21Amram I. (עמרם)22Hilkiah or Hezekiah II23Amram II. (עמרם)24Akkub25Akkubiah IAccording to the Samaritan chronicler Abū l'Fatḥ (14th century), Aqabiah was a contemporary of Nebuchadnezzar II and thus of the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (587 B.C.).Reinhard Pummer: An Update of Moses Gaster’s "Chain of Samaritan High Priests", Berlin / Boston 2018, S. 159 Anm. 34. He is said to have been led into Babylonian exile with the Israelites.26Hillel I27SeriahHe is said to have returned with his people from exile.28Levi I. (לוי)29Netaniel I30AzariahIn the 10th year of his high priesthood he is said to have been captured by the Chaldeans.31Aabed-El IThis high priest returned from exile; in his time the Samaritan community is said to have had 300,000 members.32Hezekiah III33Hananiah34Amram III. (עמרם)His son is said to have married the daughter of King "Derus"; according to tradition, the Samaritans made a riot and killed both of them.35Hillel II/HananThis high priest is said to have married the daughter of the king of Assyria and to have been killed by the Samaritans.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 414.36Hezekiah IVAccording to the Samaritan historian Abū l'Fatḥ, Hezekiah was high priest when Alexander III of Macedonia defeated the Persian king Darius.Reinhard Pummer: An Update of Moses Gaster’s "Chain of Samaritan High Priests", Berlin / Boston 2018, S. 161 Anm. 35.37Daliah II38Akkub II39Akkubiah II40Levi II. (לוי)41Eleazar II42Manassehthe son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite43Jair IV44Netaniel II45Joachim  According to Samaritan tradition, Jesus of Nazareth was born during the tenure of Jehoiakim.Reinhard Pummer: An Update of Moses Gaster’s "Chain of Samaritan High Priests", Berlin / Boston 2018, S. 162 Anm. 36.46Jonathan III In his time Jesus is said to have been killed "in the cursed Shalem" (= Jerusalem).47Elishama48Shemaiah49Tabia II50Amram IV. (עמרם)51Akabon I52Phinehas II53Levi III. (לוי)early 2nd centuryEmperor Hadrian (r. 117–138 CE) is said to have shown special favors to the Samaritans in the time of the high priest Levi III.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 414f.54Eleazar III55Baba I. (בבא)56Eleazar IV57Akabon II58Netaniel III59Baba II Rabbac. 308–
328The Samaritan reformer Baba Rabba was a historical figure (early 4th century CE). He organized synagogue construction, worship and community structure.60Akabon III61Netaniel IVThis high priest is said to have burned his maid at the stake because she fell in love with his son.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 415.62Akabon IV63Eleazar V64Akabon V65Eleazar VI66Akabon VIlate 6th century67Eleazar VII68Netaniel Vearly 7th centuryHe is said to have been a contemporary of the "cursed king Zinon."69Eleazar VIIIc. 630In the tenure of this high priest, Abū l'Fatḥ dated the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad.Reinhard Pummer: An Update of Moses Gaster’s "Chain of Samaritan High Priests", Berlin / Boston 2018, S. 165 Anm. 40.70Netaniel VI71Eleazar IX72Akabon VIIThis high priest was drowned in the Jordan River according to tradition.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 416.73Eleazar X74Akabon VIII75Eleazar XI76Akabon IX77Eleazar XII78Simeon (שמעון)In his time, "Karozai the King of Assur" (perhaps the Sassanid ruler Khosrow I or II) is said to have enlisted many Samaritans as soldiers. The Byzantine emperor Heraclius conquered the Holy Land. Then the Ishmaelites came and conquered all the cities, and the inhabitants of Caesarea Maritima were led into captivity.79Levi IV. (לוי)80Phinehas III81Netaniel VII. (נתנאל)82Baba III. (בבא)83Eleazar XIII84Netaniel VIII85Eleazar XIV86Phinehas IV87Netaniel IX88Aabed-El II89Eleazar XV90Aabed-El III91Eleazar XVI92Aabed-El IVHere there are discrepancies Eleazar, his son Abdeel and his brother Aaron are said to have officiated together as high priests for 69 years, but not in Shechem, but in Damascus.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 417.93Aaron II. (אהרן)95Tsedaka I96Amram V. (עמרם)97Aaron III. (אהרן)In his time the Samaritan synagogue of Shechem was built.98Amram VI. (עמרם)99Uzzi IIIn his time, the Muslims took away from the Samaritans their synagogue and the "piece of land" in Shechem.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 418.100Joseph I. (יוסף)This high priest also came from Damascus.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 419.101Phinehas VHis son Raban Abishah composed liturgical chants.Pinḥas ben Josef, der Sohn des Vorigen.102Eleazar XVII. (אלעזר)1362/63–1387Eleazar ben Pinḥas ben Josef103Phinehas VI haNatzri (פינחס)This high priest was the son of the hymn writer Raban Abishah.Pinḥas ben Abisha ben Pinḥas ben Josef104Abishua II. (אבישע)Abisha ben Pinḥas ben Abisha; Sohn des Vorigen.105Eleazar XVIII. (אלעזר)Eleazar ben Abisha ben Pinḥas106Itamar (איתמר)The high priest Itamar ben Aaron ben Itamar in Damascus was one of the scribes of a Pentateuch codex (Ms. London, British Library, Cotton Claudius B. viii).British Library, Digitized Manuscripts: Cotton MS Claudius B VIII .107Amram VII. (עמרם)In his time Samaria was conquered and many Samaritans were captured and taken to Damascus, but the Samaritan community in Damascus bought them free.108Uzzi III109Phinehas VII. (פינחס)In 1516, Ottoman rule began in Palestine. The total number of Samaritans at that time is given as 500 people who lived in Cairo, Gaza and Damascus in addition to Nablus. The census of 1538/39 mentions 29 Samaritan households in Nablus, from which a number of 178 persons can be estimated.Reinhard Pummer: The Samaritans. A Profile. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 2016, S. 155f.Pinḥas ben Eleazar110Eleazar XIX. (אלעזר)1549–1595/96In his time a ritual bath was built for the Samaritans in Shechem.Eleazar ben Pinḥas111Phinehas VIII. (פינחס)1595/96–1614/15Pinḥas ben Eleazar112Shalma I ben Phinehas1614/15–1623/24With Shelemya, who was murdered,Monika Schreiber: The Comfort of Kin: Samaritan Community, Kinship, and Marriage. Brill, Leiden / Boston 2014, S. 91. ended the original high priestly dynasty, which traced itself back to Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. Centuries later, the Samaritan community was still researching whether there might have been members of the Phinehas dynasty living in Europe.Shelemia ben Pinḥas113Tsedaka II ben Tabia ha'Åbtå'i1623/24–1650Ṣadaqa II was the first high priest from the family that has been in office since then, tracing back to Itamar, the brother of Phinehas.The Samaritans: The Samaritan High Priests This family was considered Levitical until then; since it was the only surviving Levitical family, Levitical and Aaronid descent has been synonymous among the Samaritans since then.Ṣadaqa ben Ṭabia Halevi114Yitzhaq I ben Tsedaka1650–1694Jiṣḥaq ben Ṣadaqa115Abram ben Yitzhaq1694–1732Abraham ben Jiṣḥaq ben Ṣadaqa116Levi V ben Abram1733–1752Levi ben Abraham117Tabia III ben Yitzhaq ben Abram1752–1787This high priest settled in the Samaritan community in Gaza.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, S. 420.Ṭabia ben Jiṣḥaq118Shalma II ben Tabia1798–1828Salama was four years old at his father's death and the only surviving member of the high priestly family. He assumed the office of high priest at the age of 15.Reinhard Pummer: An Update of Moses Gaster’s "Chain of Samaritan High Priests", Berlin / Boston 2018, S. 170 Anm. 55. In 1810 he sent a letter to the French senator Henri Grégoire, in which he lamented the distressed situation of the Samaritans. Since 1785 it was no longer possible to offer the Passover sacrifice on the Garizim; it had to take place in the city.Reinhard Pummer: The Samaritans. A Profile. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 2016, S. 161.Salama ben Ṭabia ben Jiṣḥaq (1784–1855)119Amram VIII ben Shalma1828–1859/60In 1832 the pilgrimages to Mount Garizim could be resumed. In the 1840s, Muslim ulama demanded that all Samaritans be forcibly converted to Islam because they did not belong to any book religion. The Sephardic chief rabbi of Jerusalem produced an expert opinion that the Samaritans belonged to the people of Israel and lived according to the Torah. This (together with a gift of money) averted the danger from the Samaritan community.Reinhard Pummer: The Samaritans. A Profile. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 2016, S. 162.Monika Schreiber: The Comfort of Kin: Samaritan Community, Kinship, and Marriage. S. 50. Upon British intervention, the Passover sacrifice on Mount Garizim was again permitted by the Ottoman authorities in 1849.Monika Schreiber: The Comfort of Kin: Samaritan Community, Kinship, and Marriage. S. 51.120Yaacob I ben Aaharon ben Shalma1859/60–1916Jacob I promoted the opening to the West and to the Jewish community, seeing opportunities for the small Samaritan community in the interest of the world public.Steven Fine: Abgrenzung – und Annäherung. Die Geschichte von Juden und Samaritanern. In: Welt und Umwelt der Bibel 26/2 (2021), S. 48–54, hier S. 50.Jaaqob ben Aharon ben Salama
(1840/41–1916)121Yitzhaq II ben Amram ben Shalma ben Tabia. (יצחק)1917/18–1932Jiṣḥaq ben Amram ben Salama (1855–1932)122Matzliach ben Phinehas ben Yitzhaq ben Shalma (מצליח)1933–1943Maṣliaḥ ben Pinḥas ben Jiṣḥaq ben Salama (1868–1943)123Abisha III ben Phinehas ben Yitzhaq ben Shalma. (אבישע)1943–1960Brother of MatzliachAbisha ben Pinḥas ben Jiṣḥaq ben Salama (1880–1960)124Amram IX ben Yitzhaq ben Amram ben Shalma. (עמרם)1960–1980Amram ben Jiṣḥaq ben Amram ben Salama (1889–1980)125Asher ben Matzliach ben Phinehas (אשר)1980–1982Asher ben Maṣliaḥ ben Pinḥas (1895–1982)126Phinehas X ben Matzliach ben Phinehas. (פינחס)1982–1984Brother of AsherPinḥas ben Maṣliaḥ (1899–1984)127Yaacob II ben Uzzi ben Yaacob ben Aaharon - Abu Shafi (יעקב)1984–1987A highly respected High Priest, grandson of Yaacob I ben Aaharon ben Shalma.Jaaqob ben Azi ben Jaaqob (1900–1987)128Yoseph II ben Ab-Hisda ben Yaacov ben Aaharon. (יוסף)1987–1998Josef ben Ab Ḥisda ben Jaaqob (1919–1998)129Levi VI ben Abisha ben Phinehas ben Yitzhaq. (לוי)1998–2001Levi ben Abisha (1920–2001)130Shalom II ben Amram ben Yitzhaq/Salum Is'haq al-Samiri (שלום)2001–2004Shalom ben Amram (13. Januar 1922–9. Februar 2004)The Samaritan Update zum Tode von Shalom ben Amram (englisch)131Elazar XX ben Tsedaka ben Yitzhaq. (אלעזר)2004–2010Eleazar ben Ṣedaqah ben Jiṣḥaq
(16. Januar 1927–3. Februar 2010)The Samaritan Update zum Tode von Eleazar ben Ṣedaqah (englisch)132Aharon IV ben Ab-Chisda ben Yaacob (אהרן)2010–2013Brother of High Priest Josef II.Moses Gaster: The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis, 1909, p. 413Aharon ben Ab-Ḥisdah ben Jaaqob ben Aharon (1. Februar 1927–19. April 2013)The Samaritan Update zum Tode von Aharon ben Ab-Ḥisdah.133Aabed-El V ben Asher ben Matzliach (עבדאל)2013–Abdel ben Asher ben Maṣliaḥ (* 1935)


References

Category:Samaritan high priests