This article deals with the origins of Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch in Samaritan and Jewish circles, sketches recent developments in our knowledge of the history of Samaria and Judea in the Persian and Hellenistic periods, and compares major variants in the Samaritan Pentateuch with the Masoretic text. A conclusion is that the variants have not been added to a Masoretic Vorlage, but that the SP belongs to a variant text tradition. The variants, however, also seem to reflect possible missing passages in the Masoretic text, thus making this version less coherent. A northern origin for a proto-Deuteronomy is considered most likely, when viewed from a Pentateuchal context.