people of Israel, each accusing the other of being apostate and a falsifier of Scripture. Scripture for the Samaritans meant only the Five Books of Moses; for the Jews (as the Judeans were later called) it was the broader body of writing that was developing into the Bible at this time. So the rift between Jews and Samaritans was ancient and deep; it touched on the basic issues of the temple and the scope and authority of Scripture. It is impossible to tell just when the split between the Jews and