(3) Practical Life. The mention of that fact leads the Lawgiver to the domestic and practical life of the people when domesticated in their true home, the Land of Promise; which he further reg ulates by a fixed and solid rule, by new laws, which for this, their new design and purport, form a sort of complement to the laws already given. There, in the land of their forefathers, Jehovah will appoint one fixed place for his lasting sanc tuary. At that chosen spot alone are the sacrifices to be killed, while cattle in general, which arc not destined for sacred purposes, but merely for food, may be slaughtered at all places according to con venience—a regulation which still leaves in full force the previous laws concerning the eating of blood and the share of Jehovah in slaughtered cattle. This sanctuary was to be considered as the central point for all sacred objects. The whole land was, by means of the sanctuary established in the midst of it, consecrated and dedicated to Je hovah. This consecration was incompatible with any defilement whatsoever. On that account the Canaanites must be exterminated and all idola trous abominations destroyed, since nothing ought to be added to or taken from the laws of God (ch. xii). For the same reason (i. c., for the sake of the holiness of the land, diffused from the sa cred center) no fake prophets or soothsayers are to be tolerated, as they may turn the minds of the people from the law, by establishing a different one, and therefore even a whole town given to the worship of idols must be demolished by force of arms (ch. xiii). Neither, in like manner. must the heathen customs of mourning be imitated, or unclean beasts eaten; but the people must always remain true to the previous laws concerning food, etc., and show their real attachment to Jehovah and his religion by willingly paying the tithe as ordained by the law (ch. xiv). To the same end likewise shall the regulations concerning the years of release and the festivals of Jehovah (to be sol emnized in the place of the new-chosen Sanc tuary) be most scrupulously observed (ch. xv, xvi). Only unblemished sacrifices shall be offered. for all idolatrous worshipers must irrevocably be put to death by stoning. For the execution of due punishment, honest judges must govern the na tion, while the highest tribunal shall exist in the place chosen for the Sanctuary, consisting of the priests and judges of the land. If a king be given by God to the people, he shall first of all accommo date himself to the laws of God, and not lead a heathen life. Next to the regal and judicial digni ties the ecclesiastical power shall exist in its full right ; and again, next to it, the prophetic order (ch. xvii, xviii). Of all these institutions the du ties of the judicial power are most clearly de fined; for Jehovah does as little suffer that in his land the right of the innocent shall be turned aside as that indulgence shall be shown to the evil-doer (ch. nix). The exposition of the civil law is fol lowed by that of the martial law, which has some bearing upon the then impending war with Canaan.
These are again followed by a series of laws in reference to the preceding, and referring chiefly to hard cases in the judicial courts, by which Moses obviously designed to exhibit the whole of the civil life of his people in its strict application to the theocratic system of law and right. Therefore the form of prayer to be spoken at the offering up of the firstlings and tithe the theocratic confes von of faith—by which every Israelite acknowl edges in person that he is what God has enjoined and called him to be, forms a beautiful conclusion of the whole legislation (ch. xxi-xxvi).
The blessings and curses of Jehovah, the two opposite extremes which were to be impressed upon the minds of the people at their entrance into Canaan, and which have hitherto been spoken of only in general terms, are now set forth in their fullest detail, picturing in the most lively colors the abundance of blessings on the one hand and the awful visitations of heaven's wrath on the other. The prophetic speeches visibly and grad ually increase in energy and enthusiasm, until the perspective of the remotest future of the people of God lies open to the eye of the inspired Lawgiver in all its checkered details, when his words resolve themselves into the strains of a splendid triumphal song in which the tone of grief and lamentation is as heartrending as the announcement of Divine salvation therein is jubilant (ch. xxvii, xxviii). The history of the law concludes with a supple ment concerning him who was deemed worthy by the Lord to transmit his law to Israel (ch. xxxiv). Thus much regarding the contents and connec tion of the book of Deuteronomy.
2. Date and Authenticity. The dale, how ever, of the composition of Deuteronomy, as well as its authenticity, has given rise to a far greater variety of opinion. more especially among those who arc opposed to the authorship of Moses.
(1) Earliest of Mosaic Writings. The older critics considered Deuteronomy as the latest pro duction of all the books of the Pentateuch, while the more recent critics have come to just the con trary opinion, and declare it to be the earliest of the Mosaic writings.
(2) Quoted by the Prophets. A very strong proof of the genuineness of the book lies in its relation to the later writings of the prophets. Of all the hooks of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy has been made most use of by the prophets, simply because it is best calculated to serve as a model for prophetic declarations, as also because of the inward harmony that exists between the prothc cses and the laws upon which they arc based.
3. Objections. Among the arguments ad vanced against the authenticity of Deuteronomy are : (1) The contradictions said to exist between this and the other books of Moses.
(2) Ccrtain anachronisms committed by the author.
These contradictions are more especially alleged to exist in the festival laws, where arbitrary and unwarranted views are mostly entertained by such critics with regard to the nature and original meaning of the festivals, which they identify alto gether with natural or seasan festivals, and with out lending to them a more spiritual character and signification.
(3) 'That the Sinai of the other books is always called Horeb in Deuteronomy. They forget, how ever, that Horeb is the general name of the whole mountain, while Sinai is the special name of a par ticular part of it. This distinction is, indeed, most scrupulously observed everywhere in the Penta teuch.
(4) That Priests and Lcvites are used as synony mous terms in Deuteronomy, while in the other books of the Pentateuch they are used as terms distinct from each other. By that expression, however, can only be meant the Levitical priests, i. e., the only legitimate priests. This meaning is borne out by Deuteronomy xviii :3-8, where a clear distinction is made between Priests and Levitcs.
(5) That in Deuteronomy i :44 are mentioned the Amoritcs instead of the Amalekites, as in Num. xiv :45. Here also they have forgotten to notice that in the sequel of the very passage al luded to in Deuteronomy both the Amorites and d4malekites are mentioned.