Zechariah

• DatesChapters 1–8 dated 520–518 BC; chapters 9–14 undated (debated)
• GenreMinor Prophets
• AuthorshipZechariah son of Berechiah; unity of the book debated
• TimelineExile & Return (including the Second Temple period)
• Key textsZechariah 1; Zechariah 9; Zechariah 12–14
• Read the textZechariah in the World English Bible
• Covered in classSession 3

What the sources say, and how sure we are

• The text says

  Chapters 1–8 are dated to the second and fourth years of Darius, 520 and 518 BC, and chapters 9–14 are undated.Zech 1:1; Zech 7:1

• Debated

  Many scholars think chapters 9–14 come from a later author, because of their different style and mention of Greece. Others hold that Zechariah wrote the whole book, with later years of ministry.Zech 9:13

• Christian conclusion

  The Gospels draw on Zechariah 9–14 in the account of Jesus’ last week, including the entry on a donkey, the thirty pieces of silver, and the one pierced.Zech 9:9; Zech 11:12–13; Zech 12:10; Matt 21:5; Matt 27:9–10; John 19:37