https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1lqfMyA290

by @Stephans_History_of_the_World

2024-12-12

@JorgeStolfi
1 month ago
The kingdoms of Judah and Israel probably had two different versions of the Torah, that evolved separately over many centuries as oral traditions and were eventually written down separately.  As the Bible itself tells, when Ezra took control of those lands, he set to unify the religion by "restoring" a single Torah for all.  Politically, it makes sense that, rather than choosing one of the two versions, or fusing them into a single story, he would choose to interleave the two versions.  That way, the priests from each region could continue to read "their" version of the Torah from that "unified" text.