Page "Book of Judges" Paragraph 21

Since the second half of the 20th century most scholars have agreed with Martin Noth's thesis that the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings form parts of a single work.

Noth maintained that the history was written in the early Exilic period ( 6th century BCE ) in order to demonstrate how Israel's history was worked out in accordance with the theology expressed in the book of Deuteronomy ( which thus provides the name " Deuteronomistic ").

Noth believed that this history was the work of a single author, living in the mid-6th century BCE, selecting, editing and composing from his sources to produce a coherent work.

Frank Moore Cross later proposed that an early version of the history was composed in Jerusalem in Josiah's time ( late 7th century ); this first version, Dtr1, was then revised and expanded to create a second edition, that identified by Noth, and which Cross labelled Dtr2.