Samaritans and Jews?

Question

I was wondering if anyone knew why it was unusual for Jews to associate with Samaritans.
I've recently been reading John 4:1-26 It's the story of Jesus talking to the women at the well and I've been wondering about this, was it religous difference?

Answer 1

To put it simply; yes. Anyone not a Jew was considered unclean and not worthy of any Rabbi's time. The culture would have also not approved of a man approaching any woman so pubicly and openly. But, then again; Jesus's disciples knew that she was not considered a 'good' woman by the fact that she was alone and probably the time of day she was at the well. Her life and behavour would have made the other woman in the area treat her badly. She would not be getting water with the other women early in the morning, but later in the day. Jesus showed us all that no matter what is going on in our lives, we have his and God's love. All we have to do is be willing to make the changes in our lives to feel like we deserve it. It is our own feelings of inadequacy that keeps us from making the right choices in our lives, not the absence of God's love.

Answer 2

The Samaritans were & are a minor Jewish sect, with its adherants claiming to be descendants of the sons of Joseph.

They did not get along with the mainline Jews & Israelites, as you noted in the Gospel according to St. John, & also Our Lord's Parable "The Good Samaritant," after Our Lord Completed Telling the story the lawyer(whom Jesus Was Teaching it to)could not even utter the identity of the person who saved the dying man on the road to Jericho.

The Jews had their Temple in Jerusalem, whereas the Samaritans worshipped elsewhere in Samaria.

Answer 3

There are still Samaritans (northern Kingdom ) Jews in exsistance today (though few) Any person not in union with the Temple during Jesus' time..including all non believers eg Romans and most detested (for having soldout ) tax collectors and Samaritans Jews were persona-non-gratis To mix with them would make the devout Jew unclean. Jesus makes them the center of his message at times.

Answer 4

Yes. The Samaritans were half-breed Jews that returned from exile before the real Jews and interbreed with the Persians or Syrians, I can't remember which. They had their own temple and beliefs, though they were close to Judaism.

Jews travelling from Judea in the south to Gallilee in the north would detour around Samaria through Perea so they wouldn't have to be around Samaritans.

Answer 5

The Samaritans and Jews are cousins. The Davidic dynastry split into Judah and Israel after Solomon's death. Israel was destroyed by Assyria in 721 and Judah in 587 by Babylon. When the Judeans returned to Jerusalem, they rebuilt the Temple. When the Israelites returned to Samaria, they built their own temple on Mt. Gerezim. By Jesus' day, Judean Jews despised Samarian Jews becaause they didn't sacrifice at the same temple.

Answer 6

Samaritans were considered 'half'jews...they had mixed with other tribes and became an offence to the Jewish people. They were looked down upon by the pious self-righteous Jewish people and that attitude passed down to the ordinary people.

Many of the Jews were taken as captives by Assyria and in their place a foreign upper class of people were imported from Babylon, Cuthah, Acca, Harnath and Sepharvaim (2 Kings 12:24). Mixing ethnic populations of captured nations had been instituted by an earlier Assyrian king to diminish chances of rebellion among conquered people. This resulted in the formation of a hybrid race, who came to be the Samaritans.

Answer 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaritan

honestly I hadn't heard of them as a actual religious or ethnic group.... merely in the more casual "good samaritan" type reference...

from what I am reading there, (on the wikipedia link) it looks like when israel was conquered by the babylonians, rather than leave, a group assimilated into Babylonians/Assyrians, and stayed there or something.

while it might seem harsh.. remember the time the original events occured... things were a hell of a lot different then.

Answer 8

The promise of god was for the jews only but after they denied him Jesus stated whosoever will let him come. Those outside of the jewish faith were adopted into the faith where by we cry ABBA FATHER . But Jesus associated the sinner, publicans, samariatans etc. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON IF YOU BELIEVE IN HIM YOU WILL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
Jews felt superior because they were choosen, but god makes no exceptions for sin regardless to what religion or creed you are

Answer 9

Brings up the issue of why the media today insists on erasing the names of these biblical places (Judea and Samaria) by calling it this strange name: the "West Bank" ?

Answer 10

Yep, they were a mixed breed, as with all cultures, BEWARE OF THE OTHER ONE LEST YOU CONTAMINATE YOURSELF.
See any parallels in the world today.