Night Mares and Day Dreams

I. Zechariah in Historical and Literary Perspective

A. First Zechariah (chaps. 1-8)

1. Date and Place: 520-518 B.C.E. (i.e., early postexilic period) in Judah.

2. Historical Situation

3. Major Themes: Zionism and Temple Ideology expressed in proto-apocalyptic form

B. Second Zechariah (chaps. 9-14)

1. Date and Place: Mid- 5th or more likely late 4th cent. B.C.E. (i.e., Greco-Persian or early Greek/Hellenistic period) in Judah

2. Historical Situation

3. Major Themes: Zionism and Apocalypticism

II. Outline of Second Zechariah (from James D. Newsome, The Hebrew Prophets)

A. The first collection of oracles (chaps. 9-11)

1. Oracle concerning the messianic king (9:1-13)

2. Oracle concerning judgment and salvation in the last day (9:14-17)

3. Oracle concerning the overthrow of the false shepherds and the return of Yahweh's people (10:1 - 11:3)

4. Oracle concerning the true shepherd over Israel (11:4-17)

B. The second collection of oracles (chaps. 12-14)

1. Oracle concerning the final battle and the grief over "him whom they have pierced" (12:1 - 13:9)

2. Another oracle concerning the final battle and the Day of Yahweh (14:1-21)