Elijah
Elijah (Standard Hebrew אֱלִיָּהוּ Eliyyáhu'), also Elias (NT Greek Hλίας), also Ilia (NT Bulgarian Илия), is a prophet of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. His name has been variously translated as "the Lord is God", "whose God is the Lord", "God the Lord", "the strong Lord", "God of the Lord", "my God is the Lord", "the Lord is my God", and "my God is Jehovah".
In the Hebrew Bible
Elijah is first introduced in 1 Kings 17:1 as delivering a message from God to Ahab, king of Israel in the first half of the ninth century B.C.E. He is sometimes known as "The Tishbite", being from the town of Tishbe.
Having delivered his message to Ahab, he retired at the command of God to a hiding-place by the brook Cherith, beyond Jordan, where he was fed by ravens. When the brook dried up God sent him to the widow of Zarephath, a city of Zidon, from whose scanty store he was supported for the space of two years. During this period the widow's son died, and was restored to life by Elijah (1 Kings 17:2-24).
During these two years a famine prevailed in the land. At the close of this period of retirement and of preparation for his work, Elijah met Obadiah, one of Ahab's officers, whom he had sent out to seek for pasturage for the cattle, and bade him go and tell his master that Elijah was there. The king came and met Elijah, and reproached him as the "troubler of Israel". It was then proposed that sacrifices should be publicly offered, for the purpose of determining whether Baal or the Israelite God was the true God. This was done on Mount Carmel; the result was that a miracle took place convincing those watching that Baal was false and that the Israelite God YHWH(יהוה), was the true and only God. The prophets of Baal were then put to death by the order of Elijah.
Jezebel, enraged at the fate that had befallen her priests of Baal, threatened to put Elijah to death (1 Kings 19:1-13). He therefore fled in alarm to Beersheba, and went alone into the wilderness, and sat down in despondency under a juniper tree. As he slept, an angel touched him, and said unto him, "Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee." He arose and found a cake and a cruse of water. Having partaken of the provision, he went forward on his way for forty days to Horeb, where he took residence in a cave. Here God appeared to him and said, "What dost thou here, Elijah?" In answer to Elijah's despondent words God manifests to him his glory, and then directs him to return to Damascus and anoint Hazael king over the Arameans (Syria), Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha to be prophet in his room (1 Kings 19:13-21; compare 2 Kings 8:7-15; 9:1-10).
Some six years after this, he warned Ahab and Jezebel of the violent deaths they would die (1 Kings 21:19-24; 22:38). He also, four years afterwards, warned Ahaziah, who had succeeded his father Ahab, of his approaching death (2 Kings 1:1-16). During these intervals he probably withdrew to some quiet retirement, no one knew where. His interview with Ahaziah's messengers on the way to Ekron, and the account of the destruction of his captains with their fifties, suggest the idea that he may have been in retirement at this time on Mount Carmel. The Carmelites have a tradition that they were founded by Elijah at this time.
The time now drew near when he was to be taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2:1-12). He went down to Gilgal, where there was a school of the prophets, and where his successor Elisha, whom he had anointed some years before, resided. Elisha was solemnized by the thought of his master's leaving him, and refused to be parted from him. "They two went on", and came to Bethel and Jericho, and crossed the Jordan, the waters of which were "divided hither and thither" when smitten with Elijah's mantle. Arrived at the borders of Gilead, which Elijah had left many years before, it "came to pass as they still went on and talked" they were suddenly separated by a chariot and horses of fire; and "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha saw him go up and cried "The Chariots and horses of Israel!" "Elisha receiving his mantle, which fell from him as he ascended.
Elijah's chosen successor was the prophet Elisha; Elijah designated Elisha as such by leaving his mantle with him (2 Kings 2:13-15), so that his wish for "a double portion" of the older prophet's spirit (2:9), in allusion to the preference shown the first-born son in the division of the father's estate (Deuteronomy 21:17), had been fulfilled.
It is believed that the prophet Elijah shall return to foretell the coming of the Jewish Messiah, or the return of Jesus the Christ. He is also to believed to be one of the two Witnesses in the Book of Revelation.
The Elijah spoken of in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 is by some supposed to be a different person from the foregoing. He lived in the time of Jehoram, to whom he sent a letter of warning (compare 1 Chr. 28:19; Jeremiah 36), and acted as a prophet in Judah; while the Tishbite was a prophet of the northern kingdom. But there does not seem any necessity for concluding that the writer of this letter was some other Elijah than the Tishbite. It may be supposed either that Elijah anticipated the character of Jehoram, and so wrote the warning message, which was preserved in the schools of the prophets till Jehoram ascended the throne after the Tishbite's translation, or that the translation did not actually take place until after the accession of Jehoram to the throne (2 Chr. 21:12; 2 Kings 8:16). The events of 2 Kings 2 may not be recorded in chronological order, and thus there may be room for the opinion that Elijah was still alive in the beginning of Jehoram's reign.
How deep the impression was which Elijah made "on the mind of the nation" of Israel may have been can be judged from the fixed belief, which rested on the words of Malachi (4:5, 6), which many centuries after, prevailed that Elijah would again appear for the relief and restoration of the country.
When Jesus asks who people say the Son of Man or Christ is, his disciples replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (Matthew 16:14), which was referring to the belief of some of the Jews at the time that Jesus was, in fact, Elijah returned from heaven.
New Testament references
No one of the old prophets is so frequently referred to in the New Testament. The priests and Levites said to John the Baptist (John 1:25), "Why, then, dost thou baptize, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elijah?" Paul (Romans 11:2) refers to an incident in his history to illustrate his argument that God had not cast away His people that He foreknew. James (5:17) finds in him an illustration of the power of prayer. (See also Luke 4:25; 9:54.)
Elijah was similar to John the Baptist in the sternness and power of his reproofs (Luke 9:8). According to Matthew 11:11, John the Baptist was the Elijah that "was to come" (Matt. 11:11, 14). In John the Baptist, one can see Elijah: we 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 17:1; Luke 3:2); even the same dress, a hairy garment, and a leathern girdle about the loins (2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4)."
Each remarkable person as he arrives on the scene, be his habits and characteristics what they may; the stern John equally with his gentle Successor, is proclaimed to be Elijah (Matt. 11:13, 14; 16:14; 17:10; Mark 9:11; 15:35; Luke 9:7, 8; John 1:21). Elijah's appearance in glory at the Transfiguration does not seem to have startled the disciples. They were "sore afraid", but not apparently surprised. Traditionally, Elijah is seen as a representative of the Prophets at the Transfiguration.
Some Christian theologians of a conservative, pre-millennial perspective, believe that Elijah must return to physically die here on earth eventually, perhaps as one of the 'two witnesses' in the Book of Revelation. This plays into many eschatological scenarios. Conservatives who come from amillennial or preterist positions would probably see John the Baptist as a fulfillment of this expectation, in the time of Jesus. Christian theologians of a more liberal persuasion would tend to interpret Elijah's eschatological significance in a less literal sense.
Elijah in other traditions
In the Qur'an, Elijah is a prophet known as Ilyas in Arabic. The Turks believe that Elijah and Job were buried at Eyyup Nebi, near Viranşehir.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also acknowledge Elijah as a prophet. Latter-Day Saints believe that in 1836 an angelic Elijah visited the founder of their church, Joseph Smith, Jr. in the Kirtland Temple in Kirtland, Ohio and gave him the sacred power to seal families together.
As Elijah was described as ascending into heaven in a fiery chariot, the Christian missionaries who converted Slavic tribes likely found him an ideal analogy for Perun, the supreme Slavic god of storms, thunder and lightning bolts. In many Slavic countries Elijah is known as Elijah the Thunderer (Ilija Gromovik), who drives the heavens in chariot and administers rain and snow, thus actually taking the place of Perun in popular beliefs.
Elijah spoken of in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 is by some supposed to be a different person from the foregoing. He lived in the time of Jehoram, to whom he sent a letter of warning (compare 1 Chr. 28:19; Jeremiah 36), and acted as a prophet in Judah; while the Tishbite was a prophet of the northern kingdom. But there does not seem any necessity for concluding that the writer of this letter was some other Elijah than the Tishbite. It may be supposed either that Elijah anticipated the character of Jehoram, and so wrote the warning message, which was preserved in the schools of the prophets till Jehoram ascended the throne after the Tishbite's translation, or that the translation did not actually take place until after the accession of Jehoram to the throne (2 Chr. 21:12; 2 Kings 8:16). The events of 2 Kings 2 may not be recorded in chronological order, and thus there may be room for the opinion that Elijah was still alive in the beginning of Jehoram's reign.
How deep the impression was which Elijah made "on the mind of the nation" of Israel may have been can be judged from the fixed belief, which rested on the words of Malachi (4:5, 6), which many centuries after, prevailed that Ilia (Elijah) would again appear for the relief and restoration of the country.
When Jesus asks who people say he is, his disciples replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (Matthew 16:14), which was referring to the belief of some of the Jews at the time that Jesus was, in fact, Ilia returned from heaven.
The Endtime Elijah (Ilia)
Daniel the prophet was told that certain prophecies given to him could not be understood until the time of the end. The "endtime" would be characterized by three unique things: an extraordinary increase in, and acceleration of travel back and forth; an unequalled explosion of knowledge; and many people becoming purified spiritually. See Daniel 12:1-13. Only one time in history fits this unique period—the 20th Century— which saw the unprecedented event of powered flight, space travel, and a huge increase in travel worldwide; plus the computerization of knowledge, and a unique move back to the faith once delivered.
Since God does nothing without first revealing it to his own prophets (Amos 3:7), the understanding of Daniel's sealed prophecies would have to be first understood by a prophet of God. And when it happened, it would signal that the endtime had started. Thus, the final Ilia must be sought in the 20th Century.
In the closing verses of Malachi, the last book of prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures—-and the last book of the Old Testament—God promised to send Ilia the prophet in the endtime, before Heaven visibly intervenes in world affairs. This Ilia would have to be the one to introduce the explosion of Bible knowledge.
After John the Baptist (who was also a type of Ilia) was dead, Jesus agreed with the Jewish scribes that a then yet future Ilia—would "restore all things" (Matthew 17:11). That prophecy also showed that after Jesus, and the disciples whom he trained, were off the scene, there would come a great falling away from what they taught, which would necessitate a restoration by the final Ilia.
The New Testament shows there was a progressive departure from God's truth taught by his "little flock". The elderly and last of the original first century Apostles, John, wrote in his last epistle, that Diotrophes disfellowshipped genuine members from the true Church, while promoting heresy. Long after that first century falling away from truth, Ilia's Restoration, would only come in the endtime, prior to the Day of the Lord.
It couldn't be in the Tribulation when the Tribes of Israel (not just the Jews) are prophesied to be in captivity. Since the Book of Malachi is addressed to all 12 Tribes of Israel, the endtime Ilia would have to first identify them before prophesying to them as a messenger of God. Therefore, no rabbi or Christian minister who didn't know where Israel's Lost Tribes were found during the 20th Century, could be the final Ilia.
Three different Ilias are referred to in Scripture. The original Ilia; John the Baptist who paved the way for the Messiah's first coming; and the final Ilia who prepares the way for the Messiah's second coming, by getting a people ready, spiritually—-through proclaiming primarily to the Tribes of Israel the nature of the glorious Kingdom of God to be established on earth, and how they can be part of it. Unless the final Ilia came, God predicted that he would utterly destroy the Earth, as the Hebrew in Malachi states:
3,22 Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances. 3,23 Behold, I will send you Ilia (Elijah) the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 3,24 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction."
(This meaning is correctly translated in Zechariah 14:11 King James Version). The reason for this threatend destruction is, because just as in the days of Noah—there would then be so few righteous people left, that God would be compelled to destroy almost everyone, as in Noah's Flood.
Therefore, the identity of the final Ilia is of importance to everyone on Earth.
Elijah (Ilia) In Other Traditions
In the Qur'an, Ilia is a prophet known as Ilyas in Arabic. The Turks believe that Ilia (Elijah) and Job were buried at Eyyup Nebi, near Viranşehir.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also acknowledge Ilia (Elijah) as a prophet. Latter-Day Saints believe that in 1836 an angelic Ilia (Elijah) visited the founder of their church, Joseph Smith, Jr. in the Kirtland Temple in Kirtland, Ohio and gave him the sacred power to seal families together.
As Ilia was described as ascending into heaven in a fiery chariot, the Christian missionaries who converted Slavic tribes likely found him an ideal analogy for Perun, the supreme Slavic god of storms, thunder and lightning bolts. In many Slavic countries Ilia is known as Ilia the Thunderer (Ilija Gromovik), who drives the heavens in chariot and administers rain and snow, thus actually taking the place of Perun in popular beliefs.
Ilia (Ilyas) In Islam
Ilia (Ilyas) (Arabic إلياس) is a prophet of Islam mentioned in the Qur'an.
Ilia (Ilyas) was descended from Harun, and was a prophet sent to the Israelites.
After the death of Sulayman, his kingdom fell apart. This allowed the influence of Satan to become widespread among the people of Israel. The religious people were mocked. The ruler of Samaria killed a large number of learned people. When the evil reached a boiling point, God sent Ilia (Ilyas) to reform mankind during the reign of King Ahab of Israel. He tried his best to save the people from polytheism. He forbade them to worship the Tyrian Baal. He advised the people to ward off evil and worship One God.
However his efforts bore no fruit. He suddenly appeared before the king and foretold that a severe drought and famine would overtake the kingdom. Ilia (Ilyas) added that the Tyrian Baal would be powerless to avert it. The people paid no heed to his warnings and did not mend their ways. The prophecy of Ilia (Ilyas) turned out to be true and whole of the kingdom experienced famine.
The people began to starve. After three years Ilia (Ilyas) prayed to God to show mercy to the famine stricken people. They acknowledged the authority of God and felt regret. Soon after the rain ended the drought, God lifted his curses. After this Ilia (Ilyas) was directed by God to call upon Al-Yasa to be his successor. Ilia (Ilyas) did this and disappeared mysteriously.
Ilia (Elias) in Mormonism
In Latter-day Saint theology, the name-title Elias is not synonymous with Elijah and is often used for people other than the biblical prophet. According to Joseph Smith, "The spirit of Elias is first, Elijah second, and Ilia (Messiah) last. Elias is a forerunner to prepare the way, and the spirit and power of Ilia (Elijah) is to come after, holding the keys of power, building the Temple to the capstone, placing the seals of the Melchizedek Priesthood upon the house of Israel, and making all things ready; then Messiah comes to His Temple, which is last of all" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 340).
People to whom the title Elias is applied in Mormonism include Noah, the angel Gabriel (considered to be the same person as Noah), Elijah, John the Baptist, John the Apostle, and an unspecified man who was a contemporary of Abraham. (See LDS Bible Dictionary s.v. Elias.)
Elijah in the Unification Church
(Daniele, please write a section on the Unification Church view of Elijah here. Thanks.)
Ilia (Helios) In Paganism
The name Ilia may also have links and be derived from the pagan Greek name Helios/Elios, spelt Ηλιος in Greek, and which literally means "sun". It is known that the name existed for males in ancient Greece1 . At this time, the cult worshipping the sun God Helios was well established by all Greeks, despite being eventually replaced by Apollo. This implies the ancient name was derived from the god.
When Christianity was eventually made the official religion of the Roman Empire, a lot of pagan customs, names, and even gods were incorporated into the new religion. This was to ensure an easy transition into the new religion by subjects of the empire, which included modern day Greece. Aspects of Helios's imagery were incorporated into the religion, as well as the name.
One telling piece of evidence is how in pagan times, the peaks of mountains were reserved for temples to Helios, the sun god. This was because it was the closest point to his presence. However in modern Greece, the highest peaks of any region are named after Prophet Ilia or προφητης Ηλιας.
External links
- Elijah Details various events in the life of Elijah and relates Elijah to the Passover/Pesach story.
- Jewish Encyclopedia Entry on Elijah
- Catholic Encyclopedia Entry on Elijah
- Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cosmic Voyages - Mentions (in passing) the story of Elijah being carried up to heaven in a flaming chariot as an inspiration for human flight
- Elijah by Rob Bradshaw Extensive dictionary style article.
- Biblaridion magazine: Elijah redivivus: The role of Elijah in New Testament eschatology
- "The Plain Truth why only Herbert W. Armstrong can be the Endtime Elijah" by Geoffrey R. Neilson
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
