The eleventh book of the twelve Minor Prophets. Zechariah prophesied in the period of the Return to Zion (Shivat Zion, 520–518 BCE). The 14 chapters of the book are divided into two main sections, the first of which (chs. 178) contains the prophet's exhortations for a speedy return to Zion in order to rebuild the Temple. It includes eight visions which describe the building of Jerusalem, the purification of the land, the judgment of the world, and the beginning of the messianic era. The prophecies of the second section (chs. 9–14) are concerned with the final days of Ephraim and Judah and all neighboring peoples. It is distinguished both in style and content from the first section, and is considered by some scholars to be a separate work entirely. There are those who place it in Hasmonean times, and others who believe it was written far earlier during the First Temple period.
