So, the mainstream consensus at that time was that the traditional date for deuteronomy should be replaced by a later date , based on historical-critical method

So, the mainstream consensus at that time was that the traditional date for deuteronomy should be replaced by a later date , based on historical-critical methods. These same dates and theories enjoy considerable love today. If the shapira fragments are a 9th century BC copy of deuteronomy, modern historical critical thoughts about the composition and dating of the pentateuch are wrong. Edit: Not a consensus I guess but the documentary hypothesis was emerging in the 1860s and 1870s shortly before these fragments made their debut.