THE SAMARITAN OF THE QURAN: AN ANACHRONISM IN THE DAYS OF MOSES?
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
Introduction
Can a Samaritan exist during the time of Moses?
Can a people group that emerged centuries after the Assyrian conquest of Israel suddenly appear in the wilderness of Sinai during the Exodus?
If the Quran is the eternal and infallible word of God, why does it place a "Samaritan" at Mount Sinai nearly seven hundred years before Samaria itself existed?
These questions have generated considerable debate among historians, biblical scholars, and critics of Islam. The Quranic narrative of the golden calf introduces a mysterious figure called al-Samiri, commonly translated as "the Samaritan," who allegedly led Israel into idolatry during Moses' absence.
The account appears in Surah Ta-Ha:
"He said, 'What then is your case, O Samiri?' He said, 'I saw what they did not see, so I took a handful from the footsteps of the messenger and cast it.'" (Quran 20:95–96)
But who was this Samiri?
And could such a person have existed during the days of Moses?
Question One: Did Samaritans Exist During the Time of Moses?
According to biblical history, the answer is no.
The Samaritans were associated with the region of Samaria, a territory that did not exist during the Exodus. The city of Samaria became the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel under King Omri approximately 880 BCE.
Moses, according to biblical chronology, lived approximately during the thirteenth or fifteenth century BCE, depending on the dating system used.
This creates a chronological gap of several centuries.
How could a Samaritan appear before Samaria existed?
The Bible records the development of Samaria long after Moses:
"And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver." (1 Kings 16:24)
The Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom in 722 BCE further contributed to the emergence of the Samaritan population described in later Jewish history.
Thus, historical evidence places the Samaritan community many centuries after Moses.
Question Two: Who Made the Golden Calf According to the Bible?
The biblical account identifies Aaron as the craftsman of the golden calf.
"And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf." (Exodus 32:4)
Aaron later attempted to justify his actions before Moses.
"And I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." (Exodus 32:24)
The Bible nowhere mentions a Samaritan.
No mysterious outsider appears.
No Samiri is introduced.
The responsibility falls upon Aaron and the people of Israel.
The Quran, however, transfers the blame primarily to al-Samiri.
Why does the Quran replace Aaron with an unknown figure absent from the biblical account?
Question Three: Did Ancient Jewish Sources Know of a Samiri?
No ancient Jewish writings from the Second Temple period identify a Samaritan as the creator of the golden calf.
The writings of Josephus.
The Talmud.
The Midrash.
The Dead Sea Scrolls.
None mention a Samiri.
If this individual played such a significant role in Israel's history, why is he absent from all earlier Jewish records?
Question Four: Why Does the Quran Call Him "al-Samiri"?
The Arabic term "al-Samiri" has traditionally been understood by many Muslim commentators as "the Samaritan."
Classical commentators such as Ibn Kathir and al-Tabari discuss the Samiri as the instigator of the calf worship.
Yet these commentators generally do not address the historical problem of placing a Samaritan centuries before Samaria existed.
Modern Muslim apologists have proposed several explanations:
Samiri was merely a personal name.
Samiri belonged to an unknown tribe.
The word has a lost meaning unrelated to Samaria.
However, these explanations lack strong historical evidence.
No independent ancient source identifies such a tribe.
No archaeological evidence supports this interpretation.
No biblical text mentions such an individual.
Question Five: Does the Quran Confuse Different Historical Periods?
Critics argue that the Quran occasionally combines persons or events from different historical eras.
The Samaritan episode is often cited alongside other debated passages.
For example:
Haman appears in the story of Pharaoh (Quran 28:6, 38), although Haman is known from the Book of Esther in Persia many centuries later.
Mary the mother of Jesus is called the "sister of Aaron" (Quran 19:28), which some critics interpret as a confusion with Miriam, the sister of Moses.
From a critical historical perspective, these examples raise the question:
Did the author of the Quran rely upon oral traditions circulating in late antiquity?
Biblical and Historical Evaluation
The biblical account presents a consistent historical framework:
Moses leads Israel from Egypt.
Aaron constructs the calf.
Samaria does not yet exist.
The Samaritan people emerge centuries later.
The Quranic account introduces an individual whose identity appears historically problematic.
If the term truly means "Samaritan," then the narrative contains a chronological inconsistency.
If it does not mean Samaritan, then the burden remains to demonstrate who the Samiri was and why no historical evidence for him exists.
Theological Implications
If the Quran is understood as the literal and perfect speech of God, critics ask:
Why would God introduce a figure unknown to earlier revelation?
Why would the historical timeline appear inconsistent?
Why does the Quran differ substantially from the biblical account?
Christian scholars often argue that such discrepancies indicate that the Quran reflects traditions circulating in Arabia during the seventh century rather than direct divine revelation.
Muslim scholars, by contrast, maintain that the Quran preserves historical knowledge lost from earlier scriptures.
The debate ultimately concerns the nature of revelation itself.
Conclusion
The figure of al-Samiri remains one of the most debated historical questions in the Quran.
The biblical record places responsibility upon Aaron.
History places the rise of the Samaritans centuries after Moses.
Ancient Jewish literature knows nothing of a Samaritan at Sinai.
These factors have led many Christian scholars to conclude that the Quranic account contains an anachronism.
Whether one accepts this conclusion depends largely upon one's understanding of revelation, history, and scriptural authority.
For Christian apologetics, the story of the Samiri represents a significant challenge to the historical reliability of the Quran and raises important questions concerning its claim to divine origin.
References
Quran 20:85–97
Exodus 32:1–35
1 Kings 16:24
2 Kings 17:24–41
Tafsir Ibn Kathir
Tafsir al-Tabari
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih Muslim
James D. G. Dunn, Jews and Christians
F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture
This chapter presents the historical criticism from a Christian apologetic perspective. Muslim scholars offer alternative interpretations of the term al-Samiri, and readers should recognize that the question remains debated between Islamic and Christian scholars.
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