Synopsis

The hostility between the Jews and Samaritans persisted in Christ's time. The people of the hills largely avoided the Samaritan territory, limiting interaction to mere necessity. Formal association was forbidden; Jews would not accept loans from Samaritans, nor would they even deign to accept a kindness from them. Against this backdrop of deep-seated prejudice, John recounts the meeting between Jesus and the woman at the well, and the reaction of the villagers of Sychar.