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'[[File:Gerizim.jpg|thumb|200px|Old view of Mount Gerizim]] '''Mount Gerizim''' ([[Samaritan Hebrew]] '''Ar-garízim''', [[Arabic language|Arabic]] '''جبل جرزيم''' '''Jabal Jarizīm''', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] '''הַר גְּרִזִּים''' '''Har Gərizzîm''', [[Standard Hebrew]] '''הַר גְּרִיזִּים''' '''Har Gərizzim''') is one of the two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the [[West Bank]] city of [[Nablus]] ([[Bible|Biblical]] ''[[Shechem]]''), and forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated, the northern side being formed by [[Mount Ebal]]. The mountain is one of the highest peaks in the West Bank and rises to 2849 feet (881 m) above [[sea level]], 228 feet (69.5 m) shorter than Mount Ebal.<ref>Matthew Sturgis, ''It aint necessarily so'', ISBN 0-7472-4510-X</ref> The mountain is particularly steep on the northern side, is sparsely covered at the top with shrubbery, and lower down there is a [[Spring (hydrosphere)|spring]] with a high yield of fresh water.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia>''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]''</ref> A [[Samaritan]] village and an [[Israeli Settlement]] are situated on the mountain ridge, [[Kiryat Luza]] and [[Har Bracha]], respectively. [[File:Gerizim sign.jpg|thumb|200px|Trilingual road signs directing toward Mount Gerizim and Kiryat Luza ("'''Shomronim'''" – Samaritans in Hebrew)]] The mountain is sacred to the Samaritans who regard it, rather than [[Jerusalem]]'s [[Temple Mount]], as having been the location chosen by [[Yahweh]] for a holy temple. The mountain continues to be the centre of Samaritan religion to this day, and over 90% of the worldwide population of Samaritans live in very close proximity to Gerizim, mostly in Kiryat Luza, the main village. The [[passover]] is celebrated by the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim,<ref>[http://www.lifeintheholyland.com/images/Mount_Gerizim,_Samaritan_Passover,_mat00114.jpg Photograph of this]</ref> and it is additionally considered by them as the location of the [[Binding of Isaac|near-sacrifice of Isaac]] (the [[masoretic text|masoretic]], [[Septuagint]] and the [[Dead Sea Scrolls|Dead Sea Scroll]] versions of [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] state that this happened on ''Mount [[Moriah]]'' which Jews traditionally identify as the Temple Mount).<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> According to [[Classical Rabbinical Literature|classical rabbinical sources]], in order to convert to Judaism, a Samaritan must first and foremost renounce any belief in the sanctity of Mount Gerizim.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> ==Biblical account== [[File:Nablus panorama-cropped.jpg|275px|right|thumb|Old city of [[Nablus]] and Mount Gerizim in background]] In the [[masoretic text]] of [[Deuteronomy]] and the [[Septuagint]] version of the same, an instruction is given to build an altar on [[Mount Ebal]], constructed from natural (rather than cut) stones, to place stones there and whiten them with [[Calcium oxide|lime]],<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> to make [[korban|peace offerings on the altar]], eat there, and write the words of ''this law'' on the stone.<ref>Deuteronomy 27:4–8</ref> According to the [[Samaritan Pentateuch]] version of Deuteronomy, the instruction actually concerns Mount Gerizim, which the [[Samaritan]]s view as a holy site.<ref name=Peakes_commentary>''[[Peake's commentary on the Bible]]''</ref> An instruction immediately subsequent to this orders that, once this is done, the Israelites should split into two groups, one to stay on Mount Ebal and pronounce curses, while the other goes to Mount Gerizim and pronounces blessings.<ref name=Deuteronomy_27_11-13>Deuteronomy 27:11–13</ref> The tribes [[Tribe of Simeon|of Simeon]], [[Tribe of Levi|of Levi]], [[Tribe of Judah|of Judah]], [[Tribe of Issachar|of Issachar]], [[Tribe of Joseph|of Joseph]], and [[Tribe of Benjamin|of Benjamin]] were to be sent to Gerizim, while those [[Tribe of Reuben|of Reuben]], [[Tribe of Gad|of Gad]], [[Tribe of Asher|of Asher]], [[Tribe of Zebulun|of Zebulun]], [[Tribe of Dan|of Dan]], and [[Tribe of Naphtali|of Naphtali]], were to remain on Ebal.<ref name=Deuteronomy_27_11-13/> No attempts to explain this division of tribes either by their Biblical [[ethnology]] or by their geographical distribution have been generally accepted in academic circles.<ref name=Peakes_commentary/> The text goes on to list twelve curses, which were to be pronounced by the [[Levite]] priesthood and answered by the people with ''[[Amen]]''.<ref>Deuteronomy 15–26</ref> These ''curses'' heavily resemble laws (eg ''cursed be he who removes his neighbour's landmark''), and they are not followed by a list of blessings described in a similarly liturgical framework; scholars believe that these more likely represent what was written on the stones, and that the later list of six explicit blessings,<ref>Deuteronomy 28:3–6</ref> six near-corresponding explicit curses,<ref>Deuteronomy 28:16–19</ref> were originally in this position in the text.<ref name=Peakes_commentary/> The present position of these explicit blessings and curses, within a larger narrative of promise, and a far larger narrative of threat (respectively), is considered to have been an editorial decision for the post-exilic second version of Deuteronomy (''Dtr2''), to reflect the [[deuteronomist]]'s worldview after the [[Babylonian Captivity|Babylonian exile]] had occurred.<ref name=Peakes_commentary/> In the [[Book of Joshua]], after the Battle of [[Ai (Bible)|Ai]], Joshua built an altar of unhewn stones there, the Israelites then made peace offerings on it, the ''law of Moses'' was written onto the stones, and the Israelites split into the two groups specified in Deuteronomy and pronounced blessings and curses as instructed there.<ref>Joshua 8:31–35</ref> There is some debate between [[textual criticism|textual scholars]] as to whether this incident in Joshua is one account or spliced together two different accounts, where one account refers to Joshua building an altar, and making sacrifices on it, while the other account refers to Joshua placing large stone slabs there that had been whitened with lime and then had ''the law'' inscribed on them.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> Either way there are some who believe that the sources of Joshua predate Deuteronomy, and hence that the order to build the altar and make the inscription is likely based on these actions in the sources of Joshua, rather than the other way round, possibly to provide an [[aetiology]] for the site acceptable to the deuteronomist's theology.<ref>[[Richard Elliott Friedman]], ''Who wrote the Bible''; ''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Book of Joshua'', ''Deuteronomy'', et passim</ref> Much later in the Book, when Joshua was old and dying, he gathered the people together at Shechem, and gave a farewell speech, and then wrote ''these words in the book of the law of [[Yahweh]]'', and set up a stone as a witness, placing it next to the ''sanctuary of Yahweh'', under ''the oak tree''.<ref>Joshua 24:1–27</ref> Depending on the way in which the sources of Joshua were spliced together, this may just be another version of the earlier narrative Joshua placing the whitened stones slabs with ''the law'' inscribed on them, and some scholars believe that this narrative may have originally been in an earlier location within the Book of Joshua.<ref name=Peakes_commentary/> Scholars consider it plausible for the sanctuary to have been pre-Israelite.<ref name=Peakes_commentary/> It is possible that the name of the mountain is indicative of this, as it is thought that ''Gerizim'' may mean ''mountain of the Gerizites'', a tribe in the vicinity of the Philistines that was conquered by David. A straitforward etymology for ''Gerizim'' would give the meaning of ''mountain cut in two''.<ref name=CheyneBlack>Cheyne and Black, ''[[Encyclopedia Biblica]]''</ref> According to the narrative about [[Jotham]] in the [[Book of Judges]], Shechem was a site where there was a sanctuary of ''El-Berith'', also known as ''Baal-Berith'', meaning ''God of the covenant'' and ''Lord of the covenant'', respectively<ref>Judges 9</ref>; scholars have suggested that the Joshua story about the site derives from a covenant made there in Canaanite times.<ref>Judges 9; ''[[Peake's commentary on the Bible]]'' et passim</ref> In the narrative of Judges, the ''pillar that was in Shechem'' is seemingly significant enough to have given its name to a nearby plain,<ref>Judges 9:6</ref> and this pillar is thought to be likely to have been a totem of ''El-Berith''; the Joshua story, of a stone being set up as a witness, simply being an attempt to provide an aetiology in accordance with later Israelite theology.<ref name=CheyneBlack/> In the Biblical narrative, the ''oak tree'', seemingly next to the sanctuary, was evidently in existence as early as the time of the Patriarchs, as [[Jacob]] is described in the [[Book of Genesis]] as having buried the idols of ''strange gods'' (formerly worshipped by his household) beneath it.<ref>[http://bible.cc/genesis/35-4.htm Genesis 35:4 ]</ref> According to a midrash, one of these Idols, in the shape of a [[dove]], was later recovered by the Samaritans, and used in their worship on Mount Gerizim.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> ==Post-exile history== After the end of the [[Babylonian Captivity]], a large [[Schisms among the Jews|schism]] between the Samaritans and [[Judaism]] developed, with the Samaritans, but not the Jews, regarding Mount Gerizim as ''the'' holy place chosen by God.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> Subsequently, the Samaritans built a temple there, arguing that this was the real location of the Israelite temple which had been destroyed by [[Nebuchadnezzar]], probably in the middle of 5th century BCE.<ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia'', et passim</ref> Though it had been destroyed by his time, [[Josephus]] plainly states that the temple on Gerizim was similar to [[Second Temple|that in Jerusalem]] (prior to the [[Herod the Great|Herodian]] expansion of the latter), and that it was surrounded by fortifications.<ref>''Antiquities of the Jews'' vol. 9 (8:2), vol. 14 (6:2) vol. 18 (4:1)</ref> The religious tension between the Jews and the Samaritans lead to the temple on Gerizim being destroyed by either [[John Hyrcanus]] in the 2nd century BC (according to Josephus) or by [[Simeon the Just]] (according to the [[Talmud]]), who was permitted to do so by [[Alexander the Great]], the land at that time falling under Alexander's empire.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> However, the mountain evidently continued to be the ''holy place'' of the Samaritans, as it is mentioned as such by the [[Gospel of John]]<ref>John 4:20</ref> and coins produced by a Roman [[Mint (coin)|mint]] situated in Nablus included within their design a depiction of the temple; surviving coins from this mint, dated to 138–161 CE, show a huge temple complex, statues, and a substantive staircase leading from Nablus to the temple itself.<ref name=BennettBull>W.J. Bennett and R. Bull, ''Tell er-Ras, Publication of Archaeological Materials and Data from Mt. Gerizim, West Bank'', 1998</ref> In [[Jesus]]' discussion with the Samaritan woman he revealed his feeling about [[worship]] there: "[[Jesus]] said to her: <blockquote> “Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will YOU people worship the Father. YOU worship what YOU do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation originates with the Jews. Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth" </blockquote> -[[Gospel of John|John]] 4:21-23a. Eventually, when [[Christianity]] became the dominant religion in the [[Roman Empire]], Samaritans were barred from worshiping on Mount Gerizim. In 475 AD a [[Church (building)|church]] was built on its summit.<ref name=CheyneBlack/> In 529 AD, [[Justinian I]] made Samaritanism illegal, and arranged for a protective wall to be constructed around the church.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/><ref name=CheyneBlack/> As a result, the same year, [[Julianus ben Sabar]] lead a pro-Samaritan revolt, and by 530 AD had captured most of [[Samaria]], destroying churches and killing the priests and officials. However in 531 AD, after Justinian enlisted the help of [[Ghassanids]], the revolt was completely quashed, and surviving Samaritans were mostly enslaved or exiled. In 533 AD Justinian had a castle constructed on Mount Gerizim to protect the church from raids by the few disgruntled Samaritans left in the area.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/><ref name=CheyneBlack/> ==Archaeology== As a result of the fortified church, and previous Samaritan temple, extensive ruins still exist at the somewhat plateau-like top of Gerizim. The line of the wall around the church can easily be seen,<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> as can portions of the former castle, and initial archaeological study of the site postulated that the castle built by Justinian had utilised stones from an earlier structure on the site (probably being the Samaritan temple).<ref name=CheyneBlack/> In the centre of the plateau is a smooth surface, containing a hollow, which archaeologists consider to be reminiscent of [[dolmen]]s found in southwestern [[Syria]], and which Samaritans consider to be a portion of their former temple.<ref name=CheyneBlack/> A more substantial archaeological survey was undertaken in the middle of the 20th century, while the site was in the possession of [[Jordan]], in the region of the mountain known as ''Tell el-Ras'', situated on the northernmost peak at the end of the northern ridge. This excavation, which continued under Israel's jurisdiction, uncovered [[Corinthian column]]s, a large rectangular platform (65 m by 44m) surrounded by 2m thick and 9m high walls, and an 8m wide staircase leading down from the platform to a marbled [[esplanade]].<ref name=BennettBull/> The complex also has a series of cisterns in which Late Roman ceramics were found.<ref name=BennettBull/> These discoveries, now named ''Structure A'', have been dated to the time of [[Hadrian]], due to [[numismatics]] and external literary evidence, and are believed to be a temple dedicated to [[Zeus]].<ref name=Bull>Robert J. Bull, ''The Excavations of Tell er Ras''</ref> Underneath these remains were found a large stone structure built on top of the bedrock. This structure, now known as ''Structure B'', nearly half cubic (21 m by 20m in width and length, and 8.5m high), consists almost entirely of unhewn limestone slabs, fitted together [[dry stone walling|without any binding material]], and has no internal rooms or dividing walls.<ref name=Bull/> The structure was surrounded by a courtyard similar to the platform above it (being 60m by 40m in size with 1.5m thick walls), and was dated to during or before the Hellenic era by ceramics found in a cistern cut into the bedrock at the northern side.<ref name=BennettBull/> The excavating archaeologist considered ''Structure B'' to be the altar built by the Samaritans in the 5th or 6th century BC.<ref name=Bull/> ==See also== *[[Samaritanism]] ==Notes and citations== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commonscat}} *[[Wikisource:Bible, English, King James, Documentary Hypothesis, Deuteronomist source, First Deuteronomist Version, Curse blessing pairs|The curses and blessings of Ebal and Gezirim, in isolation, at wikisource]] *[http://www.pbase.com/rdavid/gerizim Photos of Mount Gerizim] {{coord|32|11|58|N|35|16|22|E|display=title|region:PS_type:mountain_source:dewiki}} [[Category:Holy cities|Gerizim, Mount]] [[Category:Samaritan culture and history|Gerizim, Mount]] [[Category:Hebrew Bible mountains|Gerizim]] [[Category:Mountains of the West Bank]] [[Category:Sacred mountains|Gerizim]] [[ar:جبل جرزيم]] [[bg:Геризим]] [[de:Garizim]] [[fr:Mont Garizim]] [[it:Garizim]] [[he:הר גריזים]] [[nl:Gerizim]] [[ja:ゲリジム山]] [[pl:Garizim]] [[pt:Monte Gerizim]] [[ru:Гаризим]] [[sv:Gerisim]] http://citygate.ancients.info/coinimages/macrinus%20neapolis-r.jpg'