Mount Gerizim Samaritan Temple
The sacred precinct of the Samaritans, rival to Jerusalem's Temple, destroyed by John Hyrcanus
Found 1983 — Yitzhak Magen (Staff Officer for Archaeology, Judea and Samaria), following soundings by R. J. Bull's Tell er-Ras dig (1964–68)
Where Mount Gerizim summit, above Nablus (Shechem) (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))
Dates from Built mid-5th century BCE; enlarged c. 200 BCE; destroyed c. 111–110 BCE · Persian and Hellenistic · After Nehemiah; the Samaritan schism; Hasmonean conquests
Now at In situ (Mount Gerizim National Park); inscriptions with the Staff Officer for Archaeology / Israel Antiquities Authority; a Samaritan community still lives on the mountain
How Mount Gerizim Samaritan Temple was found
Nineteen seasons of excavation (1983–2006) on the summit exposed a walled sacred precinct with a gate complex, priestly quarters, a Hellenistic city of thousands of residents, and about 400 inscription fragments.
What it is
A large rectangular precinct of dressed stone walls enclosing an altar area, first built in the Persian period and rebuilt on a grand scale under the Seleucids. Inscriptions in Aramaic, paleo-Hebrew and Samaritan script are dedications 'before God in this place' and mention priests and 'the house of sacrifice'; one names 'YHWH'.
Why it matters for the Bible
The excavations proved that the Samaritans built a temple on Gerizim in the 5th century BCE, earlier than Josephus's story of a temple founded under Alexander. Nehemiah 13:28 describes the high priest's grandson marrying Sanballat's daughter and being expelled, the kind of event that led to a rival priesthood in Samaria. The site explains the bitter Jew–Samaritan divide Yeshua (Jesus) meets in John 4 and the Samaritan woman's words 'our fathers worshiped on this mountain'. Ash and burned layers match the destruction by John Hyrcanus recorded by Josephus.
The Hebrew word: hah-mah-KOME
הַמָּקוֹם
הַמָּקוֹם is pronounced hah-mah-KOME and means 'the place' that YHVH would choose (Deut. 12); Samaritans read this as Gerizim, Jews as Jerusalem (Strong's H4725).
People this discovery connects to
- Sanballat — סַנְבַלַּט (sahn-vah-LAHT) — Sin gave life (Akkadian)
Places
- Mount Gerizim — הַר גְּרִזִים (hahr ge-ree-ZEEM) — mountain of the Gerizites (uncertain)
- Shechem — שְׁכֶם (she-CHEM) — shoulder, ridge
Events
Blessings pronounced from Gerizim (Deuteronomy 27) · The Samaritan schism after Nehemiah · Destruction of the Gerizim temple by John Hyrcanus
Mount Gerizim Samaritan Temple in Scripture
Deuteronomy 11:29 Blessing is set on Mount Gerizim; the Samaritans built their temple on this mountain of blessing. (First mention of Gerizim.)
Nehemiah 13:28 A grandson of the high priest marries Sanballat's daughter and is driven out; tradition ties this to the founding of the Gerizim priesthood.
John 4:20-21 The Samaritan woman says 'our fathers worshiped on this mountain'; the excavated precinct is what she meant.
Questions people ask
What is Mount Gerizim Samaritan Temple?
A large rectangular precinct of dressed stone walls enclosing an altar area, first built in the Persian period and rebuilt on a grand scale under the Seleucids. Inscriptions in Aramaic, paleo-Hebrew and Samaritan script are dedications 'before God in this place' and mention priests and 'the house of sacrifice'; one names 'YHWH'.
When was Mount Gerizim Samaritan Temple discovered?
It was found in 1983 by Yitzhak Magen (Staff Officer for Archaeology, Judea and Samaria), following soundings by R. J. Bull's Tell er-Ras dig (1964–68), at Mount Gerizim summit, above Nablus (Shechem).
Where is Mount Gerizim Samaritan Temple today?
In situ (Mount Gerizim National Park); inscriptions with the Staff Officer for Archaeology / Israel Antiquities Authority; a Samaritan community still lives on the mountain.
Which Bible verses does Mount Gerizim Samaritan Temple relate to?
Deuteronomy 11:29, Nehemiah 13:28, John 4:20-21.
Related discoveries
- פֶּחָהWadi Daliyeh (Samaria) PapyriLegal documents of Samaria's elite naming a later Sanballat, found with the bones of refugees from Alexander
- חַג הַמַּצּוֹתElephantine PapyriAramaic letters of a Jewish garrison in Egypt that name Sanballat, Johanan the priest and a temple of YHW
- גְּרִזִיםTananir Sanctuary on Mount GerizimA Middle Bronze courtyard building above Shechem, once called 'Joshua's altar'
- הַר הַבַּיִתHerodian Western Wall and Temple Mount PlatformThe retaining walls of Herod's expanded Temple enclosure
- בֵּית יְהוָהArad Ostraca (the Eliashib Archive)Supply orders from a Judean desert fort naming the 'House of YHVH' and the Kittim
- תְּקִיעָהTrumpeting Place Inscription'To the place of trumpeting…' — a stone from the Temple's southwest corner tower
Sources
- Magen, Misgav and Tsfania, Mount Gerizim Excavations I: The Aramaic, Hebrew and Samaritan Inscriptions (2004)
- Wikipedia: Mount Gerizim Temple