Zechariah, book of

Zechariah, book of
The penultimate book of the OT. Chs. 1–8 are the work of Zechariah, son of Iddo (according to Ezra 5:1; grandson according to Zech. 1:1), and describe the harsh conditions of life in Judah after the Return from Exile. He followed Haggai in urging the rebuilding of the Temple (about 518 BCE). There are eight visions in these chapters, linked by the theme of the consecration of Joshua as high priest. The land is to be cleansed of all who do not observe the Law and the visions promise God's continuing protection of Jerusalem.
The remaining chapters of Zech. (and Mal.) were added in the 5th and 4th cents. BCE and the authors seem dissatisfied with the nation's leadership in their time and use their visions of an apocalyptic character to express hopes that in the end there will be a final vindication for the nation. Gentiles too will be included in this act of salvation (Zech. 14:16). Chs 9–14 are complementary to the first eight chs, for the book is an editorial unity: the ‘eye’ motif occurs in both parts. But the ‘Day of the Lord’ is conceived in cosmic terms, with liturgical anticipations at the annual festival of Booths (14:16).

Dictionary of the Bible.

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  • Zechariah, Book of — ▪ Old Testament also spelled  Zacharias,         the 11th of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, collected in the Jewish canon in one book, The Twelve. Only chapters 1–8 contain the prophecies of Zechariah; chapters… …   Universalium

  • Zechariah — /zek euh ruy euh/, n. 1. a Minor Prophet of the 6th century B.C. 2. a book of the Bible bearing his name. Abbr.: Zech. * * * flourished 6th century BC One of the 12 Minor Prophets of the Hebrew scriptures, whose prophecies are recorded in the… …   Universalium

  • ZECHARIAH — ZECHARIAH, the eleventh book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. While the book is attributed to one prophet, in style and content it is clearly separated into two parts: (1) Chapters 1–8 are written with the return from Babylonian Exile as background …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Zechariah (Hebrew prophet) — Zechariah was a person in the Hebrew Bible (Jewish Tanakh and Christian Old Testament). He was the author of the Book of Zechariah, the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets.The name Zechariah is derived from he is called the son of Iddo, who was …   Wikipedia

  • ZECHARIAH — ZECHARIAH, son of Jeberechiah, one of the two faithful witnesses to isaiah s prophecy when he wrote on a sheet to maher shalal ḥash baz and named his newborn son Maher Shalal Hash Baz ( Plunder hastens, booty speeds ), as a sign that before the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • ZECHARIAH AL-ḌĀHIRI — (1519?–1589?), author in yemen . A well known scholar and dayyan, Zechariah was well versed in Hebrew and Arabic literature and in philosophy. He traveled widely, journeying to Ereẓ Israel in 1567 and becoming acquainted with scholars there.… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Zechariah — m Biblical: name (meaning ‘God has remembered’ in Hebrew) of several figures in the Bible, most notably one of the twelve ‘minor’ prophets, author of the book that bears his name. It was also the name of an earlier prophet, who was stoned by the… …   First names dictionary

  • Zechariah — [zek΄ə rī′ə] n. 1. a masculine name: see ZACHARIAH 2. Bible a) a Hebrew prophet of the 6th cent. B.C. who urged the rebuilding of the Temple b) the book of his prophecies: abbrev. Zech or Zec …   English World dictionary

  • Book of Malachi — Hebrew Bible Tanakh …   Wikipedia

  • Book of Zechariah — The Book of Zechariah is a book of the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh attributed to the prophet Zechariah.Historical ContextZechariah’s ministry took place during the reign of Darius the Great (), which recalls the nation s past history,… …   Wikipedia

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