Jews and Samaritans

Prof. Dr. A. van der Kooij (Leiden University), Bibliotheca Orientalis LXXIV N 3.4 Revisiting the fate of the Northern Israelites from the late 8th century up to the 2nd century BCE, Knoppers presents in this study an innovative answer to the question of the origin of the Samaritans.

Catholic Biblical Quarterly At last, a definitive and balanced study of a significant topic that has been mired in scholarly, and even political, contentiousness....Effectively overturns a number of scholarly and popular perceptions about the history of Samaritans and Jews, such as traditions about the 'Ten Lost Tribes'...The most valuable work on the subject...The book is indispensable for scholars in several biblical specialties and of immense value for Bible students and nonspecialists.

<br>Gary Knoppers is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Religious Studies, and Jewish Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. He is a past president of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies (2003-2004) and currently serves as President of the Biblical Colloquium. He serves on the editorial boards of a number of journals, professional societies, and institutes, including Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, Studia Samaritana, Vetus Testamentum, the Internationaler Exegetischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament, and the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. His scholarly specializations include Hebrew scriptures, ancient historiography, ancient Near Eastern and biblical law, inner-scriptural exegesis, textual criticism, and early Jewish and Samaritan relations.<br>

TABLE OF CONTENTS ; PREFACE ; 1. SAMARITANS, JEWS, AND THE CONTESTED LEGACY OF CLASSICAL ISRAEL ; 2. THE FALL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM AND THE TEN LOST TRIBES: A REEVALUATION ; 3. GOD AND COUNTRY: THE REVIVAL OF ISRAELITE RELIGION IN POSTEXILIC SAMARIA ; 4. THE FALL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM AS A NEW BEGINNING IN NORTHERN ISRAELITE- SOUTHERN ISRAELITE RELATIONS ; 5. A DISTINCTION WITHOUT A DIFFERENCE? SAMARIAN AND JUDEAN CULTURES DURING THE PERSIAN AND EARLY HELLENISTIC PERIODS ; 6. ETHNICITY, COMMUNAL IDENTITY, AND IMPERIAL AUTHORITY: CONTEXTUALIZING THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN SAMARIA AND JUDAH IN EZRA-NEHEMIAH ; 7. THE TORAH AND "THE PLACE[S] FOR YHWH'S NAME": SAMARIAN-JUDEAN RELATIONS IN HELLENISTIC AND MACCABEAN TIMES ; 8. AN ABSOLUTE BREACH? ; BIBLIOGRAPHY