Behind | Tracing Lineage Back to Adam: Samaritan Priest Husni Wasef Al Samri

One of the most amazing aspects of priestly identity was its hereditary nature. Priests saw themselves in a line that spanned many generations. Now just imagine what it’s like for priests today who trace their lineage all the way back to Levi. Let’s listen to a Samaritan priest who does just that. Because the priest’s accent may be difficult to understand, the transcript of this interview is included below.

Interview Transcription

Dr. Laniak:

One of the fascinating things about the Samaritan community is tracing your descent all the way back not only to the time of the Bible, the stories in the Bible, but even all the way back to Adam. Can you tell us about the importance of genealogy? 

Samaritan Priest:

Okay. Please, hold the Samaritans, the Samaritans descend but from the Children of Israelites. Before 3,654 years, the Samaritans, we came here with the Israelites. There is not the Samaritans, the Jewish; all the people, Israelites.

Example. I am 164 generations from Adam to me. From the first Adam to the High Priest, 163; I am 164. From Adam to Noah, 10 generations. One, two, three—10 generations. From Adam to Moses, 26 generations; 2,794 years. From Eliezer, the first High Priest in the Holy Land, to the High Priest of the Samaritans, 137 generations. 163 my brother, the High Priest of the Samaritans; I am 164. 

When King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, King Solomon died, came Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon. In this time, Israel split, two kingdoms. South Judah, capital Jerusalem; north Israel, capital Shechem, Nablus. From this time until now, the Israelites split, two kingdoms. We are from the kingdom of Israelites. Now, the name of the Israelites, Samaritans. What’s the meaning of Samaritans? To keep everything written in the Bible.

From Eliezer to Jesus, 49 generations. They are in this time, Jesus came from Jerusalem to Samaria. You read about the good Samaritans. I was to ask you, who are the good Samaritans? Me. I am from the good Samaritans. From where the Samaritans took to Jesus water to drink? From us.

So the history here, all the history here, you can one by one. The Samaritans, we know—I am from Levi. I know, why? From all the time, I am from Levi. The other Samaritans are from two sets of Jews, Ephraim and Menashe. 

Why I know I am from Levi? Because before 3,655 years, the Samaritans don’t leave the Holy Land. We live here.

Dr. Laniak:

Some people think that the Samaritans are mixed with Babylonian blood or Assyrian blood.

Samaritan Priest:

But I want—this is not realist. Why? Okay, Assyrian came here. Okay. We took 27,000 from the Samaritans to Iraq, to Babylon. But the number of the Samaritans in this time is 3 million people. 

All the Samaritans we leave here. Why the Samaritans, we have the oldest Bible in the world? Why the Samaritans, we have the oldest language in the world—ancient Hebrew. Why the Samaritans, we have the oldest history in the world, the oldest folklore, the oldest astrology and astronomy, the oldest—everything for the Samaritans original, why? Because the Samaritans don’t leave the Holy Land.

Dr. Laniak: 

Your identity has to do with your lineage as well as with this place.

Samaritan Priest:

We was problem between the Samaritan and the Jewish. But the Jewish travelled 2,000 outside. But the Samaritans, we stayed here all the time so we keep about everything original.