Region
Samaria
suh-MAIR-ee-uh · Modern Samaria region (Nablus area), West Bank
Samaria is a region of the biblical world.
What is known
- Deep religious and ethnic tension existed between Jews and Samaritans, centered on a rival Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim versus the Jerusalem Temple
- Setting of Jesus's conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) and the Parable of the Good Samaritan
- The early church deliberately spread into Samaria in Acts 8, a significant step in crossing Jewish-Samaritan boundaries
History
- Founded
- The capital city of Samaria was founded by King Omri of Israel c. 880 BC; by NT times the region was home to the Samaritans, a group of mixed Israelite and foreign ancestry
- Population
- Estimated 100,000–150,000 residents across the Samaria region in the 1st century AD, with the city of Samaria/Sebaste itself home to roughly 15,000–20,000
- Industry
- Agriculture and olive oil production
- Coordinates
- 32.2200° N, 35.2800° E
Rulers and powers
- Herod the Great (rebuilt the city as "Sebaste") — 37–4 BC
Archaeology
The region's dominant archaeological site is Sebaste (biblical Samaria), which Herod the Great rebuilt on a monumental scale beginning c. 30 BC, renaming it "Sebaste" in honor of Augustus after 27 BC. Excavations begun by Harvard University in 1908–1910 and continued by later expeditions uncovered a Roman forum, basilica, colonnaded street, temple platform, and city walls consistent with Herod's building program described by Josephus. The precise phasing of some structures between the Hellenistic, Herodian, and later Roman periods remains a subject of ongoing archaeological discussion.
Scripture references
- John 4:4-5
- John 4:9
- Luke 10:33 — Parable of the Good Samaritan
- Luke 17:16
- Acts 1:8
- Acts 8:1
- Acts 8:5
- Acts 8:14
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
Jesus walked straight through Samaria when others went around it — what place or people are you avoiding?
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