stephan huller

For I gave no thought to any of my people, that is, the Samaritans, when I had a communication in writing with Cæsar, but stated that they were wrong in trusting to the magician Simon of their own nation, who, they say, is God above all power, and authority, and might. [Dialogue 120]

Duvduv

For once I can comfortably agree with Stephan Huller. It's more of the churchian propaganda to tell us that Justin was a Samaritan or for that matter that the fellow called Simon Magus was a Samaritan. Just because someone lives in Samaria doesn't make him ipso facto a Samaritan. Neither of these cases makes the slightest reference to Mt. Gerizim or anything else Samaritan.

stephan huller

I cant believe you reading skills are that bad. there are other signs that Justin was a Samaritan. but then you have to know how to read in order to find them

Duvduv

My skills are not bad, but never found anything convincing, least of all was the slightest mention of anything connected with the Sacred Mt. Gerizim.

stephan huller

So all there is to being a Samaritan is venerating a second rate hill in Palestine?

Duvduv

Not much beyond that, because it is the focal point of their entire belief system. I cannot imagine a Samaritan not making the slightest comment in this regard.
Or how about accepting and justifying JEWISH prophet scriptures rejected by the Samaritans? The Samaritans never accept the Jewish prophetic books!

stephan huller

typically uninformed and Abul Fath reports that some Samaritan sects no longer found the mountain holy.

Duvduv

Well, that's hard to say for the time involved. Abu Fath was in the 14th century.

stephan huller

Oh well. There goes just about all of Samaritan history down the drain

DCHindley

But that is what all those "idiot scholars" say, on the basis of Justin's statement you just quoted!

Duvduv is right. There is a distinction to be made between living in the territory called "Samaria" (the capital had long previously been reconstituted as a Greek polis) and being of the religious sect of Samaritans (with the attachment to Mt Gerizim as opposed to Jerusalem).

That the Gospel of Thomas has Jesus make an example of a "Samaritan" seen making his way to Jerusalem with an animal on his back that his disciples assumed will be sacrificed and eaten, suggests that some Jews also lived there, unless some sect of Samaritans decided to just give in to Judeans and worship in Jerusalem, which I seriously doubt.

Those gnostic ideas attributed to Simon Magus and Dositheus sound awfully Egypto-Greek to me, not based on Samaritan/Judean tradition. Keep in mind that there was a strong Egyptian influence in Greek communities along the old Phonecian coast.

DCH (too tired to type more :clapping