Josiah's reform
A lost scroll is found in the temple, and Judah's religion is centralised on one place.
- When
- Known to
- ± 2 years
- Era
- Iron Age, Holocene
In 622 BCE, during repairs to the temple, a book of the law is reported found, and Josiah uses it to abolish worship at local shrines, destroy rival cult objects and concentrate all sacrifice in Jerusalem. Most scholars identify the scroll with an early form of Deuteronomy and suspect it was composed for the occasion. The reform makes Judah's religion textual and centralised, which is precisely what allows it to survive the destruction of both the centre and the state fifteen years later.