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Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools

Zachariah 3:16; 6:19). However, we should not
Zachariah is a post-exilic prophet based take this focus to mean that Haggai was
in Jerusalem in the 6 Century BCE. He oblivious to people’s spirituality. As we
th
was a contemporary of Prophet Haggai. noted above, Haggai did, indeed, deal
The mention of Zerubbabel in Chapter with people’s uncleanness, calling them
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4 attests to this. Zechariah means God to reconsider their ways. It can be said
remembers. Again, much like in the case that awakening people who seemed
of Haggai, this prophet’s name relates to indifferent to the sorry state of the temple
his message. was an act of addressing a deep-seated
uncleanness of the heart. The slight time
Circumstances behind the prophecy of difference between the prophecies of
Zechariah are similar to those of Haggai. Haggai and Zechariah can be used to
However, there are some differences in explain the differences in focus between
the focus and method of communicating the two prophets. Since Zechariah came
the message. Both are stationed in in after the temple rebuilding had already
Jerusalem and are concerned about the started, he could focus more on the
spiritual situation of post-exile people. meaning and importance of the temple
In both cases, the people of Judah and and the position Joshua and Zerubbabel
Jerusalem have disappointed God. occupied. Having addressed the context
Although more explicit in Haggai, of the writing of the book we go to the
the concern about rebuilding the structure of the book.
temple is found in Zechariah. The
slackening in rebuilding the temple Traditionally, the book of Zechariah is
discussed in Haggai is also suggested in conceived as having two main parts,
Zechariah 8:9. While the hesitation or namely chapters 1-8 and 9-14, written
postponement of rebuilding the temple in different periods. One should note
may seem less explicit in Zechariah, the that not all biblical scholars accept that
building project is highlighted in Zech. the two parts are unrelated. While the
1:16; 4:6-9 & 6:12. book of Zechariah can be structured
differently, e.g., in three or four parts
Zechariah tends to dwell more on with different thematic considerations,
the spiritual status of people. He is the four-part structure, namely the
inclined to address the temple from a introduction, visions, issues of fasting
slightly different angle. He focuses on and fasting and the oracles, is more
the spiritual life of worshippers. Their inclusive.
hearts should be clean. This teaching
reminds us of Paul’s discernment, “Your The introduction (Zec. 1:1-6) opens
bodies are the temple of God” (1 Cor. the book’s first part (chapters 1-8). It

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