Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)

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Zechariah
Zacharias (Michelangelo).jpg
Zechariah as depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Diedc. 6th century BCE
OccupationProphet
Known forAuthor of the Book of Zechariah
FatherBerechiah (likely)

Zechariah [a] [1] was a person in the Hebrew Bible traditionally considered the author of the Book of Zechariah, the eleventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets.

Contents

The Book of Zechariah depicts the eponymous character as the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. [2] The Book of Ezra instead names Zechariah as the son of Iddo, [3] Targum Lamentations 2:20 names this Zechariah as a son of Iddo, as does the book of Matthew 23:35. This is not the same person as Iddo the Seer, who lived during the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah, [4] and is most likely the Iddo mentioned in Ezra 8:17. [5] Zechariah's prophetical career probably began in the second regnal year of Darius the Great, king of the Achaemenid Empire (520 BCE). [6] Zechariah's greatest concern appears to have been with the building of the Second Temple. [6] He features in chapters 1–8 of the book of Zechariah but he does not appear in the remaining chapters of the book (chapters 9–14). [7]

Prophet

Zechariah as depicted by James Tissot Tissot Zechariah.jpg
Zechariah as depicted by James Tissot

The Book of Zechariah introduces him as the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. [8] The Book of Ezra names Zechariah as the son of Iddo, [9] but it is likely that Berechiah was Zechariah's father and Iddo his grandfather. [6] Targum Lamentations 2:20 names this Zechariah son of Iddo, as does the book of Matthew 23:35. This is not the same person as Iddo the Seer, who lived during the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah, [10] and is most likely the Iddo mentioned in Ezra 8:17. [11] His name means "Yah remembers". [12]

Zechariah's prophetical career probably began in the second year of Darius the Great, king of the Achaemenid Empire (520 BCE). [6] His greatest concern appears to have been with the building of the Second Temple. [6] He features in chapters 1–8 of the book of Zechariah but he does not appear in the remaining chapters of the book (chapters 9–14). [13]

Liturgical commemoration

On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is 8 February. He is commemorated in the calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on the Tuesday after the fifth Sunday of Pentecost [14] and, with the other Minor Prophets, on 31 July. The Catholic Church honors him with a feast day assigned to 6 September.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Pronounced /zɛkəˈraɪ.ə/ ; Hebrew: זְכַרְיָה‎, Modern: Zəḵarya, Tiberian: Zăḵaryā; Arabic: زكريّاZakariyā or Zakariyyā; Biblical Greek: ΖαχαρίαςZakharias; Latin: Zacharias.

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Khan, Geoffrey (2020). The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, Volume 1. Open Book Publishers. ISBN   978-1783746767.
  2. ↑ Zechariah 1:1
  3. ↑ Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14
  4. ↑ 2nd Chronicles 9:29, 12:15, and 13:22
  5. ↑ Ezra 8:17
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Hirsch, Emil G. (1906). "Zechariah". In Cyrus Adler; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia . New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Jerusalem Bible (1966), Introduction to the Prophets: Zechariah, p. 1139, London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Co. Inc.
  8. ↑ Zechariah 1:1
  9. ↑ Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14
  10. ↑ 2nd Chronicles 9:29, 12:15, and 13:22
  11. ↑ Ezra 8:17
  12. ↑ Strong's Lexicon: 2148. Zechariah, accessed on 9 January 2025
  13. ↑ Jerusalem Bible (1966), Introduction to the Prophets: Zechariah, p. 1139, London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Co. Inc.
  14. ↑ Domar: the calendrical and liturgical cycle of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Theological Research Institute, 2003

Bibliography

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