Summary

Mount Gerizim is located south of the city of Nablus in Samaria and is 886 m high. Next to it is Mount Ebal, and they together are the highest mountains in Samaria. In the book of Deuteronomy, it is said that the ceremony of blessing and cursing was held on Mount Gerizim (the mountain of blessing) and Mount Ebal (the mountain of the curse), and then also the distribution of the tribes’ possessions. In addition, it is described that the Israelites were ordered to build an altar on Mount Ebal. In the Samaritan version of the Torah it is said that the altar was built on Mount Gerizim and throughout history Samaritan worship is centered there. Mount Gerizim is also mentioned in the parable of Yotam in the book of Judges.

The ritual site on the top of the mountain was excavated by Yitzhak Magen in the years 1982-2000. There is a debate in the research regarding the beginning of worship at Mount Gerizim. Yitzhak Magen and many other researchers suggest that a temple was built in the Persian period (5th century BCE), and then again in the Hellenistic period. This claim is reinforced by the mention of the construction of a temple, in the pattern of the Temple in Jerusalem, on Mount Gerizim and the establishment of a great priestly dynasty there in the book of Nehemiah. Yosef ben Matthew also confirms this suggestion when he writes in “The Antiquities of the Jews” that a temple was established on Mount Gerizim with the approval of Alexander the Great (332-331 BCE). In contrast to this popular opinion, Eran Aryeh suggests that a ritual site was established on the top of the mountain already at the end of the Iron Age (7th-6th centuries BCE), his claim based on a re-reading of some of the findings and their re-dating, including proto-aeolian capitals and a 6-chamber gate.

During the days of Ptolemaic and Seleucid rule (4th-2nd centuries BCE) a great development took place in the city of Mount Gerizim and it became the capital of the Samaritan people. In the 2nd century BCE, arguments broke out between the Jews and the Samaritans on the background of interpretations of Halacha, and the sanctity of the temples in Jerusalem and Mount Gerizim. The climax of the debate turned into an armed struggle as part of the conquests of Yohanan Hyrcanus (112-111 BCE), who captured, burned and destroyed the city and the temple on Mount Gerizim. No valuable property nor the bones of martyrs were discovered on the mountain, therefore it can be assumed that the city was burned only after the loot was collected.

Alongside the ritual part of the Persian and Hellenistic periods, a large city was discovered that may have housed clergy and priests who were involved in the maintenance of the temple and worship. Among the findings were discovered impressive “villas”, agricultural buildings, many coins and tools made of various materials. In addition, excavations around the site revealed about 400 fragments of inscriptions and inscriptions in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and even a number of inscriptions in Samaritan script from the Middle Ages. The impressive collection of inscriptions shows the use of diverse writing systems, both contemporaneously and in different periods, according to specific needs.

A Hasmonean garrison remained in the city until the days of Alexander Jannaeus who prevented the Samaritans from returning. With the exception of a short period at the beginning of the 4th century BCE, the Samaritans did not renew the worship at Mount Gerizim and even tried to suppress the destruction from national memory. According to Samaritan belief, there was never a temple on Mount Gerizim, but only a tabernacle that disappeared when God hid his face from it, and it will return and appear with the arrival of the Messiah.

Many coins minted in Nablus from the 2nd century CE onward were found in the vicinity of the site, which indicate on their backs an illustration of monumental staircases leading from the Roman city of Neapolis (Nablus) to the summit of Mount Gerizim. A Roman temple is depicted on the coin. Parts of the staircases were uncovered in excavations and can be seen today. In addition, in 1964 a Roman temple dedicated to the Hellenic god Zeus was found in excavations at Tell er-Ras (another site located on the summit of Mount Gerizim).

During the Byzantine period, an octagonal church was built on top of the ancient remains of the worship buildings and its structure stands out on the square at the top of the mountain. Next to it one can see the tomb of a sheikh from the 12th century CE, which is associated with Sheikh Ghanim. Remains of additional periods were discovered on the site, up to the Ottoman period.

Nowadays, the Samaritan tradition of sanctifying the mountain continues, when many members of the community live near it and hold rituals there, for example in the celebrations of the 3 pilgrimages. According to Samaritan traditions, many holy sites are identified on the mountain, such as the drinking stone, the 12 stones that Joshua ben Nun placed upon entering Israel, the story of Isaac’s covenant, and more.

Sources:

Arie, e., 2021. Revisiting Mount Gerizim: The Foundation of the Sacred Precinct and the Proto-Ionic Capitals. New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region, XIV, pp.39*-63*.

Magen, Y., Misgav, H. and Tsfania, L., 2004. Mount Gerizim Excavations. 1st ed. Jerusalem: IAA, pp.1*-37*.

Bull, R. J. (1968). The Excavation of Tell er-Ras on Mt. Gerizim. The Biblical Archaeologist, 31(2), 58–72.

Zelinger, Y., Peleg-Barkat, O., Uziel, J. J., & Gadot, Y. (2021). New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region, pp. 39*-63*