Striking the Shepherd. Early Christian Versions and Interpretations of Zechariah 13,7 More than half a century ago, in a book that is still worth read- ing, C.H. Dodd offered a reconstruction of what he called “the Bible of the Early Church” 1: those portions of the OT that are preferably used as sources of quotations and allusions in the NT. Under the heading “Apocalyptic-eschatological Scriptures” Dodd mentioned Zechariah 9–14 2, and indeed, from this series of complex and obscure oracles come such quotations as those on the king riding on a donkey (Zech 9,9 in Matt 21,5; John 12,15), on the thirty pieces of silver thrown into the temple (Zech 11,13 in Matt 27,9-10), and on looking on the pierced one (Zech 12,10 in John 19,37; Rev 1,7). As this brief list already shows, several of these apocalyptic-eschatological prophecies from Deutero-Ze- chariah are applied in the NT to Jesus’ passion and death: they serve an apocalyptic-eschatological interpretation of the death of Jesus. To these prophecies also belongs Zech 13,7, cited by the Mar- kan Jesus at the beginning of the passion narrative, when he an- nounces the defection of his disciples: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14,27). The prophecy re- turns in Matthew (26,31), in John (16,32), in the Epistle of Barna- bas (5,12), and in Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho (53,6). Justin may be said to mark the transition from a relatively free way of dealing with Zechariah’s prophecy to patristic exegesis, so it seems to be legitimate to end with him 3. What is interesting is that on the one C.H. DODD, According to the Scriptures. The Sub-Structure of New 1 Testament Theology (London 1952) 61-110. DODD, According to the Scriptures, 64-67. 2 The first post-Justin Christian author whom we know of that uses the text 3 is Irenaeus (Epid. 76) ; he may depend on Justin (see M.C. ALBL, “ And Scrip- ture Cannot Be Broken”. The Form and Function of the Early Christian Testi- monia Collections [NTS 96; Leiden 1999] 114-118), and in any case, he does n o t in this instance really add to him. According to M. C ASEVITZ –