The book ascribed to him may represent two different personages who lived at different times, according to most scholars. Thus a basic unity appears to be lacking in this, one of the longest books of the Twelve Prophets. He began prophesying around the same time as Haggai, i. e., early in the reign of King Darius of Persia, about 520 B.C.E. The second part, consisting of Chapters 9-14, will be discussed below. The Book of Zechariah contains a wealth of visions and symbols.
Messianic expectations are prominent.
Indeed, Zechariah sees Zerubbabel, the ruler of Judah, as a potential Messiah, a hope that is not fulfilled. It is also significant that, unlike the other Prophets, there is evidence that Zechariah reached his audience by the written word as well as by oratory. The authorship and dating of the second part of the book has puzzled scholars. Zechariah's name does not appear. There are prophecies which refer to the Philistines and to Damascus among other people and places that are associated with the period of the First Temple.