Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)


Zechariah was a person in the Hebrew Bible and traditionally considered the author of the Book of Zechariah, the eleventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets. He was a prophet of the Kingdom of Judah, and, like the prophet Ezekiel, was of priestly extraction.

Prophet

The book of Zechariah introduces the prophet as the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. The book of Ezra names Zechariah as the son of Iddo, but it is likely that Berechiah was Zechariah's father, and Iddo was his grandfather.
His prophetical career probably began in the second year of Darius, king of Persia. His greatest concern appears to have been with the building of the Second Temple.
He was probably not the "Zechariah" mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke ; Zechariah ben Jehoiada was more likely intended.

Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'í teachers have made comparisons between the prophecies of Zechariah and the Súriy-i-Haykal in the Summons of the Lord of Hosts, a collection of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh.

Liturgical commemoration

On the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, his feast day is February 8. He is commemorated with the other Minor Prophets in the calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on July 31. The Roman Catholic Church honors him with a feast day assigned to September 6.