c. 520 b.c.
Zechariah prophesied to the people of Jerusalem after they returned from Babylon in 538 b.c. and before they rebuilt the temple in 515. The city of Jerusalem lay in ruins, the walls and the temple having been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 b.c. Within a year after returning from Babylon, the people had laid the foundation for the new temple, but by Zechariah’s time they had still not completed it. Zechariah, together with Haggai, encouraged the people to complete the temple.
