Taurus 7: A woman of Samaria

T h e w o r d w o ma n d e s c e n d s f r o m t h e I n d o E u r o p e a n ( IE ) r oo t g h w i b h - w h i ch m e a n s shame, a ls o p u de n d a . Paronyms include w i f e a n d h u s s y ( a wo m a n a d u l t e r e r ) . 1 T h e A me r i ca n H e r i t a ge D i c t io n a r y o f t he E n g l i sh L a n g u a g e d e f i n e s t h e w o r d S a m a ria as:

An ancient city of central Palestine in present-day northwest Jordan. It was founded in the ninth century B.C. as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, also known as Samaria. Conquered by Sargon II in 721 B.C., it was destroyed in the second century and rebuilt by Herod the Great. According to tradition, Saint John the Baptist is buried here.2

THEMES:

T w o r e f e r e n c e s i n t h e H o l y B i b l e t o t h e re g i o n a n d / o r

i n h a b i t a n t s o f Sa ma r i a a r e re l e v a n t t o t h i s s y m b o l. T he n o u n S a m a r i t a n r e f e r s b o t h t o a n i n h a b i t a n t o f t he r e g i o n o f S a ma r i a a n d t o a g o o d S a m a r it a n , i . e . a c o m p a s si o n a t e p e rs o n w h o u n s e l fi s h ly h e l p s o t he r s . 3 T h e l a t t e r i s a f t e r t h e S a ma r i t a n p a ss e r b y i n t he p a r a b l e i n t he b o o k of L u k e w h o w a s o n l y p e r s on t o h e lp a m a n w h o ha d b e e n r o b b e d a n d b e a t e n . 4 T h e t h e m e h e r e i s CO M P A S S IO N . T h e r e i s a ls o f o u n d i n t h e b o o k o f J oh n a l e n gt h y d e s c r i p t i o n o f J e s u s e n c o u n t e r w i t h a w o m a n o f S a ma r ia . 5 On a Wikipedia entitled Jesus I n t e r a c t i o n s wi t h W o m e n w e f i n d t hi s d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e p a s s a g e : By talking openly with this woman Jesus crossed a number of barriers which normally would have separated a Jewish teacher from such a person as this woman of Samaria. Jesus did three things that were highly unconventional and astonishing for his cultural-religious situation: (1) He as a man discussed theology openly with a woman (2) He as a Jew asked to drink from the ritually unclean bucket of a Samaritan (3) He did not
1 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Root s, p. 32 2 http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Samaria 3 http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Good%20Samaritan 4 Luke 10: 30-37 5 John 4: 1-42 Starling Hunter 2011 1

avoid her, even though he knew her marital record of having had five former husbands and now living with a man who was not her husband. The key to Jesus' stance is found in his perceiving persons as persons. He saw the stranger at the well as someone who first and foremost was a personnot primarily a Samaritan, a woman, or a sinner. This evangelized woman became an evangelist. She introduced her community to "a man" whom they came to acclaim as "the Savior of the world." Jesus liberated this woman and awakened her to a new life in which not only did she receive but also gave. The Bible says she brought "many Samaritans" to faith in Christ. F r o m a n e t y m o l og i c a l s t a n dp o i n t i t i s m o s t i n t e r e st i n g t h e w o r d w o m a n a n d h u s s y ( a n a d u l t e r o u s w om a n ) d e s c e n d f r om t h e s a m e r o o t g h w i b h - w h i c h m e a n s s h a me . T h i s w o r d , s h a m e , i s fr e q u e n t l y f o u n d i n c o m m e n t a ri e s o n t h i s p a s s a ge o f t h e Bi b l e . 6 N o t a b l y , w he n i t i s m e n t i on e d, i t i s a lw a y s i n re f e r e n ce t o t h e n u m b e r o f p re v i o u s m a r r i a g e s a n d p r e s e n t c o - ha b i t a t i o n w i t h a m a n t o w h o m t he w o m a n i s n ot m a r r i e d . 7 T h e s e c on d t h e m e i s S H A M E .

6 http://tinyurl.com/WomanSamaria 7 http://www.orthodox.net/questions/samarita n_woman_1.html Starling Hunter 2011 2