of the
Pentateuch, spoken of above, _wrote about this time_, and the Israelites
heard, _from the colonists from Babylon, Persia, and other places--for
the first time--many of the legends which this writer wove into the
fabulous history which he wrote, especially the accounts of the Creation
and the Deluge_.

The Pentateuch remained in this, its _first_ form, until the year 620 B.
C. Then a certain _priest_ of marked prophetic sympathies wrote a book
of law which has come down to us in Deuteronomy, iv. 44, to xxvi., and
xxviii. Here we find the demands which the _Mosaic_ party at _that day_
were making thrown into the form of laws. It was by King Josiah that
this book was first introduced and proclaimed as authoritative.[93:4] It
was soon afterwards _wove into_ the work of the _first_ Pentateuchian
writer, and at the same time "_a few new passages_" were added, some of
which related to Joshua, the successor of Moses.[94:1]

At this period in Israel's history, Jehovah had become almost forgotten,
and "other gods" had taken his place.[94:2] The Mosaic party, so
called--who worshiped Jehovah exclusively--were in the minority, but
when King Amon--who was a worshiper of Moloch--died, and was succeeded
by his son Josiah, a change immediately took place. This young prince,
who was only eight years old at the death of his father, the Mosaic
party succeeded in winning over to their interests. In the year 621 B.
C., Josiah, now in the eighteenth year of his reign, began a thorough
reformation which completely answered to the ideas of the Mosaic
party.[94:3]

It was during this time that the _second_ Pentateuchian writer wrote,
and _he_ makes _Moses_ speak as the law-giver. This writer was probably
Hilkiah, _who claimed to have found a book, written by Moses, in the
temple,[94:4] although it had only just been drawn up_.[94:5]

The principal objections which _were_ brought against the claims of
Hilkiah, _but which are not needed in the present age of inquiry_, was
that Shaphan and Josiah read it off, not as if it were an _old_ book,
_but as though it had been recently written_, when any person who is
acquainted, in the slightest degree, with language, must know that a man
could not read off, at once, _a book written eight hundred years
before_. The phraseology would necessarily be so altered by time as to
render it comparatively unintelligible.

We must now turn to the _third_ Pentateuchian writer, _whose writings
were publi