When did the Israelites receive the Book of Deuteronomy?

Answer 1

The Israelites received the Book of Deuteronomy from the hand of Moses, as it states explicitly (Deut. 31:24). This was shortly before his death in 1272 BCE. Many of the other books, from Joshua (ch.1) onward, quote Deuteronomy verbatim.

Concerning the modern theory claiming that Deuteronomy is from King Josiah's time, it should be noted that:
a) There were hundreds - probably thousands - of Torah scrolls possessed by the Jewish people, just like today.
b) King Amon 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.
c) Yoshiah (Josiah) 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).
d) Deuteronomy, along with the rest of the Torah, existed 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" (II Kings 14:6), which is a quote from Deuteronomy (24:16).

While Judaism has always seen the Torah as an intricate tapestry that nonetheless had one Divine source, some modern authors such as Wellhausen (the father of modern Biblical-criticism, 1844-1918) have suggested artificially chopping up the narrative and attributing it to various authors, despite the Torah's explicit statement as to its provenance (Exodus 24:12, Deuteronomy 31:24). This need not concern believers, since his claims have been debunked one by one, as Archaeology and other disciplines have demonstrated the integrity of the Torah. No fragments have ever been found that would support his Documentary Hypothesis, which remains nothing more than an arbitrary claim:

http://www.whoreallywrotethebible.com/excerpts/chapter4-1.php

http://www.pearlmancta.com/BiblicalcriticswrongRShlomoCohen.htm

And see also the wider picture:

http://judaism.answers.com/hebrew/does-archaeology-support-the-hebrew-bible

Answer 2

Scholars believe that the Book of Deuteronomy was the "book of law" allegedly found in the Temple during renovations, during the reign of King Josiah. Although traditionally attributed to Moses, scholars say it was actually written during the reign of Josiah and placed in the Temple to give the book the appearance of antiquity. It is dated to around 622 BCE, but was probably significantly edited after the Babylonian Exile in the time of Ezra around 500 BCE.

For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/bible/the-book-of-deuteronomy

Answer 3

No exact date is known, but tradition holds that it was about 1300 BCE, though some modern scholars believe the Torah was written by more than one person, centuries later.