Jews and Samaritans The Origins and History of Their Early Relations

"Gary Knoppers is uniquely qualified to write this book because of his impressive breadth of expertise with the historical literature of the Hebrew Bible (especially Kings and Chronicles) and with the Persian period. This synthesis of Samari(t)an history is thoroughly argued, clearly written, and destined to become the standard resource on the subject. Scholars and students alike owe Knoppers a large debt of gratitude." --Steven L. McKenzie, Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Spence L. Wilson Senior Research Fellow, Rhodes College"Knoppers presents a fresh and original answer to the challenging question of the origin of the Samaritans. Basing himself on the results of the latest literary and archaeological research, he offers a new reading of the history and interdependence of Jews and Samari(t)ans in antiquity. Indispensable for the understanding of the dynamic relationship between the two communities and requisite reading for students of the Samaritan tradition, early Judaism, and the Bible." --Reinhard Pummer, author of The Samaritans in Flavius Josephus"Traditionally, Biblical scholarship has explained the rise of the Pentateuch as an inner-Judean process that took place during the Persian period. It is only recently that the important role of the Samaritans in this process has become obvious. Knoppers's book, which contains several case studies on the relation between Jews and Samaritans, is an important contribution to this new field of research. As a world-leading specialist on the history of the Levant in the Persian period, Knoppers convincingly demonstrates that there existed a strong relation between the two groups which deteriorated only during the Roman period. This book provides new fascinating insight in the history of Jews and Samaritans and is a must-read for all scholars and students interested in the early history of Jews and Samaritans." --Thomas Romer, Professor of Hebrew Bible, College de France and University of Lausann