Holier Than Thou

Who wrote the books of the Bible and when?

Book of Haggai, a record of the prophecies of Haggai to the leaders in charge of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem after the return from Babylonian captivity, was written about 520 B.C. by Haggai the phrophet, just prior to Ezra and Nehemiah. These words from the Lord enforced the importance of rebuilding the temple before restoring their own homes and prosperity, as well as encouraging those who saw the previous splendor of the temple before its destruction and who were distressed at the inferiority of the new one. (The temple was completed after several years of setbacks and rededicated in 516 B.C., during the rule of King Darius.)

The Book of Haggai includes:

Address to Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest
The importance of building the temple before finishing their own homes
The Lord stirs the spirit of the remnant of Judah to build the temple
Encouragement from God, especially to those who saw the former temple in all its glory
The Lord promises to fill the temple with glory, riches, and peace
Warning to give careful thought not only to laying the foundation of the temple, but to carrying out the regulations of the sacrifices
The Lord chooses Zerubbabel the governor as a divinely appointed official

This is what the Lord Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built.' " Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord. "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands." (Haggai 1:2-11)