And finally, it was Deuteronomy that brought about the
historical result of Josiah's reformation. Thus the whole
historical movement now under our consideration, so far as it was
effective and thereby has come to our knowledge, is in its origin
and essence prophetic, even if latterly it may have been aided by
priestly influences; and it not merely can, but must be
understood from itself. Any older or independent contemporary
priestly movement in the same direction remained at least entirely
without result, and so also has left no witnesses to itself.
Perhaps it occurs to us that the priests of Jerusalem must after
all have been the first to catch sight of the goal, the attainment
of which afterwards brought so great advantage to themselves, but
it does not appear that they were so clever beforehand as we are
after the event. At least there are no other grounds for the
hypothesis of a long previously latent tendency towards
centralisation on the part of the Jerusalem priesthood beyond the
presumption that the Priestiy Code must chronologically precede,
not Deuteronomy merely, but also the prophets.
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