- the fact that Jesus doesn't deny that he is a Samaritan
The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus
(John 8:48-49)
- the fact that the episode above is a Christian corruption of the following episode (John 1:20-22) about pharisees questioning John the Baptist:
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
- the fact that the Samaritan messiah killed by Pilate shares with the Baptist passage in Josephus:
- his innocence
- the crowd
- the preventive action against the leader
- the death and/or burial in Samaria
- the condemnation of the hard repression by the crowd
- the final defeat of the killer
I am inclined to follow this solution because:
- this explains why Marcion hated John the Baptist (the latter adored YHWH since he was a Samaritan)
- this explains why Mandeans and some Gnostic haters of YHWH exalted John as giver of νοῦς (as Samaritan, he could be used in anti-Jewish function)