Who were the Samaritans?

• A. A group from the Decapolis
• B. Descendants of Judahites who remained isolated
• C. A sect of Pharisees
• D. Descendants of Israelites who intermarried after the Assyrian conquest

Answer: (D)

The Samaritans are descendants of Israelites who intermarried with foreign peoples after the Assyrian conquest. When the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria around 722 BCE, many Israelites were exiled and the land was repopulated with peoples from other regions. Those who stayed formed a mixed population that maintained Israelite identity but developed its own distinct practices and place of worship, centered in Samaria on Mount Gerizim. They also preserved their own scriptural tradition (the Samaritan Pentateuch) and treated themselves as the true continuation of Israel, separate from the Judean Jews.

This origin explains why they’re not the Decapolis, not simply isolated Judahites, and not a Pharisaic sect. The combination of remaining Israelites plus intermarriage after the exile produced the unique Samaritan community.