All Jews today and in the past agree upon one version of Ha Torah and more importantly of one version of the stories in the book of Exodus. We know this to be true because there are no other recorded versions of the book of Exodus and no arguments over different versions of the Mount Sinai event have risen among Jews in history.
4. The fourth question is some what answered in the third answer. One know Jews from the past believed in the same Mount Sinai event that is recorded Ha Torah today because there have never been any arguments over different versions of the book of Exodus nor the Mount Horeb event. Not until about 200 years ago did Jews begin to doubt the divine origin of Ha Torah. Before the Reform Judaism movement began Jews believed their ancestors heard the L-rd G-d speak and Ha Torah was of divine origin.
One can know Moses and all the Israelites with him believed they heard G-d A-mighty speak because Moses has been the only one Jews have claimed wrote Ha Torah. The laws of Moses is mentioned throughout Ha Tanach also known as the Hebrew Bible. There is not much reason to believe the laws of Moses is not Ha Torah because
In Deuteronomy 27:3 Moses and the elders of Israel charge the Israelites to observe all the Instruction that he (Moses) has enjoin upon them. He continues on telling the Israelites as soon as they cross the Jordan into the land G-d promised they would have, to set up large stones. Then coat them with plaster and inscribe upon them all the words of the Teaching he has for them. All English translations inform you Moses has a set of instructions for them written most likely on scrolls. I don't know what else people back then could use to write on other than scrolls.
Some disbelievers and skeptics believe in the Documentary Hypothesis which claims Ha Torah had multiple authors over hundreds of years. The Documentary Hypothesis need not concern any believers in Judaism or even Christianity or Islam thanks to the late Umberto Cassuto and his book The Documentary Hypothesis. The hypothesis so many disbelievers believe d and still believe in has been completely debunked. He didn't believe in the Mosaic authorship but he still did an excellent job on debunking what so many disbelievers used and still use today to try to refute Judaism.
Some disbelievers can still think Ha Torah was written no where near the time Moses is said to have lived even though the Documentary Hypothesis has been refuted. Some disbelievers think perchance instead of all the Israelites suddenly being given Ha Torah which would be filled with stories they never heard of or stories they weren't too familiar with from a king like Josiah, the Israelites only had myths about Moses, the Mount Horeb event, et cetera passed on orally not yet written.
The probability of King Josiah or any other king revealing to the Israelites their new found official version of all the myths they knew of and King Josiah or any other king of the Israelites one could think of, not taking giving any credit to the author(s) or especially not giving credit to himself publicly is unlikely. Surely King Josiah would have liked to have been remembered as the king who not only created an official version of all the Israelites myths but also the one responsible for convincing the Israelites to become faithful monotheists!
Even if King Josiah didn't want to take any credit or give any credit to the author(s) for giving the Israelites their official version of of their history and dogma, the Israelites themselves would be likely to mention to their descendants who it was who founded the official versions of all their myths into a collection of books known today as Ha Torah. If one were to assume not every single Isaelite would mention to their children the great king who introduced Ha Torah to them, is it really likely not half or even a minority of the Israelite population would mention it to their children and/or grandchildren?
If King Josiah, or any other person you can think of that isn't Moses told the Israelites themselves to never mention to their children who it was that compiled and their local myths into an official version within 5 books known at that time as "The book of Moses" or "The book of G-d" and instead state it was Moses, it is unlikely every Israelite would follow those orders. If one is to believe all the Israelites agreed to telling their children and others who would ask about the authorship of Ha Torah it was Moses when in fact they all knew it was either King Josiah, one or some of his priests, whoever else one can think of, or some unknown author(s) King Josiah refused to mention, then one is to believe it was a conspiracy.
Not only do conspiracies become more increasingly difficult to maintain as more members join in, Kartherin K. Young states historians show every real conspiracy has had at least four characteristic features. Some characteristic features are the need for groups, not isolated individuals; illegal or sinister aims, not ones that would benefit society as a whole; orchestrated acts, not a series of spontaneous and haphazard ones; and secret planning, not public discussion. It would be illogical for one to believe the traditional belief of Mosaic authorship was a conspiracy because the only characteristic features the Israelites could have fit into is the second feature. The first feature would have fit with the Israelites if they were an extremely small nation by the time King Josiah reigned which they were not. Conspiracies eventually fail if there are too many members.
In II Kings 22:8-13 King Josiah is informed a scroll of the Teaching or as most translations put it, the Book of the Law has been found in the House of the L-rd also known as the Holy Temple. When King Josiah heard the words of the scroll of the Teaching he rent his clothes. He ordered the priest Hilkiah and company to inform all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah of the Teaching that has been found.
II Kings 23:2-3 states King Josiah gathered all the Israelites together at the Holy Temple and then read the entire text of the covenant scroll. The scroll of the Teaching that was read to the people is agreed upon most scholars and religious Jews to be the book of Deuteronomy despite it is not specifically stated which of the 5 books of Ha Torah that was read. King Josiah solemnized the covenant before the L-rd: that they all follow the L-rd G-d and observe His commandments, His injunctions and laws with all their heart and soul; that the Israelites would fufill all the terms of their covenant with G-d as inscribed upon the scroll. Lastly, verse 3 states all the people entered into the covenant or joined or pledged themselves to the covenant (depending on the translation of Ha Tanach one reads).
II Kings 23:4 informs us after all the Israelites pledged themselves to only follow the ways of the G-d of Israel that is when King Josiah ordered for the idols of Judah to be burned.
The scroll King Josiah read most likely wasn't read for many generations. However this doesn't necessarily mean the Israelites in Judah didn't ever in their lives study the other 4 books of Ha Torah or at least one of them. Assuming few or none of them were ever read, they likely passed on the stories orally. If one of King Josiah's priests or King Josiah himself had compiled all of the Isrealite's myths into an official version of all their myths into what is today called the Book of Deuteronomy or Ha Torah surely not all of the Israelites would have agreed to the one version King Josiah read. Half of the Israelites or at least a minority of them would have protested against the version King Josiah read. Even if all the Israelites of Judah had vague memories of their local myths due to not fully studying Ha Torah for many generations, it is illogical to believe all of the Israelites would agree to the official version of their myths and especially right after their king read it. This is even more apparent if one believe in the saying "Two Jews three opinions."
All or the majority of the Israelites especially the elders, most definitely knew (be it vaguely or quite well) of the Mount Horeb event that Jews know of today and/or familiar with what was read to them. All of the Israelites would have no reason to suddenly stop worshiping other gods along with the G-d of their ancestors just because beautiful verses were read and their king thought it to be very important. Now that alone could have changed the minds of a few Israelites to begin only worshiping the one true G-d but it would not change the minds of the entire Israelite population of Judah, especially right after reading the scroll. The Israelites must have been familiar with the version King Josiah read which would also mean they must have also remembered hearing or reading for themselves from their own Torah the miracles performed for their ancestors in Egypt and the Sinai desert and with the L-rd G-d speaking to them at Mount Sinai. If they didn't already know of the version of their stories King Josiah read and if they weren't already familiar with the same version of the Mount Horeb event King Josiah read about if indeed he read the book of Deuteronomy aloud, half or a minority would have gone back to being polytheists or would have argued about remaining polytheists yet all the Israelites agreed to faithfully joining the covenant of G-d after hearing what was read.
II Kings 23:22 states in the Jewish Publication Society translation: "Now the passover sacrifice had not been offered in that manner in the days of the chieftains who ruled Israel, or during the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah." II Chronicles 35:17-18 also indicates the Israelites had not celebrated the Passover properly; Since the time of the prophet Samuel no Passover had been held properly in all of Israel until the King Josiah turned 18. Therefore King Josiah's priest either truly found a scroll of the Teaching of Moses or II Kings 23:22 is a false statement.
also provides more evidence that the Israelites of the time were aware
After Josiah's death the Israelite's kings after him were polytheists, however it is unknown if some Israelites returned to being polytheists or remained monotheists.
A skeptic could state perchance King Josiah forced all of them to only worship G-d by trying to make them fearful of him and of the G-d of Israel. The probability of the whole congregation fearing Josiah and succumbing to his threats rather than at least half or a minority of them fleeing, carefully debating with King Josiah or believing their other gods could save them is very little. However one could ask, what if some Israelites did flee, argue, and pray to the other gods they worshiped to save them from King Josiah and his G-d's might and it just wasn't recorded. This could have happened except all throughout history King Josiah has been regarded by the Jews as a good king. There is no mention nor story among Jews from the past to today of there being any Israelites who refused to become or unwillingly pledged to become faithful monotheists after Josiah read the scroll aloud.
To be continued...
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