[p.32]

From here it is four parasangs to Capernaum, which is the village of
Nahum, identical with Maon, the home of Nabal the Carmelite[68].

Six parasangs from here is Caesarea, the Gath[69] of the Philistines, and here there are about 200 Jews and 200 Cuthim.  These are the Jews of Shomron, who are called Samaritans.  The city is fair and beautiful, and lies by the sea.  It was built by Caesar, and called after him Caesarea.  Thence it is half a day’s journey to Kako[70], the Keilah of Scripture.  There are no Jews here.  Thence it is half a day’s journey to St. George, which is Ludd[71], where there lives one Jew, who is a dyer.  Thence it is a day’s journey to Sebastiya, which is the city of Shomron (Samaria), and here the ruins of the palace of Ahab the son of Omri may be seen.  It was formerly a well-fortified city by the mountain-side, with streams of water.  It is still a land of brooks of water, gardens, orchards, vineyards, and olive groves, but no Jews dwell here.  Thence it is two parasangs to Nablous, which is Shechem on Mount Ephraim, where there are no Jews; the place is situated in the valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and contains about 1,000 Cuthim, who observe the written law of Moses alone, and are called Samaritans.

[p.33]

They have priests of the seed (of Aaron), and they call them Aaronim, who do not intermarry with Cuthim, but wed only amongst themselves[72].  These priests offer sacrifices, and bring burnt-offerings in their place of assembly on Mount Gerizim, as it is written in their law—­“And thou shalt set the blessing on Mount Gerizim.”  They say that this is the proper site of the Temple.  On Passover and the other festivals they offer up burnt-offerings on the altar which they have built on Mount Gerizim, as it is written in their law—­“Ye shall set up the stones upon Mount Gerizim, of the stones which Joshua and the children of Israel set up at the Jordan.”  They say that they are descended from the tribe of Ephraim.  And in the midst of them is the grave of Joseph, the son of Jacob our father, as it is written—­“and the bones of Joseph buried they in Shechem[73].”  Their alphabet lacks three letters, namely [Hebrew:] He, [Hebrew:] Heth, and [Hebrew:] Ain[74].  The letter [Hebrew:] He is taken from Abraham our father, because they have no dignity, the letter [Hebrew:] Heth from Isaac, because they have no kindliness, and the letter [Hebrew:  Ain] from Jacob, because they have no humility.

[p.34]

In place of these letters they make use of the Aleph, by which we can tell that they are not of the seed of Israel, although they know the law of Moses with the exception of these three letters.  They guard themselves from the defilement of the dead, of the bones of the slain, and of graves; and they remove the garments which they have worn before they go to the place of worship, and they bathe and put on fresh clothes.  This is their constant practice.  On Mount Gerizim are fountains and gardens and plantations, but Mount Ebal is rocky and barren; and between them in the valley lies the city of Shechem.