Zacharias
Zacharias
John the Baptist was the son of someone who was literally one of the acting High priests of Judea, one Zacharias.[1]
Origen suggested that the Zechariah mentioned in Matthew 23:35 who was killed between the temple and the altar may be the father of John the Baptist.[2] In Fact, he was emphatic that Zechariah was killed by the scribes and Pharisees and not by Herod. Several Byzantine authors do not connect the prophet of 2 Chronicles 24 the Zachariah of Matthew 23:35.
- Matthew 23:35 "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar."
Origen suggestion that the Zechariah mentioned in Matthew 23:35 may be the father of John the Baptist includes "The latter view is that of Origen, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Theophylact, and several others among the Fathers (see Thilo, Praef. p. lxiv. f.); and recently of Müller in the Stud. u. Krit. 1841, p. 673 ff." Meyer's New Testament Commentary
Zechariah may have been killed by those under Herod's order because he did not reveal the location of John and Elizabeth to them as they had fled the wrath of Herod. According to the Gospel of James we can see the text does not support the idea that it was the soldiers who killed Zechariah.
Still others contradict even this report.
In the hypothetical Gospel of the Nazarenes and according to Jerome’s statement it was not the Son of Barachias as we see in the Greek text, but the Son of Jehoiada. Jerome rejected the Gospel of James for his own reasons and using Son of Jehoiada to simply confirm that opinion.
Abel to Zacharias
From the "blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias", but which Zacharias?
Zacharias is mentioned numerous times by Luke[3] but being the son of Barachias only appears in Matthew.
In Matthew 23:35 we see, "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias <2197> son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar."
But the “son of Barachias” is omitted in the Sinaitic Manuscript. They are also omitted in Luke 11:51 "From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias <2197>, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation."
The Zacharias, whose death “in the court of the house of the Lord” which is recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22,[4] was the "son of Jehoiada". For that reason alone it does not fit. It might fit because after that murder he stated, "The LORD look upon it, and require it" but they were invaded by Syria and destroyed immediately.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag but there is no record of his death preserved.
While at the commencement of the Jewish War with Vespasian there was a Zacharias, son of Baruch who was slain in the Temple by two zealots (Jos. B. J. iv. 5. 4) but the suggestion that Jesus spoke prophetically is out of context and not likely.
The space from Abel to Zacharias, son of Jehoiada, covers the whole history of the Jews because the Jewish Canon closed with the second book of Chronicles. But it seems that Jesus was taking this up to that moment in time.
There was also a "Zachariah the son of Jeroboam":
- 2 Kings 15:8 In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.
- ↑ 2197 Ζαχαρίας Zacharias [dzakh-ar-ee’-as] of Hebrew origin 02148 <02148> זְכַריָה Zek-ar-yáw or זְכַריָהוּ Zek-ar-yáw-hu; n pr m; AV-Zacharias 11; 11
Zacharias = "remembered of Jehovah"
- 1) the father of John the Baptist
- 2) son of Barachias, who was slain by the Jews between the altar and the temple
- ↑ (Reimund Bieringer, The Corinthian Correspondence, page 497, footnote 20).
- ↑ Zacharias in Luke
- Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias <2197>, of the course of Abia: and his wife [was] of the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elisabeth.
- Luke 1:12 And when Zacharias <2197> saw [him], he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
- Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias <2197>: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
- Luke 1:18 And Zacharias <2197> said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
- Luke 1:21 And the people waited for Zacharias <2197>, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
- Luke 1:40 And entered into the house of Zacharias <2197>, and saluted Elisabeth.
- Luke 1:59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias <2197>, after the name of his father.
- Luke 1:67 And his father Zacharias <2197> was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
- Luke 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias <2197> in the wilderness.
- Luke 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias <2197>, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
- ↑ 2 Chronicles 24:20 "And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. 21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. 22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it."