Samaritan Pentateuch facts for kids

The Samaritan High Priest with an old Pentateuch, 1905

The Samaritan Pentateuch (say: Pen-tuh-took) is a special version of the Torah. The Torah contains the first five books of the Bible. These books are also called the Five Books of Moses. The Samaritans, a religious group, use this version of the Torah.

This special text was created a very long time ago. It was made around 127 BC. This was when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. At that time, the Samaritans separated from another group at the Temple.

Scholars study the Samaritan Pentateuch. They use it to understand old words in the original Pentateuch. It also helps them learn about the history of different Bible versions. Some ancient scrolls found, called the Dead Sea scrolls, look similar to the Samaritan Pentateuch.

What Makes It Different?

The Samaritan Pentateuch is a bit different from other versions of the Torah. The most common version is the Masoretic Text. There is also the Greek Septuagint text.

Some differences are small. For example, the ages of people mentioned in family trees might be different. Other differences are bigger. One major difference is a rule about marriage. The Samaritan text says a man should only have one wife. This rule is not in the other versions. (See Lev 18:18.)

The Abisha Scroll

One very important copy is called the Abisha Scroll. Samaritans use this scroll in their synagogue in Nablus. A synagogue is a place of worship.

The Samaritans believe Abishua wrote this scroll. Abishua was the great-grandson of Aaron. They say he wrote it thirteen years after the Israelites entered the land of Israel. This happened when Joshua, son of Nun, was their leader.

However, modern experts have studied the scroll. They found that different scribes wrote parts of it. A scribe is someone who copies texts. The oldest parts of the scroll seem to be from the 12th century AD. This means it was not written by Abishua.

Images for kids

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  A Samaritan and the Samaritan Torah

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  Words from the Torah in Samaritan writing. This is from a Samaritan house in Damascus, Syria (15th-16th century CE). It is now in the Islamic Art Museum, Berlin.

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  A close-up view of the Samaritan Pentateuch

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  Samaritan Torah scrolls kept safe in the Samaritan synagogue on Mount Gerizim

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  The first two words of the tashqil colophon on the Abisha Scroll. It says, "I, Abishua".

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  Genesis 5:18-22 as printed by Jean Morin in 1631. This was the first time the Samaritan Pentateuch was published.

See also

In Spanish: Pentateuco samaritano para niños