King Josiah reigned over Judah from 640–609 B.C., a total of 31 years, according to 2 Kings 22:1 and 2 Chronicles 34:1. He began his reign at the age of 8 and instituted a major spiritual and national reform in the 18th year of his reign (around 622 B.C.), which is when the Book of the Law was discovered in the Temple.

King Josiah Reading Moses

The Historical Context of 2 Chronicles 34:14

“While they were bringing out the money collected at the LORD’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD that was written by Moses.” (2 Chronicles 34:14)

This event takes place during Josiah’s religious reforms, a major revival of Yahweh-worship in Judah. It marks the rediscovery of “the Book of the Law”—clearly identified in this verse as having been “written by Moses.”

This is a critical textual and historical event that directly challenges the Documentary Hypothesis (DH)—particularly the claim that the Pentateuch (especially Deuteronomy) was a late composition, possibly during Josiah’s reign or shortly before, and not authored by Moses.

The Documentary Hypothesis (Summary)

The Documentary Hypothesis, first systematized by Julius Wellhausen in the 19th century, claims the Pentateuch is a composite of four main sources:

• J (Yahwist, ~950 B.C.)
• E (Elohist, ~850 B.C.)
• D (Deuteronomist, ~622 B.C.)
• P (Priestly, ~500–400 B.C.)

The theory posits that “D” (Deuteronomy) was composed or heavily edited during Josiah’s reign, possibly by court scribes, to justify Josiah’s centralizing religious reforms. This view undermines Mosaic authorship and treats the Pentateuch as a political/religious fabrication during the late monarchy.

Why 2 Chronicles 34:14 Undermines the Documentary Hypothesis

The text explicitly identifies the scroll as written by Moses

The Chronicler, writing during or after the Babylonian exile (late 6th or 5th century B.C.), is not merely reporting a general discovery of a “religious text.” The record emphatically states that Hilkiah found “the Book of the Law of the LORD that was written by Moses”.

This reflects a strong historical memory and tradition of Mosaic authorship still active in post-exilic Judaism.

The Timing Contradicts Documentary Hypothesis Assertions

According to DH, Deuteronomy was either written or heavily redacted in Josiah’s time (ca. 622 B.C.). But the biblical account shows that Josiah was surprised by the contents of the book.

If his own scribes wrote the document as propaganda, this reaction of grief, repentance, and reform makes no historical or literary sense.

The Book of the Law of Moses Was Found, Not Composed

The Hebrew verb מָצָא (matsa’) means “to find”, implying prior existence and neglect or loss, not recent authorship. This challenges the Documentary Hypothesis view that the book was newly created or forged under Josiah’s authority.

Continuity With Ancient Covenantal Tradition:

The content of the book (especially as inferred from 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chron. 34–35) matches Deuteronomy, which itself claims Mosaic authorship over and over (e.g., Deut. 1:1–5; 31:9, 24).

The discovery lines up with the ancient practice of placing covenant documents in sacred spaces (cf. Deut. 31:24–26), suggesting it had been stored in the Temple since ancient times, not recently authored.

Scholarly Support for Pre-Josianic Deuteronomy

K.A. Kitchen, in On the Reliability of the Old Testament, argues that the style, format, and structure of Deuteronomy match 2nd millennium B.C. Hittite suzerain-vassal treaties, which predates Josiah by nearly a millennium.

Richard E. Friedman, while supporting DH generally, acknowledged that much of the Pentateuch could have existed in earlier written forms long before the Josianic era.

Gleason Archer and R.K. Harrison affirm that there is no need to assume that the Book of the Law was newly written in Josiah’s time, but more likely recovered after being neglected under apostate kings like Manasseh.

The rediscovery of Moses’ writings in the Temple in 622 B.C. Impeaches the core tenets of the Documentary Hypothesis:

• The text was not presented as newly composed but recovered.
• It was not anonymous but explicitly attributed to Moses.
• The reaction of Josiah and his reforms suggest it was not known previously, nor crafted to support his policy.
• The preservation in the Temple aligns with ancient Near Eastern document preservation customs.

The record in 2 Chronicles 34:14 supports the traditional view of Mosaic authorship of the Torah and undermines the DH claim that Deuteronomy was a pious fraud written during Josiah’s time.

Categories: Robert Clifton Robinson