Editing Samaritans (section)

=== Roman period ===
Under the [[Roman Empire]], Samaria became a part of the [[Herodian Tetrarchy]], and with the deposition of [[Herod Archelaus]] in the early 1st century CE Samaria became a part of the province of [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaea]]. Samaritans appear briefly in the Christian [[gospel]]s, most notably in the account of the [[Samaritan woman at the well]] and the [[parable of the Good Samaritan]]. In the former, it is noted that a substantial number of Samaritans accepted [[Jesus]] through the woman's testimony to them, and Jesus stayed in Samaria for two days before returning to [[Cana]]. In the latter, it is only the Samaritan who helps the man stripped of clothing, beaten, and left on the road half dead, his Abrahamic covenantal circumcision implicitly evident. A priest and a Levite walk past, but the Samaritan helps the naked man regardless of his nakedness (itself religiously offensive to the priest and Levite{{sfn|Bible Hub: Nakedness}}), his self-evident poverty, or to which Hebrew sect he belongs.

During the [[First Jewish–Roman War]] in 67 CE a significant Samaritan uprising gathered on Mt. Gerizim. In response, Roman general [[Vespasian]] dispatched a relatively small force under the command of Cerialis. Although some Samaritans surrendered, most fought, resulting in heavy casualties. According to Josephus, 11,600 Samaritans were killed.<ref name=":62">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Guy MacLean |title=For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66–74 CE |date=2021 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-24813-5 |location=New Haven |pages=227–228}}</ref> There is no evidence of Samaritan involvement in later phases of the revolt.<ref name=":6" /> In 72/73 CE, Vespasian established [[Flavia Neapolis]] on the site of ''Mabartha'', near Shechem. While some scholars argue this was to counter Samaritan influence and aspirations, others contend it was primarily a geo-strategic decision.<ref name=":6" /> The new city was designed as a [[polis]] and included both Samaritan and pagan populations, becoming a major urban center for the Samaritans. Despite its Hellenistic character, the city maintained local traditions, as reflected in its coins which avoided pagan symbols.<ref name=":6" />

The possibility of Samaritan involvement in the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]] (132–136 CE) alongside the Jews against the Romans remains uncertain. Some Jewish sources, such as the [[Genesis Rabbah]] and the [[Jerusalem Talmud]], depict the Samaritans as obstructing Jewish efforts, including the construction of the Temple and the defense of [[Betar (ancient village)|Betar]], leading to interpretations of possible Samaritan collaboration with the Romans. However, these sources are considered legendary or anachronistic. Additionally, later Samaritan chronicles referring to the [[Hadrian]]ic period do not connect events from this time to the Bar Kokhba revolt. Consequently, Mor concludes that there is no concrete evidence of cooperation between Jews and Samaritans during the revolt.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Mor |first=Menahem |title=The Second Jewish Revolt: the Bar Kokhba War, 132–136 CE |date=2016 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-31463-4 |series=The Brill Reference Library of Judaism |location=Leiden, Boston |pages=363–368, 373–374}}</ref>

The defeat of the Jews in the Bar Kokhba revolt, along with the depopulation and destruction of [[Judea]], allowed the Samaritans to expand into former Jewish areas, particularly in northern Judea, establishing themselves in places such as [[Imwas|Emmaus]] and [[Salbit|Sha'alavim]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Dauphin |first=Claudine |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Jews-and-Judaism-in-Late-Antiquity/Hezser/p/book/9781138241220 |title=The Routledge Handbook of Jews and Judaism in Late Antiquity |publisher=Routledge |year=2024 |editor-last=Hezser |editor-first=Catherine |pages=40–43 |chapter=Changes in the Infrastructure and Population of Byzantine Palestine}}</ref><ref name=":63">{{Cite book |last=Mor |first=Menahem |title=The Second Jewish Revolt: the Bar Kokhba War, 132–136 CE |date=2016 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-31463-4 |series=The Brill Reference Library of Judaism |location=Leiden, Boston |pages=383}}</ref> Samaritans also settled in the [[Beit She'an Valley]] and in coastal cities like [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]].<ref name=":63" /><ref name=":03" /> In the ensuing years, the synagogue gained prominence as the central religious institution for the Samaritan community.<ref name=":03" /> Much of the Samaritan liturgy was later organized and formalized by the high priest [[Baba Rabba]] in the 4th century.{{sfn|Cowley|1894|pp=121–122}}