Israelite samaritan version of the torah book depository. Variants in the samaritan pentateuch of the hebrew bible as. The samaritan pentateuch provides an important witness to the early textual history of the first part of the hebrew bible. The samaritan torah or samaritan pentateuch is a version of the torah or pentateuch the first five books of the hebrew bible that is used by the samaritans. The samaritans share an origin with jews, but the two peoples diverged thousands of years ago, already in biblical times. Samaritans retained the literal prohibition and spend the sabbath in darkness. Is the samaritan torah older and closer to the original. By far the most varied, extensive and historically significant body of literature written in the old classical hebrew is the canon of the hebrew bible commonly referred to as the tanakh by jews.
The israelite samaritan version of the torah benyamim. An excerpt from the book a grammar of samaritan hebrew it is well known that there are thousands of differences between the jewish and samaritan pentateuchs. Benny is a prolific author on samaritan traditions and published the first english translation of the samaritan torah, which differs slightly from the jewish version in thousands of instances. It can most specifically mean the first five books pentateuch or five books of moses of the hebrew bible. For over 2,500 years the samaritans, a jewish sect that emerged in the second temple period, have revered the torah. The samaritan bible consists of the torah that is, the five books of mosesalso called the samaritan pentateuch sp. An english translation of the samaritan pentateuch will help to make this important textual witness to the torah more accessible to students and a broader scholarly public alike. This is fundamental in the is raelite samaritan ver. Sam shamoun and jochen katz in an article allude to the quranic challenge about torah in surah 28 verses 4849 and allege that it concludes, torah as it was readily available at muhammads time is equal to the quran in value of guidance and is like it. On the surface, this makes the jewish torah problematic. Gerizim was considered sacred by the samaritans because the idols of laban were buried there. Others have said that its language style resembles. This landmark volume presents the firstever english translation of the ancient israelite samaritan version of the pentateuch, or torah. Pdf hebrew english torah download full ebooks for free.
Karaites and samaritans karaite judaism defines itself as the remnants of the nonrabbinic jewish sects of the second temple period, such as the sadducees. For example, the samaritan version combines the ninth and tenth command and adds the obligation to build an altar on mount gerizim. In more than 500 pages the book presents the samaritan torah in english translation. The validity of the samaritan torah in comparison to the jewish torah was. Based on this and other arguments, we agree with the jewish view in arguing that samaritan torah is a masterful and theologically. The samaritan canon consists only of the five books of moses, which is the torah law and by scholars called the samaritan pentateuch sp. The lines are preserved on both pages, so that the verse on the samaritan page will be exactly opposite. The samaritan pentateuch, also known as the samaritan torah is a text of the first five books of the hebrew bible, written in the samaritan alphabet and used as. Upon further examination, however, this could lead to an argument for the samaritan pentateuch being a latter revision or editing of the earlier jewish text.
This book, providing in parallel columns the israelite samaritan text st and the jewish masoretic text mt, will be of particular interest to bible collectors and. Every samaritan member, mentions these five principles of faith in each prayer. Torah, israelite samaritan and masoretic versions in english. Inside were two handwritten copies of the torah, the five books of. The samaritans consider only the pentateuch to be a holy book. For our purposes, we may make do with two categories. John 4 reconsidering the samaritan woman eli lizorkin. A grammar of samaritan hebrew zeev benhayyim hebrew. The samaritan pentateuch contains the text of the torah, the first five books of the hebrew bible, written in the consonantal samaritan script, a development from. In their simplest form, the twentyfour books of the jewish bible the tanach present a history of the first 3500 years from creation until the building of the second temple in jerusalem. The karaites scripturalists accept only the hebrew bible and what they view as the peshat simple meaning. Samaritan pentateuch mss 1232 ad new york public library. This book, providing in parallel columns the israelite samaritan text st and the jewish masoretic text mt, will be of particular interest to bible collectors and laypersons in addition to bible scholars.
The samaritan pentateuch, also known as the samaritan torah hebrew. This book, providing in parallel columns the israelite samaritan text st and the jewish masoretic text mt, will be of particular interest to bible collectors and laypersons in. The samaritan communitys culture and religion is unique in the world. The five books of moses is a study edition of the traditional masoretic text, placed next to the classic wordforword jewish translation. This article discusses the main differences between the samaritan and the jewish versions of the pentateuch.
The copying of the book itself is the product of five different hands. Hebrew the book reads from right to left, so the blank square shown is actually the back cover. Alongside, we see the traditional jewish masoretic version, also in english. This scroll was likely written by the scribe shalmah ben abraham around 1160 in nablus, where many samaritans still live. Jewish and samaritan versions compared by mark shoulson. In fact, the torah or pentateuch is the only part of the jewish scriptures that samaritans use for worship. Moses gaster places its compilation about the middle or end of the third century bce, and rendered a translation of the work in 1927 with the royal asiatic society in london. For over 2,500 years the samaritans, an ancient semitic people, have venerated the torah and used torah scrolls in liturgical worship. A text of growing interest and importance in the field of biblical studies, the samaritan pentateuch preserves a version of the hebrew text distinct from the traditional masoretic text that underlies modern bible translations.
The introduction seeks to present both traditions in their own right and in. The samaritan version of the torah differs in several ways from the jewish masoretic version, and those differences are the purpose of this book. Scholars have counted more than 6000 variants, tallied according to various systems. Benyamim tsedakas expert english translation of the samaritan pentateuch is here. Samaritans accept the torah the first five books of the hebrew bible, also called the pentateuch as authoritative, but reject the writings of the prophets and.
The samaritan pentateuch or samaritan torah gen, ex, lev, num, deut is the only books in the bible that the samaritans consider inspired. Some european karaites do not see themselves as part of the jewish. The samaritans reject joshua to malachi as scripture but us the first five books of moses exclusively. This volume highlights the differences between the samaritan version of the torah and the jewish masoretic version.
This book is easy to follow, page by page comparisons. This book, providing in parallel columns the israelite samaritan text st and the jewish masoretic text mt, will be of particular interest to bible collectors and laypersons in addition to bible. Conveniently, the translations appear in parallel columns, and in addition, notes in the text highlight the 3000 significant differences between the two versions. Scrolls among the dead sea scrolls have been identified as proto samaritan. The samaritans only adhere to the pentateuch the first five books of the holy bible, and it is one of the five principles of the samaritan faith.
Some jews believe that moses received the torah from god at mount sinai, whilst others believe that the text was written over a long period of time by multiple authors. The samaritan pentateuch contains the text of the torah, the first five books of the hebrew bible, written in samaritan script. The torah text can be written out by a scribe in hebrew onto a scroll and used in public prayer services or printed in books for individuals and congregations to study. A new english translation of the samaritan torah offers scholars a different version of the sacred text. There are more than 6,000 differences between the masoretic text used by jews and the samaritan version of the torah. Take a class with david or other scholars at you can study live from anywhere in the world or download class recordings. In april 20, eerdmans, grand rapids, michigan published my life work. Bold capital letters emphasise the differences between the two versions.
The samaritan pentateuch is the text of the the first five books of the bible, also called the torah or books of moses, that is used by the samaritans. This edition gives the samaritan torah and the jewish masoretic text in english. The samaritan pentateuch contains the basic text of the first five books of the hebrew bible, yet there are about 6,000 differences between it and the masoretic. In summary, most are tiny spelling differences, a large part of the rest are word choice differences that dont actually affect the meaning, most of the rest affect the meaning in a minor way, and the few remaining are relatively major changes. I have faith in you, yhwh, and in moses son of amram your servant, and in the holy torah, and in the mountain of greazim, the house of the lord, and on the day of vengeance and recompense. The samaritan and jewish versions of the pentateuch. Authoritative introduction to the samaritan tradition from antiquity to the present most people associate the term samaritan exclusively with the new testament stories about the good samaritan and the samaritan woman at jacobs well. Here is a raw unedited translation from hebrew wikipedia differences between the samaritan text and the masoretic text according to the accepted study, the samaritan version of the masoretic text was changed by about 6,000 individuals, of which so. Scholars consult the samaritan pentateuch when trying to determine the meaning of text of the original pentateuch and to trace the development of textfamilies.
The earliest known precursor to hebrew is an inscription in ancient hebrew is the khirbet qeiyafa inscription 11th10th century bce, if it can indeed be considered hebrew at that early a stage. The jewish bible contains in addition the prophets and the writings, a total of 39 books. Very few are aware that a small community of about 750 samaritans still lives today in palestine and israel. Jewish and samaritan versions compared by mark shoulson 2008, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. What are the differences between the samaritan torah and. A text of growing interest and importance in the field of biblical studies, the samaritan pentateuch preserves a version of the hebrew text. The books also relate the history of the jewish nation from its earliest stage, through the giving of the law at mount sinai, and until the end of the first commonwealth.
803 180 467 64 571 301 190 501 97 1443 1553 910 754 1746 1670 138 111 189 855 414 974