View source for Mount Gerizim

{{Short description|Mountain in the West Bank}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Gerizim
| other_name = 
| photo = File:רכס הר גריזים.jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Gerizim ridge as seen from Mount Ebal.
| elevation_m = 
| elevation_ref = 
| location = 
| map = #West Bank
| map_caption = Location of Mount Gerizim within the West Bank
| coordinates = {{coord|32|12|3.1|N|35|16|23.73|E|display=inline,title|region:PS_type:mountain_source:dewiki}}
| range = [[Samarian Mountains]]
| topo = 
| type = 
}}
{{Contains special characters}}
[[File:Gerizim sign.jpg|thumb|Trilingual road signs directing toward Mount Gerizim and [[Kiryat Luza]] (''Shomronim'' – Samaritans in Hebrew)]]

'''Mount Gerizim''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɛ|r|ᵻ|z|ɪ|m}} {{respell|GHERR|iz|im}}; {{langx|smp-Samr|ࠄࠟࠓࠬࠂࠟࠓࠩࠆࠝࠉࠌ|ʾĀ̊rgā̊rīzem}}; {{langx|he|הַר גְּרִזִים|Har Gərīzīm}}; {{langx|ar|جَبَل جَرِزِيم|Jabal Jarizīm}}, or {{langx|ar|جَبَلُ ٱلطُّورِ|Jabal at-Ṭūr|label=none}}) is one of two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the [[State of Palestine|Palestinian]] city of [[Nablus]] and the biblical city of [[Shechem]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110301878.52/html |chapter=3. The Votive Inscriptions from Mount Gerizim |date=2013-05-28 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-030187-8 |doi=10.1515/9783110301878.52|title=Before the God in this Place for Good Remembrance |pages=52–90 }}</ref> It forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated, the northern side being formed by [[Mount Ebal]].<ref name=brit>{{cite web | title=Mount Gerizim | website=Encyclopedia Britannica | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Gerizim | access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref> The mountain is one of the highest peaks in the [[West Bank]] and rises to {{convert|881|m|abbr=on}} above sea level, {{convert|70|m|abbr=on}} lower 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 (hydrology)|spring]] with a high yield of fresh water.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia>''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]''</ref> For the [[Samaritans|Samaritan]] people, most of whom live around it, Mount Gerizim is considered the holiest place on Earth.<ref name="Centre">{{cite web |author=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |date=2 April 2012 |title=Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans (Submission for admission as UNESCO World Heritage site presented by the State of Palestine) |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5706/ |access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref>

The mountain is mentioned in the [[Bible]] as the place where, upon first entering the [[Promised Land]] after [[the Exodus]], the [[Israelites]] performed ceremonies of blessings, as they had been instructed by [[Moses]].<ref name="auto">{{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|11:29-30|HE}}</ref>

Mount Gerizim is sacred to the [[Samaritans]], who regard it, rather than [[Jerusalem]]'s [[Temple Mount]], as the location chosen by [[Yahweh|God]] for a holy temple. In [[Samaritanism|Samaritan tradition]], it is the oldest and most central mountain in the world, towering above the [[Flood myth|Great Flood]] and providing the first land for [[Noah]]’s disembarkation.<ref>Anderson, Robert T., "Mount Gerizim: Navel of the World", ''Biblical Archaeologist'' Vol. 43, No. 4 (Autumn 1980), pp 217-218</ref> It is the location where [[Binding of Isaac|Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac]].<ref name="Centre" /> A [[Mount Gerizim Temple|Samaritan Temple]] was located on Mount Gerizim from the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century BCE. Jews, on the other hand, consider the location of the near-sacrifice to be Mount [[Moriah]], traditionally identified by them with the Temple Mount. Mount Gerizim continues to be the centre of Samaritan religion, and Samaritans ascend it [[Three Pilgrimage Festivals|three times a year]]: at [[Passover]], [[Shavuot]] and [[Sukkot]].<ref name=":1" /> Passover is still celebrated by the Samaritans with a [[Animal sacrifice|lamb sacrifice]] on Mount Gerizim.<ref>{{cite web |title=Photograph of this |url=http://www.lifeintheholyland.com/images/Mount_Gerizim,_Samaritan_Passover,_mat00114.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512121554/http://lifeintheholyland.com/images/Mount_Gerizim,_Samaritan_Passover,_mat00114.jpg |archive-date=2016-05-12 |access-date=2014-05-01}}</ref>

The Samaritan village of [[Kiryat Luza]] and an [[Israeli settlement]], [[Har Brakha]], are situated on the ridge of Mount Gerizim.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Har Bracha - The Community |url=https://en.yhb.org.il/har-bracha/ |access-date=2022-01-13 |website=Yeshivat Har Bracha |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Not Muslim, Not Jewish: Ancient Community in the West Bank Feels Increasingly Israeli |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-for-ancient-samaritan-community-a-new-test-of-loyalty-1.6075509 |access-date=2022-01-13 |work=Haaretz |language=en}}</ref> During the [[First Intifada]] in 1987, many Samaritan families relocated from Nablus to Mount Gerizim to avoid the violence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-14 |title=The Samaritan connection to Mount Gerizim restoration, conservation |url=https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-706569 |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}</ref>  Today, about half of the remaining Samaritans live in close proximity to Gerizim, mostly in the village of Kiryat Luza.

==Biblical account==
[[File:Nablus panorama-cropped.jpg|thumb|Old City of [[Nablus]] and Mount Gerizim in background]]

According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], as related in [[Deuteronomy]], when they first entered [[Canaan]] the [[Israelites]] celebrated the event with ceremonies of blessings and cursings: the ceremonies of blessings took place on Mount Gerizim, and the cursings on nearby [[Mount Ebal]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name=Magen>Yitzakh Magen, 'The Dating of the First Phase of the Samaritan Temple on Mt Gerizim in Light of Archaeological Evidence,' in Oded Lipschitz, Gary N. Knoppers, Rainer Albertz (eds.) ''Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E.,'' Eisenbrauns, 2007 pp. 157ff, 183.</ref> The ''[[Pulpit Commentary]]'' suggests that these mountains were selected probably "because they stand in the center of the Land both from north to south, and from east to west". A commentary in the [[Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges]] argues that "the face of Gerizim, the mount of blessing, is the more fertile; the opposite face of Ebal, the mount of curse, much the more bare",<ref>Smith, G. A., [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/deuteronomy/11.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] on Deuteronomy 11, accessed 2015-11-25.</ref> but the ''Pulpit Commentary'' states that both Gerizim and Ebal are "equally barren-looking, though neither is wholly destitute of culture and vegetation".<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/deuteronomy/11.htm Pulpit Commentary on Deuteronomy 11], accessed 2015-11-25.</ref>

The [[Masoretic Text]] says that Moses had also commanded the Israelites 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|sacrificial offerings on the altar]], eat there, and write the [[Law of Moses|Mosaic Law]] in stones there.<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|27:4-8|OJB}}</ref> The [[Samaritan Pentateuch]], as well as an ancient manuscript of the biblical text found in [[Qumran]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ijco.org/?categoryId=28682|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210101753/http://www.ijco.org/?categoryId=28682|archive-date=2011-12-10|title=An Unknown Dead Sea Scrolls Fragment of Deuteronomy James H. Charlesworth |publisher=Ijco.org |access-date=2014-05-01}}</ref> both bring the same excerpt as the Masoretic Text, with the only difference being the name "Gerizim", instead of "Ebal", therefore stating that Moses commanded the building of the altar on Mount Gerizim.<ref name=Magen/><ref name=Peakes>''[[Peake's Commentary on the Bible]]''</ref> Recent work on the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], which include the oldest surviving manuscripts of the biblical text, further supports the accuracy of the Samaritan Pentateuch's designation of Mount Gerizim, rather than Mount Ebal, as the first location in the [[Promised Land]] where Moses commanded an altar to be built.<ref>{{cite web|author=Charlesworth, James H.|url=http://blogs.owu.edu/magazine/2012/07/16/the-discovery-of-an-unknown-dead-sea-scroll-the-original-text-of-deuteronomy-27/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126051707/http://blogs.owu.edu/magazine/the-discovery-of-an-unknown-dead-sea-scroll-the-original-text-of-deuteronomy-27/|archive-date=2015-11-26|title=The Discovery of an Unknown Dead Sea Scroll: The Original Text of Deuteronomy 27?|work=OWU Magazine|date=2012-07-16}}</ref>

All versions of the biblical text then have Moses specifying how the Israelites should split between the two groups that were to pronounce blessings from Mount Gerizim and to pronounce curses from Mount Ebal. The tribes [[Tribe of Simeon|of Simeon]], [[Tribe of Levi|Levi]], [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]], [[Tribe of Issachar|Issachar]], [[Tribe of Joseph|Joseph]], and [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]] were to be sent to Gerizim, while those [[Tribe of Reuben|of Reuben]], [[Tribe of Gad|Gad]], [[Tribe of Asher|Asher]], [[Tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]], [[Tribe of Dan|Dan]], and [[Tribe of Naphtali|Naphtali]] were to remain on Ebal.<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|27:11–13|HE}}</ref>

The altar to God is again mentioned in the [[Book of Joshua]], when, after the Battle of [[Ai (Canaan)|Ai]], Joshua builds an altar of unhewn stones, the Israelites make peace offerings on it, the law of Moses is written onto the stones, and the Israelites split into the two groups specified in Deuteronomy and pronounce blessings on Mount Gerizim and curses on Mount Ebal, as instructed in the law of Moses.<ref>{{bibleverse|Joshua|8:31–35|HE}}</ref> Biblical scholars believe that the sources of the book of Joshua predate those of Deuteronomy, and hence the order to build the altar and make the inscriptions is likely based on these actions in the sources of Joshua, rather than the other way around, possibly to provide an [[etiology|origin explanation]] for the events narrated in Joshua.<ref>[[Richard Elliott Friedman]], ''Who wrote the Bible''; ''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Book of Joshua'', ''Deuteronomy'', et passim</ref>

[[File:Samaritans marking Passover on Mount Gerizim, West Bank - 20060418.jpg|thumb|left|[[Samaritan]]s' [[Passover]] [[pilgrimage]] on Mount Gerizim.]]
When Joshua was old and dying, he gathered the people together at [[Shechem]] (present-day [[Nablus]]) and gave a farewell speech, and set up "[[baetyl|a stone as a witness]]", placing it "next to the sanctuary of [[Yahweh]], under the oak tree",<ref>{{bibleverse|Joshua|24:1–27}}</ref> which indicates that a sanctuary to God existed there.<ref name=Peakes/>

Mount Gerizim was also the site of the first [[parable]] in the Bible.<ref>{{cite book |last=Constable |first=Thomas |title=Constable's Notes on the Bible |chapter=Notes on Judges |chapter-url=https://soniclight.com/tcon/notes/html/judges/judges.htm}}</ref> {{bibleverse|Judges|9:7-20}} records how [[Jotham_(son_of_Gideon)|Jotham]] son of [[Gideon]] stands on the mountain to proclaim the parable of the trees who wanted to make the bramble king among them, an allusion to the people of [[Schechem]] who wanted to make the ungodly and treacherous [[Abimelech_(Judges)|Abimelech]] their king.

==History==
{{More information|Samaritan Temple}}[[File:GerizimPesach.jpg|thumb|Passover on Gerizim in the 1890s]]

A Samaritan temple dedicated to Yahweh was built on Mount Gerizim during the 5th&nbsp;century {{sc|BCE}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Magen |first=Yitzhak |title=Judah and Judeans in the Fourth Century&nbsp;BC |publisher=Eisenbrauns |year=2007 |isbn=9781575061306 |chapter=The dating of the first phase of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim in the light of the archaeological evidence |editor1-first=Oded |editor1-last=Lipschitz |editor2-first=Gary N. |editor2-last=Knoppers |editor3-first=Rainer |editor3-last=Albertz |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NsxZRnxE70C&q=Lipschits+Yehud&pg=PA75}}</ref><ref>For an alternative date of the original construction of the temple during the [[Iron Age]]&nbsp;II, see: {{cite book |last=Arie |first=Eran |year=2021 |chapter=Revisiting Mount Gerizim: The foundation of the sacred precinct and the proto-Ionic capitals |editor1-last=Zelinger |editor1-first=Yehiel |editor2-last=Peleg-Barkat |editor2-first=Orit |editor3-last=Uziel |editor3-first=Joe |editor4-last=Gadot |editor4-first=Yuval |title=New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region: Collected papers |publisher=Israel Antiquities Authority |isbn=978-965-406-744-7 |volume=14 |pages=39*–63* |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/57187021 }}</ref> It existed contemporaneously with the Jewish [[Second Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Jewish Encyclopedia |at=et passim}}</ref>{{full citation|date=September 2024}} By that point, the Israelites were divided as "[[Samaritans]]" and "[[Jews]]", both claiming descendance from the Biblical Israelites and preaching adherence to the [[Torah]], but diverging on the holiest place on Earth to adore God: Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans, and Jerusalem for the Jews.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/> 
[[File:שכם_ליד_הר_גריזים_צילום-_ליאו_קאהן_1912_-_i_וגנרi_btm782.jpeg|thumb|Old view of Nablus and Mount Gerizim]]
An adjacent city was built by the Samaritans during the {{nobr|3rd century {{sc|BCE}},}} and became the cultural center for the Samaritans.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Dar |first=Shimon |year=2010 |chapter=Archaeological aspects of Samaritan research in Israel |title=Religious Diversity in Late Antiquity |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-474-4453-4 |page=190 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=efB5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA190 }}</ref> Religious rivalry between Samaritans and Jews led to Mount Gerizim being destroyed by the latter in {{nobr|112–111 {{sc|BCE}},}} on orders of [[John Hyrcanus]].<ref name=":0"/><ref name=Berlin>
{{cite book |last=Berlin |first=Adele |year=2011 |title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-973004-9 |page=330 |quote=John Hyrcanus&nbsp;I embarked upon further territorial conquests, forcing the non-Jewish populations of the conquered regions to adopt the Jewish way of life and destroying the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. }}
</ref><ref>
{{cite journal |first=Jonathan |last=Bourgel |year=2016 |title=The destruction of the Samaritan temple by John Hyrcanus: A reconsideration |journal=[[Journal of Biblical Literature]] |volume=135 |issue=3 |pages=505–523 |doi=10.1353/jbl.2016.0032 |url=https://www.academia.edu/34049422 }}

{{cite journal |first=Jonathan |last=Bourgel |date=November 2019 |title=The Samaritans during the Hasmonean period: The affirmation of a discrete identity? |journal=Religions |volume=10 |issue=11 |page=628 |doi=10.3390/rel10110628 |doi-access=free }}
</ref>
Even after the destruction of their temple by the Jews, Mount Gerizim continued to be the holy place for the Samaritans, as mentioned in the [[New Testament]].<ref>{{bibleref2|John|4:20}}</ref> Coins produced by a Roman mint situated in Nablus, dated to {{nobr|138–161 {{sc|CE}},}} seemingly depict the destroyed Samaritan temple, showing a huge temple complex, statues, and a substantive staircase leading from Nablus to the temple.<ref name=BennettBull>{{cite report |first1=W.J. |last1=Bennett |first2=R. |last2=Bull |year=1998 |section=Tell er-Ras |title=Publication of Archaeological Materials and Data from Mt.&nbsp;Gerizim, West Bank }}</ref>

In the [[Gospel of John]] in the [[New Testament]], in his discussion with the [[Samaritan woman at the well]], [[Jesus]] reveals his feeling about worshipping in either Mount Gerizim (as the Samaritans did) or Jerusalem (as the Jews then did):
{{blockquote|Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."|{{bibleref2|John|4:21–24}} }}

In {{nobr|36 {{sc|CE}},}} unrest flared in Samaria when a charismatic figure{{who|date=September 2024}} rallied Samaritans to Mount Gerizim, claiming to unearth sacred vessels buried by Moses. [[Pontius Pilate]], Roman governor of [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaea]], alarmed by the growing assembly, deployed troops to block their ascent. This led to clashes, fatalities, and arrests, prompting Samaritan leaders to accuse Pilate of brutality. In response, [[Vitellius]], the legate of Syria, appointed [[Marcellus (prefect of Judea)|Marcellus]] to govern [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaea]] and recalled Pilate to Rome for investigation by Emperor [[Tiberius]], who died before Pilate's arrival.<ref name=Rogers-2021>{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Guy MacLean |year=2021 |title=For the Freedom of Zion: The great revolt of Jews against Romans, {{nobr|66–74 {{sc|CE}} }} |place=New Haven, CT |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-24813-5 |pages=75–76, 227–228 }}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 75–76}}

In the summer of {{nobr|67 {{sc|CE}},}} during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]], a large group of Samaritans gathered on Mount Gerizim. [[Vespasian]] dispatched Cerialis, who commanded [[Legio V Macedonica]], with a small force of 600&nbsp;cavalry and 3,000&nbsp;infantry, probably banking on the Samaritans' lack of defenses and summer water shortages. While some surrendered upon the Romans' arrival, the majority chose to fight. The conflict resulted in significant Samaritan casualties, totaling&nbsp;11,600, according to [[Josephus]].<ref name=Rogers-2021/>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 227–228}}

Eventually, when [[Christianity]] became the [[state church of the Roman Empire]], Samaritans were barred from worshiping on Mount Gerizim. In {{nobr|475 {{sc|CE}},}} a Christian [[Church (building)|church]] was built on its summit.<ref name=Cheyne>{{cite book |last1=Cheyne |last2=Black |year=1899 |title=Encyclopedia Biblica |title-link=Encyclopedia Biblica}}</ref>{{dubious|reason=Was there a church there a decade before Zeno's, or is this just a mistake?|date=September 2023}}{{full citation|date=September 2024}} In 484, during the reign of Emperor [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]], a [[martyrium]]-type octagonal church dedicated to the [[Theotokos]] (the God-bearing Virgin Mary) was erected at the site.<ref name="Centre" /> In 529, [[Justinian I]] made [[Samaritanism]] illegal and arranged for a protective wall to be constructed around the church.<ref name=JewishEncyclopedia/><ref name=Cheyne/> As a result, the same year, [[Julianus ben Sabar]] led a pro-Samaritan revolt and by 530 had captured most of [[Samaria]], destroying churches and killing the priests and officials. However, in 531, after Justinian enlisted the help of [[Ghassanids]], the revolt was completely quashed, and surviving Samaritans were mostly enslaved or exiled. In 533 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=Cheyne/>

According to [[Abu'l-Fath]], ''Continuatio of the Samaritan Chronicle'',<ref name=LevyRubin-2002/> during [[Sukkot]] in the seventh year of [[List of Abbasid caliphs|Abbasid Caliph]] [[al-Mutawakkil]]'s reign (855), the governor of Nablus forbade Samaritans from praying aloud and blowing the [[shofar]]. However, the following Thursday, they ascended the mountain and prayed loudly without interruption.<ref name=LevyRubin-2002>{{cite book |last=Levy-Rubin |first=Milka |year=2002 |chapter=The Samaritans during the early Muslim period, according to the ''Continuatio to the Chronicle'' of Abu'l-Fath |editor1-last=Stern |editor1-first=Ephraim |editor1-link=Ephraim Stern |editor2-last=Eshel |editor2-first=Hanan |editor2-link=Hanan Eshel |title=The Samaritans |publisher=Yad Ben-Zvi Press |isbn=965-217-202-2 |page=575 |lang=he }}</ref>

=== Massacres in Roman Judea ===
{{ main | List of massacres in Roman Judea | Roman Judea }}
{|class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
|-
! Name
! Date
! Responsible Party
|-
|Massacre during the [[Samaritan Revolt (36 AD)]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/samar.html |title=Who Were the Samaritans? |access-date=2014-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013182222/http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/samar.html |archive-date=2014-10-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|36 CE
|[[Pontius Pilate]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]
|-
|Massacre during the [[First Jewish-Roman War]].<ref>''Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations'', pg 223, pub Oxford University Press, 13 Jun 2013, Gary N. Knopper.</ref>
|67 CE
|[[Ancient Rome|Roman troops]]
|-
|}

==Archaeology==
[[File:Harry Fenn. Ruins on the summit of Mount Gerizim, on the site of the Samaritan temple. 1881-1884.jpg|thumb|right|Ruins on Mount Gerizim {{circa|1880}}.]]
Excavations at the site were initiated in 1983 and continued until 2006, and yielded tens of thousands of finds. Remnants found there identified that a Samaritan temple existed atop Mount Gerizim by the {{nobr|mid-5th century {{sc|BCE}} }} and that it was destroyed and rebuilt in the early {{nobr|2nd century {{sc|BCE}},}} only to be destroyed again in {{nobr|111–110 {{sc|BCE}} }} by Jewish forces.<ref name=Lipshz-Knprs-Albtz-2007>{{cite book |last1=Lipschitz |first1=Oded |last2=Knoppers |first2=Gary N. |last3=Albertz |first3=Rainer |year=2007 |title=Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century BCE |publisher=Eisenbrauns |isbn=978-1-57506-130-6 |pages=157–165, 168 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NsxZRnxE70C&q=Josephus }}</ref>{{rp|style=ama|pp= 157–165}} The archeological finds have shown that the precincts of the Samaritan temple, not including its gates, measured {{nobr|96 [[meter (unit)|m]] × 98 m.}} Inside the perimeter, thousands of pottery vessels and burned bones of animal sacrifices were found – sheep, goats, cattle, and doves<ref name=Lipshz-Knprs-Albtz-2007/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 162}} – as well as many stones with inscriptions containing the [[Tetragrammaton]] (the name of [[God]]).<ref name=Lipshz-Knprs-Albtz-2007/>{{rp|style=ama|p= 168}}

In {{nobr|475 {{sc|CE}} }} a Christian church was built on the Mount's summit. As a result of the fortified church and the 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 used stones from an earlier structure on the site, probably the Samaritan temple.<ref name=Cheyne/> In the centre of the plateau is a smooth surface, containing a hollow.<ref name=Cheyne/>
[[File:Mount Gerizim - ovedc - C 21.jpg|thumb|Archaeological remnants on Mount Gerizim's summit]]
The excavation, initiated when the site was in the possession of [[Jordan]] and continued under [[Israeli occupation of the West Bank|Israeli rule]], uncovered [[Corinthian column]]s, a large rectangular platform 65&nbsp;m × 44&nbsp;m (215&nbsp;ft × 145&nbsp;ft) surrounded by  walls 2&nbsp;m thick (6&nbsp;ft) and 9&nbsp;m high (30&nbsp;ft), and a staircase 8&nbsp;m wide (25&nbsp;ft) leading down from the platform to a marbled [[esplanade]].<ref name=BennettBull/> The complex also has a series of [[cistern]]s in which ceramics dated to the late Roman period were found.<ref name=BennettBull/> These discoveries are now called "structure&nbsp;A", and have been dated to the time of [[Hadrian]] from [[numismatics|excavated coins]] and external literary evidence.<ref name=BennettBull/> Underneath these remains were found a large stone structure built on top of the bedrock. This structure, now known as "structure&nbsp;B", is nearly half of a cube (21&nbsp;m × 20&nbsp;m in width and length, and 8.5&nbsp;m high). It  has no internal rooms or dividing walls and consists almost entirely of uncut limestone slabs fitted together [[dry stone|without any mortar]].<ref name=BennettBull/> Structure&nbsp;B was surrounded by a courtyard (60&nbsp;m × 40&nbsp;m, with 1.5&nbsp;m thick walls) similar to the platform above it, and was dated to during or before the [[Hellenistic period]], from ceramics found in a [[cistern]] cut into the bedrock at the northern side.<ref name=BennettBull/> The excavating archaeologist considered "structure&nbsp;B" to be the altar built by the Samaritans in the 5th or {{nobr|6th century {{sc|BCE}}.<ref name=BennettBull/>}}

== Etymology ==
It is possible that the name of the mountain may mean ''mountain of the Gerizites'', a tribe in the vicinity of the [[Philistines]] that, according to the Hebrew Bible, was conquered by [[David]].<ref name=Peakes/> Another possible meaning is ''mountain cut in two''.<ref name="Cheyne" />

According to the narrative about [[Jotham (son of Gideon)|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 ({{bibleverse|Judges|9:6}}), and this pillar is thought to be likely to have been a [[baetylus]] of El-Berith; the Joshua story, of a stone being set up as a witness, simply being an attempt to provide an [[etiology]] in accordance with later Israelite theology.<ref name=Cheyne/>

==See also==
* [[Samaritan Revolts]]

==Notes and citations==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [[Wikiversity:Bible, English, King James, Documentary Hypothesis, Deuteronomist source, First Deuteronomist Version, Curse blessing pairs|The curses and blessings of Ebal and Gerizim, in isolation, at wikiversity]]
* [http://www.pbase.com/rdavid/gerizim Photos of Mount Gerizim]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190907010138/http://www.the-samaritans.com/ Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans]
*[https://www.manar-al-athar.ox.ac.uk/pages/search.php?search=%21collection2211 Photos of Mount Gerizim] at the [[Manar al-Athar]] photo archive

{{Samaritans|state=collapsed}}
{{Religious Sites in the Palestinian Authority}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerizim, Mount}}
[[Category:Mount Gerizim| ]]
[[Category:Samaritan culture and history]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible mountains]]
[[Category:Mountains of Nablus]]
[[Category:Sacred mountains of West Asia]]
[[Category:Samaritan pilgrimage sites]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in the West Bank]]