Samareia (region of Samaria) in the Gospel of John

Samaria region (in Greek: Samareia; Vietnamese: Sa-ma-ri; French: Samarie) appears 3 times in the Gospel of John (Jn 4:4,5,7). The narrator cites three regions: Judea, Samaria and Galilee in Jn 4:3-4: “3 He [Jesus] left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 He had to pass through Samaria.”

After the general description of Jesus’ journey, the narrator focuses on precise locations: “So he [Jesus] came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there” (4:5-6a). Then Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman occurs this way: “6b So Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’” (4:6b-7). This map of Israel in the Time of Jesus indicates three regions: Judea, Samaria and Galilee:

From Bible History Online

In Jesus’ time, the territory of Palestine was divided into three regions: Judea in the south, Samaria in the middle and Galilee in the north (see the map above). On this map, the territories of Judea and Samaria were only a province of the Roman Empire, while the territories of Galilee and Peraea were under King Herod Antipas. The Gaulanitis was under Herod Philip II. The Decapolis region, which in Greek means ten (deca) cities (polis), comprises a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire, in the region of Judea and Syria. Their political status was that of autonomous cities.

See the article:

Places in Jn 4:1-43. Samaria, Sychar, Jacob’s Well, Mount Gerizim

October 27, 2012

Joseph LÊ MINH THÔNG, O.P.

Email: josleminhthong@gmail.com

Source: http://tungubontinmung.blogspot.com/2012/10/samaria-region-n-samareia-in-gospel-of_26.html