תפילת יוסף מקומראן, פפירוס ממצדה והמקדש השומרוני בהרגריזים

The 'Prayer of Joseph' from Cave 4 at Qumran may be added to the other evidence of Jewish hostility towards the Samaritans during the Second Temple period. The coins of Samaria and the archaeological excavations at Mt. Gerizim justify a re-examination of accepted theories regarding the history of the Samaritans in Second Temple times, theories based until now on the discoveries of Wâdī ed Dâliyeh. This argument for reappraisal is supported by combining the literary evidence from Qumran with the recent archaeological discoveries at Mt. Gerizim. A papyrus discovered at Masada is also connectd to Samaritan history, and to the practice of writing ΑΡΓΑΡΙΖΙΝ as one word. Various sources in our possession make it evident that this practice was not unique to the Samaritans alone. Archaeological discoveries suggest that the name of the hellenistic city built on Mt. Gerizim was also written as one word. Hence it is possible that the text inscribed on the papyrus from Masada is a Jewish psalm, written as a polemic against the Temple on Gerizim and similar to the 'Prayer of Joseph' from Qumran. A complete publication of the discoveries at Mt. Gerizim and the coins of Samaria will hopefully supply us with even more information on the history of the Samaritans during the Second Temple period.