Biblical Manuscript
(B.C. 540-100)
A translation of the Pentateuch by Samaritans who follow an offshoot of Judaism. There are 6000 differences from the Masoretic Pentateuch.
(Origin of the Bible handout by my small group leader, March 22, 2023. Page 2.)
It was canonized around the time Samaritans separated from the larger Jewish community, sometime during the postexilic period (circa 540-100 B.C.).
A copy came to the attention of scholars in 1616, but most early assessments of its value to textual criticism were negative. It differed from the Masoretic Text in 6000 instances. Many judged this to be the result of sectarian differences between Samaritans and Jews, while others viewed it as a sectarian revision of the Masoretic Text.
Later, it became clear the Samaritan Pentateuch predated the Masoretic Text. Although a few of the differences were clearly the result of sectarian concerns, most of the differences were neutral in this respect. Many had more to do with popularizing the text rather than altering its meaning.
The Samaritan Pentateuch had much in common with the Septuagint, some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the New Testament, so it could not have been changed due to sectarian differences. It was more likely that they used a different textual base that was probably in wide use in the ancient Near East until well after the time of Christ.
This realization does not solve the mystery of the differences, but it does illustrate the complexity of the Old Testament textual tradition that existed before the Masoretic standard was completed.
(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. Texts and Manuscripts of the Old Testament by Mark R. Norton, Page 167-168)