<The Samaritans revolt during the days of Emperor Justinian.> The Samaritans attacked the Christians there and massacred many of them in this way. There was a custom which was common in the land of Palestine and in the whole of the East that on the Sabbath, after the reading of the gospel, the children of the Christians would leave the church and go and play near the synagogues of the Samaritans, and throw stones at their houses. It was the custom of the Samaritans on this day to withdraw and keep to themselves. On that occasion they could not bear to give way to the Christians, and so when the children came out after the holy gospel and went to the Samaritan synagogues and started throwing stones, the Samaritans came out against the children with swords and killed many of them. Many children fled to the holy altar of St Basil's, which is there, and some of the Samaritans pursued and slew them under the altar.
(transl. E. Jeffreys, M. Jeffreys and R. Scott)
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According to Di Segni, note 30, "The title of this excerpt erroneously locates the event in Caesarea, the capital of First Palestine, rather than in Scythopolis, the capital of Second Palestine. However, from other sources we know that the cities first touched by the revolt were Neapolis and Scythopolis, while Caesarea came into the picture at a later stage, and the mention of St. Basilius’ Church clinches the identification of the city with Beth Shean". For the identification of the church of Saint Basilius the martyr at Scythopolis with the archaeological remains of the "Andreas Church" at Tel Iẓtaba, see Di Segni.