John P. Meier, «The Historical Jesus and the Historical Samaritans: What can be Said?», Vol. 81 (2000) 202-232
Careful analysis of the Gospels shows that there is not very much hard data about the historical Jesus interaction with or views about the Samaritans. There is multiple attestation, found in the Lucan and Johannine traditions, that Jesus, different from typical views of his time, held a benign view of Samaritans and had positive, though passing, encounters with some Samaritans. However, there is gospel agreement, from silence or statement, that Jesus had no programmatic mission to the Samaritans. Besides the above important conclusions, this essay also makes clear the useful distinction between Samaritans and Samarians.
he was traveling to Jerusalem [for the feast of Passover]. At the very least, the competition between the rival sanctuaries of Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Zion, each one being the goal of pilgrims at Passover, is echoed in this verse. The disciples James and John react angrily to this rebuff, suggesting in a both officious and bloodthirsty manner (v. 54), Lord, do you wish that we call down fire from heaven and destroy them? Jesus replies by rebuking his vengeful disciples rather than the inhospitable village. He then solves the problem pragmatically by going off to a different village (vv. 55-56). (Whether this other village is inhabited by Samaritans in the religious sense is not said; Lukes grasp of Palestinian geography in this section of his Gospel is shaky at best.)
In itself, there is nothing improbable in this story: we see the temperamental sons of thunder (thus are James and John designated in Mark 3,17, though not in Luke) clashing with the merciful Jesus. At least coherence favors the historicity of the incident, and various commentators detect a pre-Lucan substratum beneath all the Lucan redaction44. Yet the presence and function of this story at a pivotal redactional moment in Lukes overarching composition raise doubts. We stand at the solemn beginning of Lukes great journey narrative, with all sorts of OT allusions and key Lucan motifs ringing in vv. 51-52: Now it came to pass that when the days for his [i.e., Jesus] being taken up were being fulfilled, he set his face firmly to go to Jerusalem; and he sent messengers before his face; and going, they entered a village of Samaritans...45. One must also remember that Luke is