Background of Zechariah

With the mention of Iddo and Zechariah in NehemiahThe governor of Jerusalem who rebuilt the city walls after the exile More 12:4, 16, plus Zechariah’s opening verse, we know that Zechariah was active in the early years of the return from Babylon, probably about 520-518 B.C.E. The visions and oracles of chapters 1-8 clearly refer to this period when the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... More was rebuilt. Chapters 9-14 are more difficult to determine. Often called “Deutero-Zechariah” or “Second Zechariah,” their historical setting is a matter of speculation, with references generally considered to be from the fifth or fourth centuries, although some scholars suggest that some of the material might be preexilic.