What was the period of time covered by the book of Deuteronomy?

Answer 1

I dont know the exact time period but i hope this will help;-The book itself testifies that for the most part Moses wrote it and then of course Moses died (chapter 34) so someone had to finish the last part of Deuteronomy. So my guess would be, that around the time Moses and the israelites were in the Moab territory transferring his leadership to Joshua, it all took place and time around then. Maybe im wrong but if you can get lots of answers and piece them together like a jigsaw you just might get you answer. GOD BLESS YOU X

Answer 2

Moses had been acknowledged as the author of Deuteronomy by all authorities both Jewish and Christian until the 19th century. The book itself mentions Moses as the author at least 40 times and both internal and external evidence suggests nothing other than Mosaic authorship. Liberal scholars in the 19th century began to doubt the most obvious author, and they remain divided about who they believe was the alternate author and also on the date. However, Moses life places the writing of the book around 1405 BC toward the end of his life and is in some ways his 'handing on the baton' to the next generation. Joshua must have completed the book soon after with an account of Moses' death. The detail - geographic, historical, and literary - all fit well with the date.

Answer:

The Documentary Hypothesis of the 19th Century Liberal school of theology in Germany places the book in the reign of King Josiah and gives it a political motivation to undergird theologically Josiah's reforms.

Theologians note the following evidence which not only places the book in the era in which it claims to be written, around 1400 BC but also explains without any mystery or 'conspiracy theory' the reason it was written:

1. The book itself includes around forty claims of Mosaic authorship. If an unknown author deliberately lied (which is precisely what is claimed) as a ruse to help Josiah then the book itself as a fraud immediately has lost any credibility as a support for Josiah, nor relevance to that era..

2. Details of both history and geography show a first-hand knowledge which belongs to the era when it claims to be written and not that of Josiah.

3. Nowhere else in the Old Testament is anyone other than Moses claimed as the author (not even an anonymous author) see Joshua 1:7, Judges 3:4, 1 Kings 2:3, Ezra 3:2, Psalm 103:7, Malachi 4:4.

4. Jesus himself attributed Deteronomy to Moses. see Matthew 19:7-9 and John 5 :45-47.

5. Deuteronomy followed a legal 'treaty formula' which belonged in the era of the 15th and 14th century BC and was not used at any other time, such as that of Josiah.

Having the right historical setting makes it clear what the purpose of the book was. Historically, the first generation to leave Egypt and receive the Torah had died during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. It was thus necessary to give a "second Law" (the literal meaning of the word Deuteronomy in Latin). Moses also frequently stressed the need for obedience to the Law in contrast to the disobedience which was the singular downfall of the previous generation. Also, Deuteronomy is thus much more like an exhortation or a sermon than a simple book of Law. Although of necessity it contains much legal detail, the emphasis on the whole of Israel, rather than the priests is understood by scholars to explain the difference in language. This is precisely what anyone does today, in varying their styles according to the purpose of writing and their audience.

To put it in shortened form Moses wrote Deuteronomy around 1400 BC.

Answer 3

The Book of Deuteronomy has traditionally been attributed to Moses, writing around 1400 BCE.

However, biblical scholars say the Book of Deuteronomy was really written during the seventh-century-BCE reign of King Josiah, by an unknown author now known as the Deuteronomist. It contains the same style and relatively modern Hebrew as the integrated series now known as the Deuteronomic History (Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Kings).

It appears that Deuteronomy was the book of law that 2 Kings 22:8 describes as 'found' by Hilkiah, the high priest, in the Temple, presumably to give the book the appearance of great antiquity. In case we feel that we should never doubt the religious authorities on these matters, this was not the only time that a scroll was first hidden, then found, so as to disguise its authorship. Jeremiah chapter 36 even tells how just a few years later, the scribes hid another scroll in the Temple, to be found and read to the king. The Book of Jeremiah demonstrates that the religious authorities were well aware of the practice.

Answer 4

No Hebrew copy of the Torah has ever been found to differ with the others, worldwide. The Torah we possess today contains the exact wording written by Moses. Deuteronomy states explicitly (31:24) that it, with the rest of the Torah, was written by Moses. This is part of Jewish tradition, and is supported by the testimony of other ancient writers.No physical evidence has ever been presented that would demonstrate otherwise.

There are secular scholars who theorized that the "book which was found" in Josiah's time (2 Kings ch.22) was Deuteronomy.

What actually happened?

King Josiah lived more than eight centuries after Moses. There were hundreds - probably thousands - of Torah scrolls possessed by the Jewish people, just like today.The wicked King Amon (Josiah's father) had burned copies of the Torah (Talmud, Sanhedrin 103b), so it was understandable that King Yoshiah was thrilled when he found a scroll (see 2 Kings ch.22: the whole Torah, not just Deuteronomy) right there in the Temple grounds, which had escaped Amon's depredation.
Yoshiah was agitated because the scroll was found rolled to the prophecy concerning the eventual exile (see Talmud, Yoma 52b); and because it was the very scroll which had been written by Moses himself (2 Chronicles 34:14).
Deuteronomy, along with the rest of the Torah, existed long before the time of Yoshiah. Two centuries earlier, when King Amatziah killed the assassins of his father Joash, he spared their children "as is written that fathers shall not die because of their children and children shall not die because of their fathers" (2 Kings 14:6), which is a quote from Deuteronomy (24:16).

Also, Joshua 22:5 quotes Deut.11:22, Joshua 23:16 quotes Deut.11:17, Judges 1:20 fulfills Deut.1:36, Judges 7:3 fulfills the command of Deut.20:8, 1 Kings 8:51 quotes Deut.4:20, and 1 Kings 9:8-9 quotes Deut.29:23-24.

The fact that Josiah "made reforms" is misinterpreted by some, as meaning that he started something new. Rather, he simply swept away the incursions that idolatrous misbehavior had made (2 Chronicles 34:3-7) into part of the populace, exactly as Samuel had done (1 Samuel 7:3-4), as well as Asa (2 Chronicles 15:8), Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:6), and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4).

See also:

Refuting Bible-criticism

Archaeology and the Hebrew Bible