Editing Book of Malachi (section)

==Period==
There are a few historical details in the Book of Malachi. A clue as to its dating may lie in the fact that the Persian-era term for governor ({{langx|arc|פח|translit=peḥ}}) is used in 1:8 to refer to the governor of Judah. This points to a [[Jewish history|post-exilic]] (that is, after 538 BCE) date of composition both because of the use of this term and because [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]] had a king before the exile. Since in the same verse the rebuilt temple is referenced, the book must also be later than 515 BCE.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament|last1=LaSor|first1=William Sanford|last2=Hubbard|first2=David Allan|last3=Bush|first3=Frederic William|last4=Allen|first4=Leslie C.|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|date=3 Sep 1996|isbn=9780802837882|pages=415}}</ref> The author of the [[Book of Sirach]], written early in the second century BCE, apparently knew of Malachi. Because of the development of themes in the book of Malachi, most scholars assign it to a position after the [[Book of Haggai]] and the [[Book of Zechariah]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/haggai-zechariah-and-malachi-back-in-the-land/|title=Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi: Back in the Land {{!}} My Jewish Learning|work=My Jewish Learning|access-date=2018-05-10|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hatanakh.com/en/tags/malachi|title=Malachi {{!}} התנך|website=www.hatanakh.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-10}}</ref> close to the time when Ezra and [[Nehemiah]]<ref name=":0" /> came to [[Jerusalem]] in 445 BCE.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cheyne|first=T. K.|date=1899|title=The Times of Nehemiah and Ezra|jstor=3137145|journal=The Biblical World|volume=14|issue=4|pages=238–250|doi=10.1086/472543|doi-access=free}}</ref>