Template:Short description Template:Infobox mountain Template:Contains special characters
Mount Gerizim (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx, or Template:Langx) is one of two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the Palestinian city of Nablus and the biblical city of Shechem.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> It forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated, the northern side being formed by Mount Ebal.<ref name=brit>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The mountain is one of the highest peaks in the West Bank and rises to Template:Convert above sea level, Template:Convert lower than Mount Ebal.<ref>Matthew Sturgis, It aint necessarily so, Template:ISBN</ref> The mountain is particularly steep on the northern side, is sparsely covered at the top with shrubbery, and lower down there is a spring with a high yield of fresh water.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia>Jewish Encyclopedia</ref> For the Samaritan people, most of whom live around it, Mount Gerizim is considered the holiest place on Earth.<ref name="Centre">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The mountain is mentioned in the Bible as the place where, upon first entering the Promised Land after the Exodus, the Israelites performed ceremonies of blessings, as they had been instructed by Moses.<ref name="auto">Template:Bibleverse</ref>
Mount Gerizim is sacred to the Samaritans, who regard it, rather than Jerusalem's Temple Mount, as the location chosen by God for a holy temple. In Samaritan tradition, it is the oldest and most central mountain in the world, towering above the Great Flood and providing the first land for Noah’s disembarkation.<ref>Anderson, Robert T., "Mount Gerizim: Navel of the World", Biblical Archaeologist Vol. 43, No. 4 (Autumn 1980), pp 217-218</ref> It is the location where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac.<ref name="Centre" /> A Samaritan Temple was located on Mount Gerizim from the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century BCE. Jews, on the other hand, consider the location of the near-sacrifice to be Mount Moriah, traditionally identified by them with the Temple Mount. Mount Gerizim continues to be the centre of Samaritan religion, and Samaritans ascend it three times a year: at Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot.<ref name=":1" /> Passover is still celebrated by the Samaritans with a lamb sacrifice on Mount Gerizim.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Samaritan village of Kiryat Luza and an Israeli settlement, Har Brakha, are situated on the ridge of Mount Gerizim.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the First Intifada in 1987, many Samaritan families relocated from Nablus to Mount Gerizim to avoid the violence.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Today, about half of the remaining Samaritans live in close proximity to Gerizim, mostly in the village of Kiryat Luza.
Biblical accountEdit
According to the Hebrew Bible, as related in Deuteronomy, when they first entered Canaan the Israelites celebrated the event with ceremonies of blessings and cursings: the ceremonies of blessings took place on Mount Gerizim, and the cursings on nearby Mount Ebal.<ref name="auto"/><ref name=Magen>Yitzakh Magen, 'The Dating of the First Phase of the Samaritan Temple on Mt Gerizim in Light of Archaeological Evidence,' in Oded Lipschitz, Gary N. Knoppers, Rainer Albertz (eds.) Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E., Eisenbrauns, 2007 pp. 157ff, 183.</ref> The Pulpit Commentary suggests that these mountains were selected probably "because they stand in the center of the Land both from north to south, and from east to west". A commentary in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges argues that "the face of Gerizim, the mount of blessing, is the more fertile; the opposite face of Ebal, the mount of curse, much the more bare",<ref>Smith, G. A., Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Deuteronomy 11, accessed 2015-11-25.</ref> but the Pulpit Commentary states that both Gerizim and Ebal are "equally barren-looking, though neither is wholly destitute of culture and vegetation".<ref>Pulpit Commentary on Deuteronomy 11, accessed 2015-11-25.</ref>
The Masoretic Text says that Moses had also commanded the Israelites to build an altar on Mount Ebal, constructed from natural (rather than cut) stones, to place stones there and whiten them with lime,<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> to make sacrificial offerings on the altar, eat there, and write the Mosaic Law in stones there.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> The Samaritan Pentateuch, as well as an ancient manuscript of the biblical text found in Qumran,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> both bring the same excerpt as the Masoretic Text, with the only difference being the name "Gerizim", instead of "Ebal", therefore stating that Moses commanded the building of the altar on Mount Gerizim.<ref name=Magen/><ref name=Peakes>Peake's Commentary on the Bible</ref> Recent work on the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest surviving manuscripts of the biblical text, further supports the accuracy of the Samaritan Pentateuch's designation of Mount Gerizim, rather than Mount Ebal, as the first location in the Promised Land where Moses commanded an altar to be built.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
All versions of the biblical text then have Moses specifying how the Israelites should split between the two groups that were to pronounce blessings from Mount Gerizim and to pronounce curses from Mount Ebal. The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to be sent to Gerizim, while those of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali were to remain on Ebal.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
The altar to God is again mentioned in the Book of Joshua, when, after the Battle of Ai, Joshua builds an altar of unhewn stones, the Israelites make peace offerings on it, the law of Moses is written onto the stones, and the Israelites split into the two groups specified in Deuteronomy and pronounce blessings on Mount Gerizim and curses on Mount Ebal, as instructed in the law of Moses.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> Biblical scholars believe that the sources of the book of Joshua predate those of Deuteronomy, and hence the order to build the altar and make the inscriptions is likely based on these actions in the sources of Joshua, rather than the other way around, possibly to provide an origin explanation for the events narrated in Joshua.<ref>Richard Elliott Friedman, Who wrote the Bible; Jewish Encyclopedia, Book of Joshua, Deuteronomy, et passim</ref>
When Joshua was old and dying, he gathered the people together at Shechem (present-day Nablus) and gave a farewell speech, and set up "a stone as a witness", placing it "next to the sanctuary of Yahweh, under the oak tree",<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> which indicates that a sanctuary to God existed there.<ref name=Peakes/>
Mount Gerizim was also the site of the first parable in the Bible.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Bibleverse records how Jotham son of Gideon stands on the mountain to proclaim the parable of the trees who wanted to make the bramble king among them, an allusion to the people of Schechem who wanted to make the ungodly and treacherous Abimelech their king.
HistoryEdit
A Samaritan temple dedicated to Yahweh was built on Mount Gerizim during the 5th century Template:Sc.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>For an alternative date of the original construction of the temple during the Iron Age II, see: Template:Cite book</ref> It existed contemporaneously with the Jewish Second Temple in Jerusalem.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Full citation By that point, the Israelites were divided as "Samaritans" and "Jews", both claiming descendance from the Biblical Israelites and preaching adherence to the Torah, but diverging on the holiest place on Earth to adore God: Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans, and Jerusalem for the Jews.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/>
An adjacent city was built by the Samaritans during the Template:Nobr and became the cultural center for the Samaritans.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> Religious rivalry between Samaritans and Jews led to Mount Gerizim being destroyed by the latter in Template:Nobr on orders of John Hyrcanus.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=Berlin> Template:Cite book </ref><ref> Template:Cite journal
Template:Cite journal </ref> Even after the destruction of their temple by the Jews, Mount Gerizim continued to be the holy place for the Samaritans, as mentioned in the New Testament.<ref>Template:Bibleref2</ref> Coins produced by a Roman mint situated in Nablus, dated to Template:Nobr seemingly depict the destroyed Samaritan temple, showing a huge temple complex, statues, and a substantive staircase leading from Nablus to the temple.<ref name=BennettBull>Template:Cite report</ref>
In the Gospel of John in the New Testament, in his discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus reveals his feeling about worshipping in either Mount Gerizim (as the Samaritans did) or Jerusalem (as the Jews then did):
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Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."{{#if:Template:Bibleref2 |{{#if:|}}
— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries}}
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In Template:Nobr unrest flared in Samaria when a charismatic figureTemplate:Who rallied Samaritans to Mount Gerizim, claiming to unearth sacred vessels buried by Moses. Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judaea, alarmed by the growing assembly, deployed troops to block their ascent. This led to clashes, fatalities, and arrests, prompting Samaritan leaders to accuse Pilate of brutality. In response, Vitellius, the legate of Syria, appointed Marcellus to govern Judaea and recalled Pilate to Rome for investigation by Emperor Tiberius, who died before Pilate's arrival.<ref name=Rogers-2021>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
In the summer of Template:Nobr during the First Jewish–Roman War, a large group of Samaritans gathered on Mount Gerizim. Vespasian dispatched Cerialis, who commanded Legio V Macedonica, with a small force of 600 cavalry and 3,000 infantry, probably banking on the Samaritans' lack of defenses and summer water shortages. While some surrendered upon the Romans' arrival, the majority chose to fight. The conflict resulted in significant Samaritan casualties, totaling 11,600, according to Josephus.<ref name=Rogers-2021/>Template:Rp
Eventually, when Christianity became the state church of the Roman Empire, Samaritans were barred from worshiping on Mount Gerizim. In Template:Nobr a Christian church was built on its summit.<ref name=Cheyne>Template:Cite book</ref>{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Fix }}Template:Full citation In 484, during the reign of Emperor Zeno, a martyrium-type octagonal church dedicated to the Theotokos (the God-bearing Virgin Mary) was erected at the site.<ref name="Centre" /> In 529, Justinian I made Samaritanism illegal and arranged for a protective wall to be constructed around the church.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/><ref name=Cheyne/> As a result, the same year, Julianus ben Sabar led a pro-Samaritan revolt and by 530 had captured most of Samaria, destroying churches and killing the priests and officials. However, in 531, after Justinian enlisted the help of Ghassanids, the revolt was completely quashed, and surviving Samaritans were mostly enslaved or exiled. In 533 Justinian had a castle constructed on Mount Gerizim to protect the church from raids by the few disgruntled Samaritans left in the area.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/><ref name=Cheyne/>
According to Abu'l-Fath, Continuatio of the Samaritan Chronicle,<ref name=LevyRubin-2002/> during Sukkot in the seventh year of Abbasid Caliph al-Mutawakkil's reign (855), the governor of Nablus forbade Samaritans from praying aloud and blowing the shofar. However, the following Thursday, they ascended the mountain and prayed loudly without interruption.<ref name=LevyRubin-2002>Template:Cite book</ref>
Massacres in Roman JudeaEdit
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| Name | Date | Responsible Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massacre during the Samaritan Revolt (36 AD).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
36 CE | Pontius Pilate and Romans |
| Massacre during the First Jewish-Roman War.<ref>Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations, pg 223, pub Oxford University Press, 13 Jun 2013, Gary N. Knopper.</ref> | 67 CE | Roman troops |
ArchaeologyEdit
Excavations at the site were initiated in 1983 and continued until 2006, and yielded tens of thousands of finds. Remnants found there identified that a Samaritan temple existed atop Mount Gerizim by the Template:Nobr and that it was destroyed and rebuilt in the early Template:Nobr only to be destroyed again in Template:Nobr by Jewish forces.<ref name=Lipshz-Knprs-Albtz-2007>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp The archeological finds have shown that the precincts of the Samaritan temple, not including its gates, measured Template:Nobr Inside the perimeter, thousands of pottery vessels and burned bones of animal sacrifices were found – sheep, goats, cattle, and doves<ref name=Lipshz-Knprs-Albtz-2007/>Template:Rp – as well as many stones with inscriptions containing the Tetragrammaton (the name of God).<ref name=Lipshz-Knprs-Albtz-2007/>Template:Rp
In Template:Nobr a Christian church was built on the Mount's summit. As a result of the fortified church and the previous Samaritan temple, extensive ruins still exist at the somewhat plateau-like top of Gerizim. The line of the wall around the church can easily be seen,<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> as can portions of the former castle, and initial archaeological study of the site postulated that the castle built by Justinian had used stones from an earlier structure on the site, probably the Samaritan temple.<ref name=Cheyne/> In the centre of the plateau is a smooth surface, containing a hollow.<ref name=Cheyne/>
The excavation, initiated when the site was in the possession of Jordan and continued under Israeli rule, uncovered Corinthian columns, a large rectangular platform 65 m × 44 m (215 ft × 145 ft) surrounded by walls 2 m thick (6 ft) and 9 m high (30 ft), and a staircase 8 m wide (25 ft) leading down from the platform to a marbled esplanade.<ref name=BennettBull/> The complex also has a series of cisterns in which ceramics dated to the late Roman period were found.<ref name=BennettBull/> These discoveries are now called "structure A", and have been dated to the time of Hadrian from excavated coins and external literary evidence.<ref name=BennettBull/> Underneath these remains were found a large stone structure built on top of the bedrock. This structure, now known as "structure B", is nearly half of a cube (21 m × 20 m in width and length, and 8.5 m high). It has no internal rooms or dividing walls and consists almost entirely of uncut limestone slabs fitted together without any mortar.<ref name=BennettBull/> Structure B was surrounded by a courtyard (60 m × 40 m, with 1.5 m thick walls) similar to the platform above it, and was dated to during or before the Hellenistic period, from ceramics found in a cistern cut into the bedrock at the northern side.<ref name=BennettBull/> The excavating archaeologist considered "structure B" to be the altar built by the Samaritans in the 5th or Template:Nobr
EtymologyEdit
It is possible that the name of the mountain may mean mountain of the Gerizites, a tribe in the vicinity of the Philistines that, according to the Hebrew Bible, was conquered by David.<ref name=Peakes/> Another possible meaning is mountain cut in two.<ref name="Cheyne" />
According to the narrative about Jotham in the Book of Judges, Shechem was a site where there was a sanctuary of El-Berith, also known as Baal Berith, meaning "God of the covenant" and "Lord of the covenant", respectively;<ref>Judges 9</ref> scholars have suggested that the Joshua story about the site derives from a covenant made there in Canaanite times.<ref>Judges 9; Peake's commentary on the Bible et passim</ref> In the narrative of Judges, the "pillar that was in Shechem" is seemingly significant enough to have given its name to a nearby plain (Template:Bibleverse), and this pillar is thought to be likely to have been a baetylus of El-Berith; the Joshua story, of a stone being set up as a witness, simply being an attempt to provide an etiology in accordance with later Israelite theology.<ref name=Cheyne/>
See alsoEdit
Notes and citationsEdit
External linksEdit
- The curses and blessings of Ebal and Gerizim, in isolation, at wikiversity
- Photos of Mount Gerizim
- Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans
- Photos of Mount Gerizim at the Manar al-Athar photo archive
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