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5. Conclusions 305
what the author/editor's intention was. Nevertheless, the movement
and logic of the passage in question could be seen quite clearly. 1 Some
passages did not seem to have any clear structure, 2 and although this
was disappointing, it does show that the method adopted will not allow
all passages to be pressed into some sort of apparently logical pattern.
It is likely that I have underestimated the intentions, and the artistry
of the authors/editors of the book of Zechariah; and also that some of
the patterns discovered by other scholars, that I have regarded as
doubtful, may actually have been intended by the writers of the
passages in question. This is to be expected, since I have concentrated
on trying to discover patterns that could be shown to be 'intended',
that is they reflect the conscious or even unconscious purposes of the
writer. Occasionally, I made suggestions about possibilities that could
not be proved or shown to be probable. 3
I hope that the change already seen in biblical commentaries will
continue, and that eventually all commentators will take seriously the
overall purpose and literary methods of the authors/editors in question,
and that all will attempt to apply more rigorous tests to the
structures that they seem to discern. 4 There is scope for and promise
of much greater biblical understanding.
1. E.g. 2.1-4; 2.5-17; 6.1-8; 9.1-11.3.
2. E.g. 4.6ap-7; 5.1-4; 9.1-8.
3. E.g. on 6.9-15, in Chapter 3.
4. In other words I hope for commentaries that will give the factual evidence and
sound, considered comment that Rudolph does, and add more imaginative suggestions,
such as those of Watts in his commentary on Isaiah, but with more critical
evaluation.