HAGGAI, THE BOOK OF

also called The Prophecy Of Aggeus, the 10th of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets. Haggai (fl. 6th century BC) helped mobilize the Jewish community for the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem (516 BC) after the Babylonian Exile and prophesied the glorious future of the messianic age. The book consists of four prophecies delivered over a four-month period in the second year of the reign of the Persian king Darius I the Great (521 BC). Although attributed to Haggai, the book must be credited to someone other than the prophet; it was probably compiled soon after the occurrence of the events, however. Haggai's oracles show his concern for the immediate reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. He believed that the economic distress of the people was caused by their negligent delay in starting the construction and that Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah under Darius, was God's chosen Davidic representative.