Zechariah (priest) - Biblical Account

Biblical Account

According to the Gospel of Luke, during the reign of king Herod, there was "a certain priest named Zechariah, of the course of Abia", whose wife Elisabeth was also of the priestly family of Aaron. The evangelist states that both the parents were righteous before God, since they were "blameless" in observing the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. When the events related in Luke began, their marriage was still childless, because Elisabeth was barren and they were both very old (Luke 1:5–7).

The duties at the temple in Jerusalem alternated between each of the family lines that had descended from those appointed by king David (1st Chronicles 24:1–19). Luke states that during the week when it was the duty of Zacharias's family line to serve at "the temple of the Lord", the lot for performing the incense offering had fallen to Zacharias (Luke 1:8–11). The Gospel of Luke states that while Zacharias ministered at the altar of incense, an angel of the Lord appeared and announced to him that his wife would give birth to a son, whom he was to name John, and that this son would be the forerunner of the Lord (Luke 1:12–17). Citing their advanced age, Zacharias asked with disbelief for a sign whereby he would know the truth of this prophecy. In reply, the angel identified himself as Gabriel, sent especially by God to make this announcement, and added that because of Zechariah's doubt he would be struck dumb and "not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed". Consequently, when he went out to the waiting worshippers in the temple's outer courts, he was unable to speak the customary blessing (Luke 1:18–22).

After returning to his house in "Hebron, in the hill country of Judah", his wife Elisabeth conceived. After Elisabeth completed her fifth month of pregnancy, her cousin Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, overshadowed by the Holy Ghost and – though still a virgin – became pregnant with Jesus. Mary then travelled to visit her cousin Elisabeth, having been told by the angel that Elisabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy Mary remained about three months before she returned to her own house (Luke 1:23–45, 56).

Elisabeth gave birth, and on the eighth day, when their son was to be circumcised according to the commandment, her cousins and neighbours assumed that he was to be named after his father. Elisabeth, however, insisted that his name was to be John; so the family then questioned her husband. As soon as Zechariah had written on a writing table: "His name is John", he regained the power of speech, and blessed "the Lord God of Israel" with a prophecy known to some as the Benedictus (Luke 1:57–79). The child grew up and became strong in spirit, but remained in the deserts of Judæa until he assumed the ministry that was to earn him the name "John the Baptist" (Luke 1:80, Luke 3:2–3, Matthew 3:1).