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272 VISIONS AND PROPHECIES OF ZECHARIAH

It is obvious that there must be some mistake either in the tests applied or in their application, which admits of a variation of at least 450 years from somewhere in the reign of Uzziah (say 770 B.C.) to later than 330 B.C.]

The Arguments against the Unity of Zechariah examined

But now let us very briefly examine the arguments against the unity of the Book of Zechariah. They are summarised by Professor von Orelli of Basel, one of the " moderate " of the modern school, 1 whose own conclusion in the end is that " chaps, ix.-xi. is a prophecy of a later contemporary of Hosea," and chaps, xii.-xiv. are " by an unnamed prophet at Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah." The critical grounds are these :

(a) " The great diversity of literary form and manner existing generally between Parts I. and II. In Part II. are wanting those careful headings with indications of author and date which are found in Zechariah I. and Haggai. The style in Parts I. and II. is very different, both as relates to the phraseology in particular and the tenour of discourse generally. . . . The peculiar expres sions of Part I. are not found in Part II., and conversely. The different tenour of the whole is of still greater import ance. To put it in brief, the first part on the whole offers a somewhat awkward prosaic style ; whereas in the second, where there are no visions, exhibits in the discourses a spirit and a fire of enthusiasm such as one meets with elsewhere only in the early prophetic writings, but there all the oftener."

Now, in reference to the arguments based on supposed differences of literary form and style, which play such an important part in modern criticism, which is directed not only against these chapters, but against almost all the books of the Bible, it is sufficient to repeat a truism which

1 In his Introduction to Zechariah in his Commentary on the Twelve Minor Prophets.