Before the region of Samaria became a district, it was once a city, situated some 64.5 km north of Jerusalem. Samaria flourished for about a century and a half, until it was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC. After subjugating the people, Assyrian settlers took up residence in the land and married the surviving Jews, resulting in intermarriage across race and religion that later came to be known as the Samaritans.

The Samaritans are mentioned several times in the New Testament. They were descendants of the ten tribes of Israel who seceded from the House of David, beginning during the reign of King Rehoboam. They formed their own kingdom, known as the Northern Kingdom, with its capital at Samaria. They built their own Temple on Mount Gerizim near Shechem and appointed priests to serve there. The Samaritans strictly observed the Sabbath and believed that Mount Gerizim was more important than Mount Zion, the site of the Temple in the city of Jerusalem. The Jews disliked the Samaritans and did not regard them as true people of God. Even Jews travelling between Galilee and Jerusalem avoided the shortest route, which passed through Samaria. However, Jesus approached them (Luke 17:11–19; John 4:3-9), even making the Samaritan a fine example in His parable about love for one’s neighbour (Luke 10:25-37).

There are approximately six key tenets of the Samaritan faith, namely belief in one God, in Moses the Prophet, in the Law, and in Mount Gerizim as the place designated by God for offering sacrifices (Deut. 27:4–7), in the Day of Judgement and the bestowal of blessings, and in the return of Moses as a reformer. Their belief in the resurrection was not entirely clear. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as a sect, not as pagans, and shared similar beliefs, such as those concerning taxes and the impurity arising from graves.

John recounts how Jesus stayed for two days in Shechem, and there many people believed in Him. During His ministry, He regarded His mission as primarily directed towards the Israelites, but after His resurrection, He commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel in Samaria.

*From various sources