Zechariah (Bible book)

Zechariah , prophetic book of the Bible, which dates from 520 BC-518 BC at Jerusalem. The prophet was associated with Haggai in a movement to restore the Temple. The book, after an introduction, proceeds with eight visions, prophetic of the restitution of Israel, and a symbolic crowning of the high priest. An address follows on the observance of the commandments and the rewards for doing so. The remainder of Zechariah, very different in tone, consists of prophecies concerning trouble and threat from invading armies and the eventual redemption of Jerusalem. Scholars date this section to a later period (4th or 3d cent. BC).

Bibliography: See studies by F. A. Tafford (1971), J. Baldwin (1972), and C. and M. Myers (1987).

Zechariah a Hebrew minor prophet of the 6th century bc. Also, a book of the Bible including his prophecies, urging the restoration of the Temple, and some later material.

Zechariah (Zachariah) Any of several biblical personalities. One of the most significant was a Jewish prophet of the late 6th century bc. He prophesied the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon. In the Book of Zechariah, the 11th book of the 12 minor prophets of the Old Testament, he described visions of four horsemen patrolling God's world, four horns symbolizing the destruction of Israel's enemies, and six other night visions prefiguring the coming of God in judgment. Many of Zechariah's images were taken up in the Revelation of St John the Divine. The other important Zechariah was the priest mentioned in the Gospel According to St Luke as the father of Saint John the Baptist. In the New Testament account (Luke 1), Zechariah was visited by the angel Gabriel, who foretold the birth of John to Zechariah's wife Elizabeth. For doubting Gabriel's prophecy, Zechariah was struck dumb until the time of John's circumcision.