Editing Book of Zechariah (section)

== Authorship ==
[[File:Nahal Hever2.jpg|thumb|Greek manuscript of Zechariah from c. 50 BCE–50 CE ([[Nahal Hever]])]]
Most modern scholars believe the Book of Zechariah was written by at least two different people.{{sfn|Coogan|2009|p=346}} Zechariah 1–8, sometimes referred to as First Zechariah, was written in the 6th century BC and contains oracles from the [[Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)|historical prophet Zechariah]], who lived in the [[Achaemenid Empire]] during the kingdom of [[Darius the Great]].{{sfn|Coogan|2009|p=346}} Zechariah 9–14, often called Second Zechariah, contains within the text no datable references to specific events or individuals, but most scholars give the text a date in the 5th century BC.{{sfn|Coogan|2009|p=355}} Second Zechariah, in the opinion of some scholars, appears to make use of the books of [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]], [[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]], and [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]], the [[Deuteronomist|Deuteronomistic history]], and the themes from First Zechariah. This has led some to believe that the writer(s) or editor(s) of Second Zechariah may have been a disciple of the prophet Zechariah.<ref>Meyers, Eric. "Zechariah Introduction." ''The New Interpreter's Study Bible''. (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 2003), p. 1338.</ref> There are some scholars who go even further and divide Second Zechariah into Second Zechariah (9–11) and Third Zechariah (12–14) since each begins with a heading oracle.<ref>Coogan, M. ''A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its Context'', (Oxford University Press: Oxford 2009), p. 355.</ref>