Saint Zechariah the Prophet

Zechariah, son of Berechiah and grandson of Iddo, is one of the twelve so-called minor prophets of the Old Testament. He began to prophesy in Jerusalem around 520 BC, at the same time as the prophet Haggai, when the Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon and the work of rebuilding the Temple had stalled. Together they encouraged the governor Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua to finish the work.

His book opens with eight night visions full of angels, horses and lampstands, all announcing that God has not abandoned his people. Its later chapters contain prophecies that the Gospels apply to Jesus: the king who comes "humble and riding on a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9), the shepherd sold for thirty pieces of silver, and the one "whom they have pierced" (12:10). He is distinct from Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

The Roman Martyrology commemorates him on September 6. His prophecy of the king on a donkey is read every Palm Sunday season, and his words are echoed in the Gospel accounts of the Passion.

Eastern Christians also honor him as a holy prophet, and his name remains a popular given name in both English and Spanish.