Historical Reformation of the Samaritans

The Samaritans have existed throughout history and their literature exists between the 3rd and 14th centuries. In the 14th century, the Samaritans were reformed and their priests, the Phineas, collected and organized the different documents and compiled them into the Abu'l Fath, which dealt with Samaritan history, religious traditions, and rituals, etc. The Samaritans' history is also known as the Samaritan Historical Reformation. In 1355, they discovered the Abisha Scroll, compiled by the grandson of Aaron, which became the most important document among them. The Samaritans recognized the classical status of the Pentateuch and redacted parts of the Book of Joshua to unify their beliefs and liturgical traditions.

There are five main beliefs in their faith***: Yahweh is the one true God Moses is the main messenger sent by God The Book of the Law is a message of revelation Moses instructed Joshua to build an altar on Mt. Gerizim as a center of worship and sacrifice according to God's revelation The Samaritans believe that Taheb is coming at the end of the age to bring them back to life, and believe that Taheb is Moses. Since the 19th century, the Samaritans were denied access to Mount Gerizim and declined. It was only after the restoration of Israel that they were gradually revived in numbers.