Samaritan High Priest


The Samaritan High Priest is the High Priest of Israel for the Samaritans.
According to Samaritan tradition, the office has existed continuously since the time of Aaron, the brother of Moses, and has been held by 133 priests over the last 3400 years. However, the historicity of this claim is disputed. One account by Josephus suggests that its office holders are an offshoot of the Zadokite High Priests of the Second Temple from around the time of Alexander the Great., the incumbent High Priest is Aabed-El ben Asher ben Matzliach.

Office of the High Priest

Duties and responsibilities

The Samaritan High Priest has the following duties in the present:
  1. He decides all religious law issues.
  2. He presides over the religious ceremonies on Mount Garizim.
  3. He validates all marriages and divorces within the Samaritan community.
  4. He annually publishes the liturgical calendar of the Samaritans.
  5. He confirms a joining of the Samaritan community.
  6. He appoints the Cantors and the Shechita of the community.
  7. He represents the Samaritan community to the outside world.

Lineage

Since 1623/24, the office of high priest has been passed down in a family traced back to Aaron's grandson Itamar. After the death of a high priest, the office passes to the oldest male in that family, unless he has entered into a marriage that disqualifies him from the high priesthood.
It appears, based upon the larger gaps in time between high priests, that several names might be missing, or that there were long periods of vacancy between priests.
The continuous lineage of Samaritan High Priests, descending directly from Aaron, through his son Eleazar, and his son Phinehas, was however disrupted in the early 17th century. In 1624, Shalma I ben Phinehas, the last Samaritan High Priest of the line of Eleazar son of Aaron died without male succession, but descendants of Aaron's other son, Ithamar, remained and took over the office.
There are four families within the house of Ithamar. The Åbtå order, descended from the 113th High Priest Tsedaka ben Tabia, which has held the office of the High Priesthood since 1624; the House of Phineas a.k.a. Dār 'Åder, descended from Fīn'ās ban Yīṣ'å̄q ; Dār Yīṣ'å̄q, descended from Yīṣ'å̄q ban Åmrām ; and Dār Yāqob, descended from Yāqob ban Årron.

List of Samaritan High Priests

Pummer's list

The following list gives the names and terms of office according to Reinhard Pummer. Pummer uses a spelling for the name of the high priest that is based on the English Bible for the bearers of biblical names, while he chooses a more scientific transcription for the full name. The traditional counting begins with the first post-biblical high priest Sheshai. It differs in order in some cases from the list prepared by Moses Gaster on the basis of the ancient Samaritan sources, and includes additional names.
Traditional NumberingHigh Priest NameTermCommentsCivil name and life data
Aaron I. Biblical figure, brother of Moses. He is considered in the Torah to be the "ancestor of the legitimate Levitical-Aaronid priesthood."
Eleazar I. Biblical figure, son of Aaron and his successor as high priest.
Phinehas I. Biblical figure, son of Eleazar. Because of his religious "zeal" he and his descendants are awarded a perpetual priesthood.
Abishua I. According to Samaritan tradition, Aaron's great-grandson is said to have written down a Pentateuch scroll that is first mentioned by Abū l'Fatḥ in the 14th century and, in a very poor state of preservation, is kept by the Samaritan community as a precious possession. The Abisha Scroll is considered the original of all Samaritan Torah scrolls.
1Sashai ben Abishua
2Bakhi ben Sashaiprobably identical to the Jewish High Priest Bukki
3Uzzi ben SashaiAccording to Samaritan tradition, Uzzi hid the tent sanctuary of the desert migration in a cave at Garizim when the Israelites introduced the cult at Shiloh, which was illegitimate from the Samaritan point of view.
4Shashai II ben Uzzi
5Bakhi II ben Sashai
6Shembet ben Bakhiwho served at the shrine to God at Shechem alone
7Shalom I ben Shembet
8Hezekiah I ben Shalom
9Jonathan I ben Abiathar According to Samaritan tradition, he is said to have been a contemporary of King David., served as a messenger during Absalom's rebellion
10Jair I ben Jonathan
11Daliah I
12Jair II ben DaliahIn his time the Jerusalem temple is said to have been built.
13Jonathan II ben Jair
14Ishmael ben Jonathan
15Tabia IThis high priest is said to have been murdered by the Ishmaelites.
16Zedekiah I
17Ahid
18Jair III
19Jehozadak
20Zadok
21Amram I.
22Hilkiah or Hezekiah II
23Amram II.
24Akkub
25Akkubiah IAccording to the Samaritan chronicler Abū l'Fatḥ, Aqabiah was a contemporary of Nebuchadnezzar II and thus of the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. He is said to have been led into Babylonian exile with the Israelites.
26Hillel I
27SeriahHe is said to have returned with his people from exile.
28Levi I.
29Netaniel I
30AzariahIn the 10th year of his high priesthood he is said to have been captured by the Chaldeans.
31Aabed-El IThis high priest returned from exile; in his time the Samaritan community is said to have had 300,000 members.
32Hezekiah III
33Hananiah
34Amram III. His son is said to have married the daughter of King "Derus"; according to tradition, the Samaritans made a riot and killed both of them.
35Hillel II/HananThis high priest is said to have married the daughter of the king of Assyria and to have been killed by the Samaritans.
36Hezekiah IVAccording to the Samaritan historian Abū l'Fatḥ, Hezekiah was high priest when Alexander III of Macedonia defeated the Persian king Darius.
37Daliah II
38Akkub II
39Akkubiah II
40Levi II.
41Eleazar II
42Manassehthe son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite
43Jair IV
44Netaniel II
45JoachimAccording to Samaritan tradition, Jesus of Nazareth was born during the tenure of Jehoiakim.
46Jonathan IIIIn his time Jesus is said to have been killed "in the cursed Shalem".
47Elishama
48Shemaiah
49Tabia II
50Amram IV.
51Akabon I
52Phinehas II
53Levi III. early 2nd centuryEmperor Hadrian is said to have shown special favors to the Samaritans in the time of the high priest Levi III.
54Eleazar III
55Baba I.
56Eleazar IV
57Akabon II
58Netaniel III
59Baba II Rabbac. 308–
328		The Samaritan reformer Baba Rabba was a historical figure. He organized synagogue construction, worship and community structure.
60Akabon III
61Netaniel IVThis high priest is said to have burned his maid at the stake because she fell in love with his son.
62Akabon IV
63Eleazar V
64Akabon V
65Eleazar VI
66Akabon VIlate 6th century
67Eleazar VII
68Netaniel Vearly 7th centuryHe is said to have been a contemporary of the "cursed king Zinon."
69Eleazar VIIIc. 630Abū l'Fatḥ said Muhammad lived during his tenure.
70Netaniel VI
71Eleazar IX
72Akabon VIIThis high priest was drowned in the Jordan River according to tradition.
73Eleazar X
74Akabon VIII
75Eleazar XI
76Akabon IX
77Eleazar XII
78Simeon In his time, "Karozai the King of Assur" is said to have enlisted many Samaritans as soldiers. The Byzantine emperor Heraclius conquered the Holy Land. Then the Ishmaelites came and conquered all the cities, and the inhabitants of Caesarea Maritima were led into captivity.
79Levi IV.
80Phinehas III
81Netaniel VII.
82Baba III.
83Eleazar XIII
84Netaniel VIII
85Eleazar XIV
86Phinehas IV
87Netaniel IX
88Aabed-El II
89Eleazar XV
90Aabed-El III
91Eleazar XVI
92Aabed-El IVHere there are discrepancies Eleazar, his son Abdeel and his brother Aaron are said to have officiated together as high priests for 69 years, but not in Shechem, but in Damascus.
93Aaron II.
95Tsedaka I
96Amram V.
97Aaron III. In his time the Samaritan synagogue of Shechem was built.
98Amram VI.
99Uzzi IIIn his time, the Muslims took away from the Samaritans their synagogue and the "piece of land" in Shechem.
100Joseph I. This high priest also came from Damascus.
101Phinehas VHis son Raban Abishah composed liturgical chants.Pinḥas ben Josef, der Sohn des Vorigen.
102Eleazar XVII. 1362/63–1387Eleazar ben Pinḥas ben Josef
103Phinehas VI haNatzri This high priest was the son of the hymn writer Raban Abishah.Pinḥas ben Abisha ben Pinḥas ben Josef
104Abishua II. Abisha ben Pinḥas ben Abisha; Sohn des Vorigen.
105Eleazar XVIII. Eleazar ben Abisha ben Pinḥas
106Itamar The high priest Itamar ben Aaron ben Itamar in Damascus was one of the scribes of a Pentateuch codex.
107Amram VII. In his time Samaria was conquered and many Samaritans were captured and taken to Damascus, but the Samaritan community in Damascus bought them free.
108Uzzi III
109Phinehas VII. In 1516, Ottoman rule began in Palestine. The total number of Samaritans at that time is given as 500 people who lived in Cairo, Gaza and Damascus in addition to Nablus. The census of 1538/39 mentions 29 Samaritan households in Nablus, from which a number of 178 persons can be estimated.Pinḥas ben Eleazar
110Eleazar XIX. 1549–1595/96In his time a ritual bath was built for the Samaritans in Shechem.Eleazar ben Pinḥas
111Phinehas VIII. 1595/96–1614/15Pinḥas ben Eleazar
112Shalma I ben Phinehas1614/15–1623/24With Shelemya, who was murdered, ended the original high priestly dynasty, which traced itself back to Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron. Centuries later, the Samaritan community was still researching whether there might have been members of the Phinehas dynasty living in Europe.Shelemia ben Pinḥas
113Tsedaka II ben Tabia ha'Åbtå'i1623/24–1650Ṣadaqa II was the first high priest from the family that has been in office since then, tracing back to Itamar, the brother of Elazar. This family was considered Levitical until then; since it was the only surviving Levitical family, Levitical and Aaronid descent has been synonymous among the Samaritans since then.Ṣadaqa ben Ṭabia Halevi
114Yitzhaq I ben Tsedaka1650–1694Jiṣḥaq ben Ṣadaqa
115Abram ben Yitzhaq1694–1732Abraham ben Jiṣḥaq ben Ṣadaqa
116Levi V ben Abram1733–1752Levi ben Abraham
117Tabia III ben Yitzhaq ben Abram1752–1787This high priest settled in the Samaritan community in Gaza.Ṭabia ben Jiṣḥaq
118Shalma II ben Tabia1798–1828Salama was four years old at his father's death and the only surviving member of the high priestly family. He assumed the office of high priest at the age of 15. In 1810 he sent a letter to the French senator Henri Grégoire, in which he lamented the distressed situation of the Samaritans. Since 1785 it was no longer possible to offer the Passover sacrifice on the Garizim; it had to take place in the city.Salama ben Ṭabia ben Jiṣḥaq
119Amram VIII ben Shalma1828–1859/60In 1832 the pilgrimages to Mount Garizim could be resumed. In the 1840s, Muslim ulama demanded that all Samaritans be forcibly converted to Islam because they did not belong to any book religion. The Sephardic chief rabbi of Jerusalem produced an expert opinion that the Samaritans belonged to the people of Israel and lived according to the Torah. This averted the danger from the Samaritan community. Upon British intervention, the Passover sacrifice on Mount Garizim was again permitted by the Ottoman authorities in 1849.
120Yaacob I ben Aaharon ben Shalma1859/60–1916Jacob I promoted the opening to the West and to the Jewish community, seeing opportunities for the small Samaritan community in the interest of the world public.Jaaqob ben Aharon ben Salama
121Yitzhaq II ben Amram ben Shalma ben Tabia. 1917/18–1932Jiṣḥaq ben Amram ben Salama
122Matzliach ben Phinehas ben Yitzhaq ben Shalma 1933–1943Maṣliaḥ ben Pinḥas ben Jiṣḥaq ben Salama
123Abisha III ben Phinehas ben Yitzhaq ben Shalma. 1943–1960Brother of MatzliachAbisha ben Pinḥas ben Jiṣḥaq ben Salama
124Amram IX ben Yitzhaq ben Amram ben Shalma. 1960–1980Amram ben Jiṣḥaq ben Amram ben Salama
125Asher ben Matzliach ben Phinehas 1980–1982Asher ben Maṣliaḥ ben Pinḥas
126Phinehas X ben Matzliach ben Phinehas. 1982–1984Brother of AsherPinḥas ben Maṣliaḥ
127Yaacob II ben Uzzi ben Yaacob ben Aaharon - Abu Shafi 1984–1987A highly respected High Priest, grandson of Yaacob I ben Aaharon ben Shalma.Jaaqob ben Azi ben Jaaqob
128Yoseph II ben Ab-Hisda ben Yaacov ben Aaharon. 1987–1998Josef ben Ab Ḥisda ben Jaaqob
129Levi VI ben Abisha ben Phinehas ben Yitzhaq. 1998–2001Levi ben Abisha
130Shalom II ben Amram ben Yitzhaq/Salum Is'haq al-Samiri 2001–2004Shalom ben Amram
131Elazar XX ben Tsedaka ben Yitzhaq. 2004–2010Eleazar ben Ṣedaqah ben Jiṣḥaq
132Aharon IV ben Ab-Chisda ben Yaacob 2010–2013Brother of High Priest Josef II.Aharon ben Ab-Ḥisdah ben Jaaqob ben Aharon
133Aabed-El V ben Asher ben Matzliach 2013–Abdel ben Asher ben Maṣliaḥ

Moses Gaster's list

Moses Gaster, in his 1909 article The Chain of Samaritan High Priests: A Synchronistic Synopsis: Published for the First Time, published a slightly different order which he translated from two codices written by the High Priests:
  1. Sashai I
  2. Bakhi I
  3. Uzzi
  4. Sashai II
  5. Bakhi II
  6. Shembet
  7. Shalom I
  8. Hezekiah I
  9. Jonathan I
  10. Daliah I
  11. Jair II
  12. Jonathan II
  13. Ishmael
  14. Tabia I
  15. Zadok, #16—19 in the above list are evidently omitted
  16. Amram I
  17. Hilkiah, Hezekiah in the above list
  18. Amram II
  19. Akkub
  20. Akkubiah
  21. Hillel I
  22. Seriah
  23. Levi I
  24. Netaniel I
  25. Azariah
  26. Aabed-El I
  27. Hezekiah II
  28. Hananiah
  29. Amram III
  30. Hana, Hillel II in the above list
  31. Hezekiah III
  32. Daliah II
  33. Akkub II
  34. Akkubiah II
  35. Levi II
  36. Eleazar II
  37. Manasseh
  38. Jair IV
  39. Netaniel II
  40. Joachim
  41. Jonathan III
  42. Elishama
  43. Shemaiah
  44. Tabia II
  45. Amram IV
  46. Akabon I
  47. Phinehas II
  48. Levi III
  49. Eleazar III
  50. Baba I
  51. Eleazar IV
  52. Akabon II
  53. Netaniel III
  54. Akabon III, see #60 in the above list
  55. Netaniel IV
  56. Akabon IV
  57. Eleazar V
  58. Akabon V
  59. Eleazar VI
  60. Akabon VI
  61. Eleazar VII
  62. Netaniel V
  63. Eleazar VIII
  64. Netaniel VI
  65. Eleazar IX
  66. Akabon VII
  67. Eleazar X
  68. Akabon VIII
  69. Eleazar XI
  70. Akabon IX
  71. Eleazar XII
  72. Simeon
  73. Levi IV
  74. Phinehas III
  75. Netaniel VII
  76. Baba II
  77. Eleazar XIII
  78. Netaniel VIII
  79. Eleazar XIV
  80. Phinehas IV
  81. Netaniel IX
  82. Aabed-El II
  83. Eleazar XV
  84. Aabed-El III
  85. Eleazar XVI
  86. Aaharon II, see #93 on the above list
  87. Tsedaka I, see #94 on the above list
  88. Amram V
  89. Aaharon III
  90. Amram VI
  91. Aaharon IV
  92. Netaniel X
  93. Itamar I
  94. Amram VI, see #98 on the above list
  95. Uzzi II, see #99 on the above list
  96. Yoseph I, see #100 on the above list
  97. Phinehas V, see #101 on the above list
  98. Eleazar XVII
  99. Phinehas VI
  100. Abisha II
  101. Eleazar XVIII
  102. Phinehas VII
  103. Eleazar XIX, see #110 on the above list
  104. Phinehas IX
  105. Shalma I
  106. Tsedaka II
  107. Yitzhaq I
  108. Abram
  109. Levi V
  110. Tabia III
  111. Shalma II
  112. Amram VIII
  113. ''Yaacob I''