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| St. Elijah | |
|---|---|
| Name | Elijah |
| Honorific prefix | Prophet |
| Birth date | c. 9th century BCE |
| Birth place | Tishbe, Gilead |
| Death date | (taken up) |
| Major feast day | 20 July (Western), 20 July (Eastern) |
| Attributes | chariot of fire, mantle, raven, fire from heaven |
| Patronage | prophets, harvests, horses, chemists |
St. Elijah
Elijah is a prophetic figure of the Hebrew Bible associated with dramatic confrontations with rulers, miraculous signs, and an ascent to heaven in a whirlwind. He appears in the narrative cycles involving Ahab, Jezebel, Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom), and Elisha, and later traditions connect him with John the Baptist, Jesus, and messianic expectations during Second Temple Judaism. Elijah's story has been transmitted through Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Talmud, and New Testament citations, shaping religious practice across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Elijah is introduced as "Elijah the Tishbite" from Gilead, appearing during the reign of Ahab and Jehoshaphat, confronting royal patrons such as Queen Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. His ministry includes episodes at the brook Cherith, service with the widow of Zarephath, and the anointing of Hazael and Jehu as agents of dynastic change. He commissions Elisha as successor and is portrayed as performing miracles—raising the dead, controlling rain, and calling down fire—to vindicate prophetic authority against the cult of Baal and the influence of Phoenician religion in Samaria.
Primary narrative sources are the books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings, with synoptic echoes in Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Luke, and references in Epistle of James. Comparative readings employ the Masoretic Text alongside the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and Dead Sea Scrolls fragments to examine variant readings of miracles and chronology. Rabbinic exegesis in the Talmud and Midrash expands on Elijah's encounters, while patristic commentators such as Origen, Augustine, and John Chrysostom interpret Elijah typologically as a precursor to John the Baptist and a figure in eschatology reflected in Gospel of Mark and the Transfiguration of Jesus episode described in Synoptic Gospels. Modern scholarship engages source criticism, form criticism, and redaction criticism to situate Elijah within prophetic literature and Northern Kingdom politics.
Elijah is commemorated across denominations: in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy on 20 July, in parts of Roman Catholic Church calendars similarly, and in Lutheran and Anglican Communion traditions in various local feasts. Jewish tradition honors Elijah's role in Passover Seder rituals and messianic heralding, notably the custom of the Elijah cup. In Islamic tradition, Elijah is identified with the prophet Ilyas and remembered in Qur'an-inspired narratives. Liturgical texts from Byzantine Rite, Roman Rite, West Syriac Rite, and Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church include prayers and hymns invoking Elijah as intercessor and exemplar.
Sites associated with Elijah include the traditional birthplace at Tishbe (Gilead) and contested locales such as Mount Carmel with the Carmelite Order traditions and the cave associated with Elijah in Haifa. Monastic foundations named for Elijah appear in Mount Athos, Mount Sinai Monastery complex, and Monastery of Saint Elijah communities across Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Lebanon. Pilgrimage centers include chapels on Mount Carmel, shrines in Ephesus-era Christian landscapes, and folk sanctuaries in Sicily and Cyprus, often linked to local agrarian rites and horse blessings.
Artistic portrayals in Byzantine art, Renaissance painting, Baroque altarpieces, and Eastern Orthodox iconography emphasize Elijah's mantle, chariot of fire, and association with ravens. Notable works include depictions by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel, illuminations in Lothair Crystal-era manuscripts, and fresco programs in Mount Athos and Monastery of Hosios Loukas. Elijah features in stained glass in cathedrals influenced by the Gothic revival and in iconostasis panels throughout Russian Orthodox Church churches. Artistic themes draw on episodes such as the contest on Mount Carmel, the ascent in a fiery chariot, and the miracle at Zarephath.
Post-biblical legends in Midrashic literature, Talmudic anecdotal cycles, and Christian apocrypha attribute extended wanderings, hidden ascents, and eschatological returns to Elijah. In Jewish folklore Elijah is a guest at ritual tables and a tester of righteousness; in Christian folk piety he is sometimes conflated with Elias-type wandering prophets. Islamic narratives in Qur'anic exegesis and Sufi lore portray Ilyas as a moral exemplar. Folkloric motifs include Elijah as weather-maker, protector of flocks, and mediator in disputes, appearing in tales from Balkans, Levant, Ethiopia, and Eastern Europe.
Elijah's figure influences sacramental typology and eschatological expectation in Patristics, Scholasticism, and Reformation theology, informing debates in Tractarian circles and Second Vatican Council-era liturgical renewal. His role in the Transfiguration narrative shapes christological readings in Nicene-derived creeds and in sermons of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther. Cultural practices range from the Jewish Passover ritual of opening the door and the Elijah cup to Christian processions on feast days in Greece and Lebanon, and to Arab and Berber agrarian rites invoking Elijah for rain. Elijah's legacy endures in theological discourse, artistic production, and communal memory across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Category:Prophets in the Hebrew Bible Category:Biblical figures