Ancient Christian Villages of Samaria

The order of description begins with the south, that is, from Jerusalem, listing first the villages east of the Jerusalem-Jenin road, then those west of the same route. Since some villages are located in the mountains and others on the plain, those located in the hill-country will be described first, then those on the plain, so as to keep a kind of single line of vision. Many places which will be illustrated have interesting biblical associations; for example, Bethel, Shiloh, Sebaste, and others. These associations are omitted on principle because they are generally well known and because we intend to restrict ourselves to things which are totally Christian, as the title indicates. The present work mostly collates materials seen by previous explorers, especially since many items have disappeared; but a personal inspection was conducted whenever possible. Thus new materials or museum items have come to light which serve to enrich the list of Christian places.