ZERTIBMABEL, or ZERUBABEL (Heb., from Babylonian Zero Babel, seed or offspring of Babylon). The Governor of Jerusalem at the time when the second temple was built. He was born probably in Babylon. En Ezra iii. 2. S, and Haggai i. 1, he is called the son of Shealtiel, who was a son of Jehoiachin. He may have been the immediate successor of Sheshbazzar or Sin-apabuzur, the Shenazar of I. Chronicles iii. 18. who was one of the sons of Jehoiachin and was the first Governor of Jerusa km appointed by Cyrus. According to 1. Esdras. Zerubbabel was one of Darius's pages who was granted permission to return to Jerusalem and build the temple as a re ward for Iris cleverness in argument. The story is probably without any historic foundation. Through the influence of Haggai and Zechariah the people of Jerusalem were induced to build a new temple more fit to be the house of Yahweh than the single shrine that had served that purpose probably since the destruction of Solomon's tem ple by Nebuchadnezzar in B.C. 5S6. The erection of the new sanctuary was begun in B.C. 520, and the temple was dedicated in B.C. 516. During the years it was building the prophets cherished the hope that its completion would usher in a new era of prosperity for Jerusalem and that Zerubbabel would become King of the restored commonwealth. Even in Babylonia the Jews seem to have shared these expectations. and Hal dai was sent to .Terusalem, at the head of a depu tation, with gold that was made into a crown and held in readiness for the day of coronation. Visions of Zechariah show that in prophetic cir cles there was some anxiety lest this expected restoration of the Davidic dynasty might inter fere with the growing importance attached to the high-priestly office. It is the growing conviction
of scholars that the temple was rebuilt, not chiefly by exiles who may have returned from Babylonia in the (lays of Sheshbazzan since Hag gai and Zechariah make no mention of it. but by the Judean:: who were the descendants of the peo ple left in the land when Nebuchadnezzar carried away some of the more important families. As Zerubbabel is not named in the account of the dedication (Ezra vi. 15 sqq.), it has been sup posed that he was recalled by Darius. who may have feared the effect of having a descendant of the old Davidie dynasty as Governor in .Ieru salem. It is probable. however, that Zerubbabel went to his grave without ever having sat on the throne of hi.: father, and no descendant of David ever seems to have occupied that throne after the fall of the dynasty ID ILO. 586.
Ilnnt ocaArnV. Schrader. Die Daue'r des 7'empelbaues (Leipzig, 1S(7) ; Stade. Geschiehte des roll-es Israel (Berlin, 1888) ; kyle, Era and Vehemiab ( Ca mbri dge. I8931 ; Van Iloonacker. ZOrOb(lbel rf it' 8(TOMI irrnide ( AP111, 189.2 ; Nosters, Het herste/ run Israel in he t l'trz'isehe tijdrak (Leyden. 189I1 ; lin rquart. Fundam(nti• isracfitiseher und jiidiseher Ge sehichte ((;;;Itingen. 1S96) ; Torrey. The Com position and Historical Value of Pzra-Ychemialt (Genevn, IN96) ; Killian] Meyer, EvIstehung des Judentiel»s (Hulk. 1890) ; Schmidt. in The Yew World llosl on. !SBA Chey Dv. Jewish neligions 1. If I Orr the 1..*.rile (New York, ts9k) taw 1,, i ( I ciczig. 1898) ; id.. Studi,n :or Entstebangtesehieh te der jildisehen Gemeinde 1901) : Siegfried. Ezra-.Vrhentia (Mit tingen, 1901) ; Bertholet, Ezra-Nehemia (Tubin gen, 1902).