Nov. 29, 2011
Samaritan Scholar Lectures at Azusa Pacific University
Benyamin Tsedaka, an historian and author of nearly 100 books and more than 2,000 articles on Israelite Samaritan life, visits Azusa Pacific University Dec. 5—6, to view the university’s Dead Sea Scroll (DSS) fragment of Deut. 27:4-6 and lecture on Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon. The public is invited to attend these two free events.
An expert on ancient Israelite-Samaritan documents, and 1 of only 750 living Samaritans in the world, Tsedaka speaks on the Israelite Samaritans, descendants of the ancient kingdom of Israel, and their separation from the Israelite Jews—descendants of the Kingdom of Judah. He also addresses the most significant differences between the Samaritan and Jewish versions of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament).
“Most people do not realize that Samaritans continue to live in Israel near ancient Shechem and worship on nearby Mt. Gerizim,” said Karen Winslow, Ph.D., professor of graduate biblical studies. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to meet an elder of the Samaritan people. A guest of APU’s Graduate School of Theology and the Free Methodist Center, Benyamin Tsedaka will tell the story of the Samaritans and their Scriptures and other traditions.”
Tsedaka has a special interest in APU’s ancient fragment of Deut. 27:4-6, which scholars believe came from Cave 4 at Qumran, the most famous of the Dead Sea Scroll caves.
According to Winslow, this DSS fragment contains a rare Samaritan variant that reads “Mt. Gerizim” at Deut 27:4 as does the Samaritan Pentateuch.
“There are only two other witnesses, ancient biblical texts, that read “Mt. Gerizim” at this place; all the others read “Mt. Ebal,” Winslow said. “However, the age and soundness of the few witnesses may indicate that Gerizim is the older term.”
This DSS fragment quotes the commandment to build the first altar of God by the people of Israel on Mount Gerizim. Known as the Mountain of Blessing, Mount Gerizim is the sacred mountain of the Samaritans.
In 2009, APU acquired five small scriptural DSS fragments. These earliest known texts of the Hebrew Bible, dating back roughly to roughly 150 B.C., were discovered between 1947—56. Outside of the Middle East, APU’s special collection holds the most biblical DSS fragments at an academic institution.
Schedule:
- "The Israelite Samaritan Today: Ancient Customs in Political and Social Life of Palestinians and Jews in Israel,” Mon., Dec. 5, from 6:30—8 p.m., in the Art Hallway near the Stamps Theological Library.
- "Most Significant Differences Between Samaritan Pentateuch and Jewish Masoretic [Traditional] Text Reflecting on Different Philosophies,” Tues., Dec. 6, from 3—4:30 p.m., in the VIP Room of the Felix Event Center.
- The DSS fragment is on display Mon., Dec. 5, before and after the lecture, in Duke 112.
All locations are on West Campus, 701 E. Foothill Ave., in Azusa.
