Saint elijah biography

Elijah's chosen successor was the prophet Elisha; Elijah designated Elisha as such by leaving his mantle with him 2 Kings , so that his wish for "a double portion" of the older prophet's spirit , an allusion to the preference shown the first-born son in the division of the father's estate Deuteronomy , had been fulfilled. Elijah is frequently mentioned in the New Testament.

See also Luke ; Elijah was similar to John the Baptist in the sternness and power of his reproofs Luke According to Matthew , he was the Elijah that "must first come" Matt. In John the Baptist one can see "the same connection with a wild and wilderness country; the same long retirement in the desert; the same sudden, startling entrance on his work 1 Kings ; Luke ; even the same dress, a hairy garment, and a leather girdle about the loins 2 Kings ; Matt.

Also, Elijah's appearance in glory on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration does not seem to have startled the disciples. They were "sore afraid," but not apparently surprised. According to prophecies of the holy Fathers, God will send Elijah and Enoch before coming of the Antichrist to bear witness for Christ on the earth and to strengthen the faithful.

Aside from holding a special place in the devotions of Arab Christians, in many Slavic nations Elijah is sometimes referred to as Gromovik literally "Thunderer". This is partially due to local mythology, which compares Elijah's fiery chariot to that of Perun, the defunct Slavic god of storms, snows, and rains. He is also one of two prophets who appear with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Worst failures: Fearing Jezebel, Elijah flees into the desert and asks the Lord to take his life. The prophet Elijah is venerated by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. According to VeryWellFamily , the name Elijah has the following origin, gender use, and pronunciations:. Prophet Elijah Greek name Elias , the God-seer, miracle worker, and zealot for faith in God was born of the tribe of Aaron in the town of Tishba, for which he was called the Tishbite.

When Elias was born, his father Sabbas saw angels of God hovering around the child, wrapping the child in fire and feeding him flames. That was a foreshadowing of Elias's fiery character and his God-given fiery power. He spent his entire youth in divine contemplation and prayer, frequently withdrawing into the wilderness to contemplate and pray in tranquility.

At that time, the Jewish kingdom was divided into two unequal parts: the kingdom of Judah, consisting of only two tribes--the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with their capital in Jerusalem; and the kingdom of Israel, consisting of the remaining ten tribes, with their capital in Samaria. The descendants of Solomon governed the former, and the descendants of Jeroboam, a servant of Solomon, governed the latter.

The greatest confrontation that the prophet Elias had was with the Israelite King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel, for they worshipped idols and were turning the people away from serving the One Living God. In addition, Jezebel, a Syrian, persuaded her husband to erect a temple for the Syrian god Baal and appointed many priests to the service of this false god.

Through great miracles, Elijah displayed the power and authority of God. He closed up the heavens so that there was no rain for three years and six months; he called fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice to God, which the pagan priests were unable to do for the false god, Baal; he brought rain by his prayer; he miraculously multiplied flour and oil in the home of the widow in Zarephath, and resurrected her son; he prophesied to Ahab that the dogs would lick up his blood, and to Jezebel that the dogs would consume her flesh--all of which came to pass; and he performed many other miracles, and prophesied other events as well.

He spoke with God and heard the voice of God in the calm after the wind, earthquake, and fire on Mount Horeb. Before his death, he designated Elisha as his successor in the prophetic calling; with his mantle, he divided the waters of the Jordan. Finally, he was taken up into the heavens in a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses. At the end of the world, Elijah will appear again to put an end to the power of the Antichrist Revelation Sourced from the Prologue of Ochrid, July 20th.

As a result, God rewarded her faith by miraculously multiplying her store of meal and oil, and he even resurrected her deceased son. Elijah's most well-known feat occurred on Mount Carmel, where he engaged in a climactic confrontation with the prophets of Baal. He called upon the people to choose between Jehovah and the idols they had been worshiping.

As a demonstration of God's power, Elijah's offering was consumed by fire from heaven, while the prophets of Baal were subsequently put to death by the people. Following this victory, Elijah had to flee from the wrath of Jezabel, who sought his life. The prophet ends the letter with a prediction of a painful death. This letter is a puzzle to readers for several reasons.

First, it concerns a king of the southern kingdom, while Elijah concerned himself with the kingdom of Israel. Michael Wilcock, formerly of Trinity College, Bristol , suggests a number of possible reasons for this letter, among them that it may be an example of a better known prophet's name being substituted for that of a lesser known prophet. While the final mention of Elijah in the Hebrew Bible is in the Book of Chronicles, the Christian Bible 's reordering places the Book of Malachi which prophesies a messiah as the final book of the Old Testament , before the New Testament gospels.

And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. Scholars generally agree that a prophet named Elijah existed in the Kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah , that he was a religious figure of great personal dynamism and conservative zeal and the leader of resistance to the rise of Baal worship in Israel in the ninth century BC.

In the opinion of some scholars, however, the biblical presentation of the prophet cannot be taken as historical documentation of his activity. The biblical texts present his career through the eyes of popular legend and subsequent theological reflection, which consider him a personality of heroic proportions. In this process his actions and relations to the people and the King became stereotyped, and the presentation of his behavior paradigmatic.

Saint elijah biography

Jewish legends about Elijah abound in the Aggadah , which is found throughout various collections of rabbinic literature , including the Babylonian Talmud. This varied literature does not merely discuss his life, but has created a new history of him, which, beginning with his death—or "translation"—ends only with the close of the history of the human race.

The volume of references to Elijah in Jewish Tradition stands in marked contrast to that in the Canon. As in the case of most figures of Jewish legend, so in the case of Elijah, the biblical account became the basis of later legend. Elijah the precursor of the Messiah, Elijah zealous in the cause of God, Elijah the helper in distress: these are the three leading notes struck by the Aggadah, endeavoring to complete the biblical picture with the Elijah legends.

His career is extensive, colorful, and varied. He has appeared the world over in the guise of a beggar and scholar. From the time of Malachi , who says of Elijah that God will send him before "the great and dreadful day", [ 56 ] down to the later stories of the Chasidic rabbis , reverence and love, expectation and hope were always connected in the Jewish consciousness with Elijah.

Three different theories regarding Elijah's origin are presented in the Aggadah literature: 1 he belonged to the tribe of Gad, [ 57 ] 2 he was a Benjamite from Jerusalem, identical with the Elijah mentioned in 1 Chronicles , and 3 he was a priest. Many Christian Church fathers also [ 58 ] have stated that Elijah was a priest. Some rabbis have speculated that he should be identified with Phinehas.

According to later Kabbalistic literature, Elijah was really an angel in human form, [ 42 ] so that he had neither parents nor offspring. The Midrash Rabbah Exodus states "Elijah should have revived his parents as he had revived the son of the Zarephathite" indicating he surely had parents. The Talmud states "Said he [Rabbah] to him Elijah : Art thou not a priest: why then dost thou stand in a cemetery?

A midrash [ which? In the same cave where God once appeared to Moses and revealed Himself as gracious and merciful, Elijah was summoned to appear before God. By this summons he perceived that he should have appealed to God's mercy, instead of becoming Israel's accuser. The prophet, however, remained relentless in his zeal and severity, so that God commanded him to appoint his successor.

The vision in which God revealed Himself to Elijah gave him at the same time a picture of the destinies of man, who has to pass through "four worlds. Three years after this vision, Elijah was "translated. But as early as the middle of the 2nd century, when the notion of translation to heaven underwent divergent possible interpretations by Christian theologians, the assertion was made that Elijah never entered into heaven proper.

At the appointed time, it is written, you are destined to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. Elijah's glory is honoured in the Book of Sirach Ecclesiasticus. His designated tasks are altered to:. At Jewish circumcision ceremonies, a chair is set aside for the use of the prophet Elijah.

Elijah is said to be a witness at all circumcisions when the sign of the covenant is placed upon the body of the child. This custom stems from the incident at Mount Horeb : [ 70 ] Elijah had arrived at Mount Horeb after the demonstration of God's presence and power on Mount Carmel. In the Talmudic literature , Elijah would visit rabbis to help solve particularly difficult legal problems.

Malachi had cited Elijah as the harbinger of the eschaton. Thus, when confronted with reconciling impossibly conflicting laws or rituals, the rabbis would set aside any decision "until Elijah comes". One such decision was whether the Passover Seder required four or five cups of wine. Each serving of wine corresponds to one of the "four expressions of redemption" in the Book of Exodus :.

I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an out-stretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

The next verse, "And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord. Thus, a cup was left for the arrival of Elijah. In practice the fifth cup has come to be seen as a celebration of future redemption. Today, a place is reserved at the seder table and a cup of wine is placed there for Elijah.

During the seder, the door of the house is opened and Elijah is invited in. Traditionally, the cup is viewed as Elijah's and is used for no other purpose. Havdalah is the ceremony that concludes the Sabbath Day Saturday evening in Jewish tradition. As part of the concluding hymn , an appeal is made to God that Elijah will come during the following week.

Let him come quickly, in our day with the messiah, the son of David. The volume of references to Elijah in folklore stands in marked contrast to that in the canon. Elijah's miraculous transferral to heaven led to speculation as to his true identity. Louis Ginzberg equates him with Phinehas the grandson of Aaron. Elijah is also equated with the Archangel Sandalphon , [ 84 ] whose four wing beats will carry him to any part of the earth.

When forced to choose between death and dishonor, Rabbi Kahana chose to leap to his death. References to Elijah in Jewish folklore range from short observations e. It is said that when dogs are happy for no reason, it is because Elijah is in the neighborhood [ 87 ] to lengthy parables on the nature of God's justice. One such story is that of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi.

The rabbi, a friend of Elijah's, was asked what favor he might wish. The rabbi answered only that he be able to join Elijah in his wanderings. Elijah granted his wish only if he refrained from asking any questions about any of the prophet's actions. He agreed and they began their journey. The first place they came to was the house of an elderly couple who were so poor they had only one old cow.

The old couple gave of their hospitality as best they could. The next morning, as the travelers left, Elijah prayed that the old cow would die and it did. The second place they came to was the home of a wealthy man. He had no patience for his visitors and chased them away with the admonition that they should get jobs and not beg from honest people.

As they were leaving, they passed the man's wall and saw that it was crumbling. Elijah prayed that the wall be repaired and it was so. Next, they came to a wealthy synagogue. They were allowed to spend the night with only the smallest of provisions. When they left, Elijah prayed that every member of the synagogue might become a leader.

Finally, they came to a very poor synagogue. Here they were treated with great courtesy and hospitality. When they left, Elijah prayed that God might give them a single wise leader. At this Rabbi Joshua could no longer hold back. He demanded of Elijah an explanation of his actions. At the house of the old couple, Elijah knew that the Angel of Death was coming for the old woman.

So he prayed that God might have the angel take the cow instead. At the house of the wealthy man, there was a great treasure hidden in the crumbling wall. Elijah prayed that the wall be restored thus keeping the treasure away from the miser. The story ends with a moral: A synagogue with many leaders will be ruined by many arguments. A town with a single wise leader will be guided to success and prosperity.

The Elijah of legend did not lose any of his ability to afflict the comfortable. Once, when walking on a beach, he came upon a hideously ugly man—the prophet in disguise. The man greeted him courteously, "Peace be with thee, Rabbi. Is there anyone as ugly as you in your town? Perhaps you should tell the Master Architect how ugly is this, His construction.

But Elijah would not give it until the entire city had asked for forgiveness for the rabbi and the rabbi had promised to mend his ways. Elijah was always seen as deeply pious, it seems only natural that he would be pitted against an equally evil individual. This was found in the person of Lilith. Lilith in legend was the first wife of Adam.

She rebelled against Adam, the angels, and even God. She came to be seen as a demon and a witch. Elijah encountered Lilith and instantly recognized and challenged her, "Unclean one, where are you going? Her intention was to kill the woman and eat the child. Elijah pronounced his malediction, "I curse you in the Name of the Lord. Be silent as a stone!

She promises to "forsake my evil ways" if Elijah will remove his curse. To seal the bargain she gives Elijah her names so that they can be posted in the houses of pregnant women or new born children or used as amulets. Lilith promises, "where I see those names, I shall run away at once. Neither the child nor the mother will ever be injured by me.

In the New Testament , Jesus would say for those who believed, John the Baptist was Elijah, who would come before the "great and terrible day" as predicted by Malachi. John the Baptist preached a message of repentance and baptism. He predicted the day of judgment using imagery similar to that of Malachi. He also preached that the Messiah was coming.

All of this was done in a style that immediately recalled the image of Elijah to his audience. He wore a coat of camel's hair secured with a leather girdle. In the Gospel of John , when John the Baptist was asked by a delegation of priests present tense "Art thou Elias", he replied "I am not". In the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Luke, Gabriel appears to Zechariah , John's father, and told him that John "will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God," and that he will go forth "in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Elijah makes an appearance in the New Testament during an incident known as the Transfiguration. At the summit of an unnamed mount, Jesus' face begins to shine. This apparently relates to how both Elijah and Moses, the latter according to tradition but not the Bible, both were translated to heaven instead of dying. Peter is so struck by the experience that he asks Jesus if they should build three "tabernacles": one for Elijah, one for Jesus and one for Moses.

There is agreement among some Christian theologians that Elijah appears to hand over the responsibility of the prophets to Jesus as the woman by the well said to Jesus "I perceive thou art a prophet. In Luke —27, Jesus uses Elijah as an example of rejected prophets. Jesus says, "No prophet is accepted in his own country," and then mentions Elijah, saying that there were many widows in Israel, but Elijah was sent to one in Phoenicia.

In Romans —6, Paul cites Elijah as an example of God's never forsaking his people the Israelites. Hebrews "Women received their dead raised to life again He is greatly revered among the Orthodox as a model of the contemplative life. He is also commemorated on the Orthodox liturgical calendar on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers the Sunday before the Nativity of the Lord.

The reasons for the replacement are unclear. It has been suggested that Elijah was chosen because of his importance to all three main religious groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina— Catholics , Muslims and Orthodox Christians. Prophet Elias is commemorated by the Catholic Church on 17 June. Elijah is revered as the spiritual Father and traditional founder of the Catholic religious Order of Carmelites.

Carmel where the first hermits of the order established themselves, the Calced Carmelite and Discalced Carmelite traditions pertaining to Elijah focus upon the prophet's withdrawal from public life. Peter's Basilica , denoting him as their founder. In the 17th century the Bollandist Society , whose declared aim was to search out and classify materials concerning the saints venerated by the Church, and to print what seemed to be the most reliable sources of information [ ] entered into controversy with the Carmelites on this point.

In writing of St. Albert , Patriarch of Jerusalem and author of the Carmelite rule, the Bollandist Daniel Papebroch stated that the attribution of Carmelite origin to Elijah was insufficiently grounded.