D is one of the five authors (
J,
E,
D,
P, and
R) of the
Pentateuch or
Torah (the first five books of the
Bible) theorized by Biblical scholars. S/he may have lived during the 7th century BC.
D is short for the "
Deuteronomist" and is credited with large parts of, as you may have guessed,
Deuteronomy. D may have also had a hand in
Joshua,
Judges,
Ruth,
Samuel, and
Kings, all historical
scripture detailing the conquest of
Canaan and the establishment of
Israel. D's work includes a massive revision of religious law.
One author,
Richard Elliot Friedman, suggests that the Deuteronomist may have been the
prophet Jeremiah. A widely-held school of thought holds that D was Jeremiah's scribe
Baruch.