The Life of Jesus in Harmony |
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Samaria
South of
Galilee and north of
Judea was Samaria, a land of big valleys with surrounding hills. Its territory was
20 miles from north to south and 30 miles from east to west. The inhabitants
were the descendants of Assyrian colonists who had intermarried with the Jewish
remnant that was left behind after the deportation of the northern kingdom of
Israel in 722 BC. They claimed to be the true Israelites, and had set up their own
temple and priesthood. Their holy place was Mount Gerazim, their holy book was
the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses), and their holy city was Shechem
between Mounts Gerazim and Ebal.
A Galilean pilgrim traveling south for the
Passover would normally
cross over the
Jordan River through
Decapolis (a federation of 10 Greek towns) and Perea (meaning "Transjordan") and
completely avoid Samaria. It was in the wilderness of Perea that
John the
Baptist ministered and in the Perean fortress of Machaerus that he was beheaded.