the rebellion was nowhere near as successful. Byzantine forces quickly overran Samaria and ended its semi-independence from the empire. Baba Rabba died, according to one chronicle, after being invited to Constantinople, where he was subsequently imprisoned, and later buried. If his death being in Constantinople is accurate, it is more likely Baba was captured and taken to Byzantium, not invited there. After his death there were further revolts of the Samaritans: the first - in 484, The second - in 529 when the Samaritans had many casualties and some fled to places outside the Land of Israel and the third - in 566 . In light of the recent uprising, the Samaritans and their religion were placed under the same scrutiny which they had long eluded, in essence becoming "outlawed." The majority that the Samaritans had in Samaria and its margins has since disappeared. It is estimated that more than a million Samaritans were exterminated. Organization of the Community In Samaritan chronicles, extensive space is devoted to the recording of events in the order in which they occurred and the activities of Baba Rabba. His various works have no external documentation, neither in the Sages' sources nor in the Christian literature of the Byzantine period. Apart from the division of the land into districts, Baba Rabba built synagogues and appointed judges from various localities. He also founded a council composed of priests and sages who were supposed to teach Torah and run new synagogues. The council was composed of seven priests: three priests and four elders. National or Local Leader Yitzhak Khamitovsky believes that Baba Rabba was the leader of the rural environment of Nablus. The priesthood in Nablus itself was not a partner in the reforms he made. In the lists of synagogues and judges, there is no mention of the city of Nablus. What's more, at that time the Roman-pagan Nablus - Neapolis - was at its height of prosperity. His actions remained within the area of the surrounding countryside. According to Yitzhak Magen the tradition surrounding Baba Rabba should be seen as an allusion to the "religious renaissance" of the Samaritan community in the 4th century. The appearance of Baba Rabba, together with the discovery of Greek inscriptions from that period and archeological discoveries of the synagogues of the Samaritans in and outside Samaria indicate a Samaritan religious awakening. In the 4th century, the sacred compound on