| If the first opinion is correct, and it seems to be | | | | the throne of his kingdom God promises to |
| so because they are stylistically similar, then it is | | | | establish forever. Abijah King of Judah and the |
| quite possible that all the other 6 books might | | | | ancestor of David committed all the sins his |
| have been a part of Deuteronomy. | | | | father had done before him; he was not as |
| One of the most prominent Kings in the | | | | concerned about God as David had been. But |
| Deuteronomist History is Josiah. The son of great | | | | David had done what was right in the eyes of the |
| king David, Josiah himself became a king when he | | | | Lord, so God could not break the promise given |
| was only 8 years of age. He was very righteous | | | | to Abijah's forefather and still made Israel a |
| in the eyes of the Lord. After Hilkiah the high | | | | strong kingdom. |
| priest discovers the Book of Covenant (2 Kings | | | | But later despite of God's promise Judah gets |
| 22:8), Josiah get rids of the household gods, the | | | | destroyed by the king of Babylon (and the temple |
| idols, the mediums and spiritists, pagan priests and | | | | built by Solomon as well). That happens because |
| temples. He listens to the words of the Book of | | | | of Manasseh who sinned against God including |
| the Law and gets very upset: neither he nor his | | | | shedding innocent blood. God simply could not |
| fathers have obeyed and acted in accordance | | | | forgive him for filling Israel with the blood of |
| with what's written in that Book. Josiah tears his | | | | innocent (2 Kings 24:2-18, 25:1-26). |
| robe. God is pleased with that. Although He's still | | | | Almost forgot to mention Solomon's Covenant |
| angry, God forgives Josiah and promises that his | | | | with God. Solomon has been the king of Israel for |
| eyes won't see all the disaster that He-God will | | | | more than forty years, and he built a temple |
| bring on the place. | | | | dedicated to God. God was very nice to inform |
| Now Josiah actually is one of the best Kings. He | | | | Solomon though that in case he or his sons turn |
| can be compared to Moses only in his holiness. | | | | away from God and stop observing his |
| He's great in comparison to Solomon, who | | | | commands and decrees, He shall then cut Israel |
| messed up his relationship with God by having too | | | | off the land given by the Lord, reject the temple |
| many foreign wives. He's even greater than | | | | that has been consecrated in His name. Solomon |
| David, his father, who also had spoiled Lord's | | | | turned out to be an OK king, not as great as |
| attitude towards him by messing with Uriah the | | | | David, but still fine, better than some of his |
| Levite's wife, and later sending the soldier to | | | | descendents. |
| death. Other kings were a complete mess. | | | | The author of the Deuteronomst History series |
| Josiah was the one to start a reform in the | | | | could be Jeremiah. His father was a high priest |
| government - centralization of religion. He closed all | | | | (Hilkiah), one of the Moses' descendents (Anathoth |
| the religious centers around the country and | | | | priests), and among his friends were: Ahikam the |
| made Jerusalem a Mecca for religious tourism. | | | | son of Josiah's secretary and Jeremiahs own |
| The Book of the Law thanks to him became a | | | | secretary Baruch, who served him as a |
| part of Old Testament and a part of the | | | | 'typewriter'. So they were quite close to the king. |
| Deuteronomy Book. Josiah also changed the | | | | I could be the king himself, but that is the version |
| celebration of the Passover tradition. It was | | | | that is harder to prove. Another assumption may |
| celebrated by Samuel in a very important religious | | | | be, that it was Baruch himself, but it would be |
| center, Shiloh (priests of Moses - perhaps they | | | | hard to imagine as Jeremiah only could be the |
| were the actual creators of the Code of Law, as | | | | source of information for him. |
| it cares about them more than of the kings; 1 | | | | As the original law was destroyed in fire, Ezra had |
| Samuel 1:3-24); by David's family in Bethlehem. | | | | performed the duty of a final redactor. He copied |
| Deuteronomy says you have to celebrate | | | | the remaining stuff down and the rest he claims |
| Passover in some special, God chosen place. If | | | | to have been dictated to him by the voice from |
| God hesitates and doesn't choose one on time, | | | | the bush. He claims that God visited him and gave |
| then the holiday can be celebrated in various | | | | him inspiration to write it the way it always had |
| places. Josiah is also supposed to be the one who | | | | been. He rewrote the Jewish tradition two |
| fulfilled a three hundred year old prophecy, so he's | | | | centuries after the birth of Christ. It's even hard |
| a really special one for the Jews. | | | | to believe it. He took all the different sources and |
| In 2 Samuel 7:1-17, through Nathan the prophet, | | | | compiled them together. He had no right to miss |
| God gives David His Promise. He promises to take | | | | a single source otherwise the book could be called |
| care of David's offspring, help him establish his | | | | not real. |
| kingdom, as David's kid is going to be the one | | | | He put all the stories together so that the |
| who shall build a temple in the Lord's name. And | | | | difference was not seen. |