Moses

[Derek]

According to 2 Ki. 22:8-13, the high priest of the temple, Hilkiah, found the text somewhere in the temple and he gave it to a scribe named Shaphan. The scribe in turn brought it to King Josiah and they read it together. To their amazement they found that they were in violation of the laws handed down by Moses and Josiah became so upset he rent his clothes, fearing that God would be angry at Judah.


Hilkiah was Jeremiah's father and Jeremiah's scribe was Baruch. Hilkiah who "found" this document would have known Baruch. This is why their books start out very similar. For more information see Jer. 8:8.

[The Mikado]

Are you claiming that Baruch forged Deuteronomy?

[Derek]

forged? That's a strong word. He was the Deuteronomist. He wrote Deuternonomy- 2 Kings which is a history of Israel from the time of the Exodus until they were taken to Babylon. He would've been in the circle with Hilkiah and was always in touch with Jeremiah as was common for a prophet to have a scribe who wrote down his words. Any book written before the fall of the Roman empire is likely written pseudonymously. Writing a book named after yourself was just not a concept yet. The same goes for the category though of A,B,C, and D versions. That is why the Pentateuch seems to be cut up and woven together from our perspective but back then it's just how they wrote. It wasn't until the early common era that ppl would write one version at a time. Plus, imagine having 2, 3, and sometimes 4 versions of one story side by side. Israel needed to be untied, not divided.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

This isn't new.  Multiple scholars have said exactly this, and it's been the prevailing theory for at least 100 years.

[The Mikado]

This isn't new.  Multiple scholars have said exactly this, and it's been the prevailing theory for at least 100 years.

Well, the general story is.  Making Baruch the protagonist is a bit of an embroidering. 

[Derek]

Oh no it's not a new theory. I learned this from Richard Elliot Friedman's "Who Wrote the Bible?" I do not think there has been a more solid theory that I have ever read in all my years of scholarship.

[Derek]

I'm not making him the protagonist, just the author.