Appalled by maniacal murders and avoidable deaths and pointing to the obvious actions in common – yet being pilloried for doing so – all arising from man’s inhumanity to man, it was abundantly clear that the best course of action over the murder of 18 years-old British-Pole Henry Nowak would be that of the unknown, kind Samaritan exemplified by Jesus Christ when discussing the Ten Commandments given to Moses. Jews despised their Samaritan neighbours, albeit being of fellow Israelite origin.

The debate is recorded in doctor Luke’s account of the Good News (Luke 10:25-37, New King James Version courtesy Biblegateway.com) as follows:

‘And behold, a certain ^[a]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

²⁷ So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’ ”

²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among ^[b]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.³¹ Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  

³² Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.³⁵ On the next day, ^[c]when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ ³⁶So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?”

³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Footnote: [Brave/Leo AI-generated]

The origin of the ancient Samaritans is defined by a divergence between their own tradition and historical records. Samaritan tradition asserts they are the direct descendants of the Israelite tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Levi who remained in the land after the Assyrian conquest of the northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE. They view themselves as the guardians of the true Mosaic covenant, tracing their separation from mainstream Judaism to a schism during the time of the priest Eli. 

In contrast, Jewish tradition and historical scholarship often describe the Samaritans as a mixed population resulting from the Assyrian policy of deportation and resettlement.  After conquering the northern kingdom, Assyria deported many Israelites and replaced them with foreign settlers from Mesopotamia, such as the people of Cuthah.  These settlers intermarried with the remaining Israelites, creating a community that Jews historically viewed as half-Jewish and half-pagan. 

Key factors in their distinct identity included:

• Religious Center: They rejected the Jerusalem Temple, establishing their central place of worship on Mount Gerizim. 

• Scripture: They accepted only the Samaritan Pentateuch (the first five books of Moses) as sacred, rejecting later Jewish canon and oral law. 

• Historical Schism: Tensions solidified during the Persian and Hellenistic periods, particularly after the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus destroyed their temple on Mount Gerizim around 110 BCE.