Israelite Samaritans in the Promised Land have behaved as a people in every respect since the final separation between them and Israelite Jews in the third century BC, as expressed in ancient Hebrew scriptures, the tradition in their hands has been unique to them Three thousand years , before the third century BC. These were the heritage of the Jewish people, the ancestors of the Jews and the Samaritans. During Greek rule over the Land of Israel, the Israelite Samaritans spoke Greek. Greek inscriptions and manuscripts by the Samaritans remain today. It was the language spoken in Eretz Israel also during the rule of the pagan Romans. On top of Mount Gerizim, more than 500 inscriptions on stone carved mainly in Aramaic Rome and the rest in ancient Hebrew and Greek have been discovered so far during the year 1983-2008. Its time period from the 6th century BC to the 4th century BC From the end of the 3rd century CE Aramaics replaced Greek as the language of international trade. Aramaic has many dialects. One is Samaritan Aramaic, in which the Samaritan Aramaic translation of the Torah was written in the 3rd century CE. The ancient hymns of the Samaritan prayer were mostly written in Aramaic and some of what remains in ancient Hebrew. Until the first century AD, Jews and Samaritans wrote in ancient Hebrew as well as in Aramaic script. After the Jews wanted to separate from the Samaritans, the ancient Hebrew script remained in use only by the Israelite Samaritans. Israeli Jews continued to write the text of the Torah in their Aramaic script. CULTURE IS LIMITED TO ANCIENT HEBREW AND ARAMAIC The priests of the Samaritans and their elders allowed the integration of Aramaic in the prayers of worship, whose components were composed in Hebrew and partly in Aramaic. In these two languages, the Israelite Samaritans composed and wrote their poems to this day. Ancient Hebrew and Aramaic written by Israelite Samaritans in ancient Hebrew in its two forms: square and cursive characters in 22 letters. Alaf-Bit-Gaman-Dalat-Eyy-Baa-Zen-It-Tit-Yoot-Kaaf-Labat-Meem-Noon-Singaat-In-Fyy-Saadyy-Qoof-RishShan-Taaf [See illustrations] Beginning in the tenth century CE , Arabic pressed the Aramaic language as a daily speech language. Hebrew and Aramaic remained only in the realm of worship, in the synagogue, in the Passover sacrifice, on pilgrimages, and on occasions of joy and mourning outside the synagogue. Over the past hundred years, two centers have been formed for the Samaritan community in the Promised Land, to the point that half the community now lives on Mount Gerizim above Nablus and about half in Holon, near Tel Aviv. The latter speak modern Hebrew as an everyday language. On Mount Gerizim, the Palestinian dialect of Arabic is the language of everyday life. Many speakers speak modern Hebrew, as a result of the fifty years that have passed since the two parts of the community have joined one community.  

Benyamin Tzedaka