Of the earliest known sources of the Pentateuch, one has been described as "J," having been prepared in Judah, and employing Jehovah as the name for God. Another primitive source came to be termed "E" by scholars. It was written in Ephraim, and the name Elohim was used for God.
Now we turn from these interwoven sources, primarily concerned with history, to consider a separate source, based upon the teaching of law combined with prophecy, a source commonly described as "D," for Deuteronomy.
Why, at this stage in the development of Hebrew written prophecy, should we consider the message of Deuteronomy, traditionally associated with the work and teaching of Moses? Although his precise dating has not been settled, the Exodus he led may well have occurred some six centuries before Deuteronomy appeared.
