• TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I don’t think the region was after the 4th century, at least according to this article:

    Palestine underwent many demographic upheavals throughout history. By the 4th century, the Jews, who had formerly constituted a majority in Palestine, had become a minority. The Jewish population in Jerusalem and its environs in Judea suffered a heavy blow during the Jewish–Roman wars (66–135 CE) that was never fully recovered. In the following centuries, many Jews emigrated to thriving centers in the diaspora. Others continued living in the region, especially in the Galilee and the coastal plain, and others converted to Christianity. Later, the failure of the Samaritan revolts against the Byzantines (484–573 CE) resulted in the decline of the Samaritan population. The conversion of local populations, along with the immigration of Christians, led to the creation of a Christian majority in Late Roman and Byzantine Palestine.

    That article continues to note what happened to the Jewish populations under Muslim rule:

    The Samaritan community dropped in numbers during the various periods of Muslim rule in the region. The Samaritans could not rely on foreign assistance as much as the Christians did, nor on a large number of diaspora immigrants as did the Jews. The once-flourishing community declined over time, either through emigration or conversion to Islam among those who remained. According to Milka Levy-Rubin, many Samaritans converted under Abbasid and Tulunid rule.

    Let me know if you have any other quotes from better sources. Thanks.