The phrase inscribed upon this ring comes from the Blessing of Asher, described within the Bible and specifically in the Book of Deuteronomy. The Book of Deuteronomy is known as the 5th Book of the Old Testament and of the Torah. It presents the teachings of Moses and is made up of 34 books. The Deuteronomic code, which makes up the majority of the second part of the Book, enlists the laws the Israelites should follow whilst in the promised land.
Samaritans, who still exist as a minority group today, are an ethnoreligious group from the Middle East, who claim descent from the Israelites and believe are the true keepers of the Israelite faith. They follow the first 6 books of the Hebrew Bible and have Mount Gerizim as their holy place. Their numbers grew the most during the Byzantine Period and by the 6th century numbered in their millions. Revolts against the Byzantine Empire caused their numbers to dwindle as the Eastern Roman Empire crushed their uprisings, decreasing their numbers to just thousands. From excavations undertaken it is known that there was a large Samaritan community in Caesarea.
