Excerpt from The Biblical Lessons: A Chapter on Biblical Archaeology (Classic Reprint)
Close investigation extending over fifteen years ripened in me the conviction that the Samaritans have preserved for us in an almost fossilised state customs which go back to the time of the Second Temple. They represent a phase in Jewry of Jewish rites, of Jewish practices, of Jewish religious conceptions and Views, which one may call pre-talmudic, pre-rabbinic, which concur in a remarkable degree with the traditions and customs prevailing also among the Jews outside of Jerusalem, and agree also with the most ancient traditions and customs of the Christian Church.