ZECHARIAH . . . appeared as a prophet in Jerusalem along with Haggai, in the second year of Darius Hystaspis (520 B.C.), to warn and encourage the Jews to address themselves at length to the restoration of the temple, which then still lay in ruins. Supported by the prophets, Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest, set about the work, and the elders of Judah built and the work went forward. The first eight chapters of the book of Zechariah exactly fit into the historical setting. They are divided by precise chronological headings into three sections. . . . The first section is a preface containing exhortation in general terms.
The main section is the second, containing a series of night visions, the significant features of which are pointed out by an angel who stands by the prophet and answers his questions. . . .
—From "Encyclopaedia Biblica."
