The Gospel of John indicates that in biblical times the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. The hostility between these two groups is well-known by all who read the Bible, but little is known of how and when the hostility began. R.J. Coggins claims that it was not a sudden dramatic event but a long period of bitter relations that led to the Samaritans' division from the Jews. He looks again at Old Testament and Jewish literary references to Samaritans, evaluates archaeological investigations, and studies the Samaritans' own understanding of their early history.