Zechariah
By Mary Jane Chaignot
Categories: Prophets
- Zechariah was a priest.
- His grandfather’s name (Iddo) is on the list of priests and Levites offered by Nehemiah of people who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel.
- Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai, though neither mentions the other.
- Unlike Haggai who was probably well along in years, Zechariah might have been a younger man.
- Scholars think he might have preached for an additional 50-60 years.
- Most scholars agree that Zechariah wrote the first eight chapters of his book. They don’t agree on authorship for chapters 9-14.
- He, too, is quite specific about the date of his ministry; he offers the month and year – October/November 520BCE.
- Zechariah’s main contribution is a series of visions that an angel interprets for him. Scholars have noted a high number of obscure words and are not very confident about their various meanings.
- Zechariah was able to give a spiritual interpretation to the rebuilding of the temple.
Bibliography
Craigie, Peter. "Twelve Prophets." Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1984.
Gaebelein, Frank. "Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi." Expositor's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1985.
Mills, Watson and Richard Wilson. Mercer Commentary on the Bible. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1995.
Smith, Ralph. "Micah-Malachi." Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1984. |
