ABDU AL-HAKIR IBN IBRAHIM SALIH MARGAN

Samaria (present-day Palestine), 1887 (Ragab 1265). MS 019

This text is written predominately in Samaritan, the language from Samara and those of the Samaritan faith, with some Arabic commentary. While it is not known what the exact contents of this text is, it is possible that it is a Samaritan Pentateuch — the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, known as the Torah in Hebrew — given that most known texts written in Samaritan fall into this genre. The Samaritan religion is a sect of Judaism, but their religious text is solely limited to the Torah or Samaritan Pentateuch. Samaritans believe that they are direct descendants from the ancient Israelites, specifically the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Rather than Jerusalem, the holy place for Samaritans is Mount Gerizim in Samaria, located in the West Bank of Palestine. While Samaritans are exclusive to the West Bank area, the religion exists since the fourth century.

Bibliography

Abdu al-Hakir ibn Ibrahim Salih Margan. Samaritan Ritual. University of Oregon Special Collections & University Archives, MS 019. https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/3uoa1r/CP71269138540001451

Bowker, John. “Samaritans.” In The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford University Press, 2003. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192800947.001.0001/acref-9780192800947-e-6292.

Coggins, Richard. “Samaritans.” In The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible. Oxford University Press, 2001. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195146417.001.0001/acref-9780195146417-e-286.

Jacobs, Louis. “Samaritans.” In A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion. Oxford University Press, 2003. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192800886.001.0001/acref-9780192800886-e-594.