Holy Prophet Elijah. Who is the prophet Elijah and why do Orthodox Christians revere him? Saint Elijah
Since ancient times, the prophet Elijah was considered a good helper in agriculture and, according to his miracles during his lifetime, they prayed for rain during droughts, or, conversely, clear weather during torrential downpours. It is believed that the holy prophet Elijah can help in various matters, in healing from illnesses, in establishing peace in the family and, of course, in strengthening faith.
It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any specific areas. It will be correct when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
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THE LIFE AND MIRACLES OF THE HOLY PROPHET ELIJAH
The Prophet Elijah was born in Israel in Thesbia of Gilead in the tribe of Levi 900 years before the birth of Christ. When Elijah was born, his father Sovak had a vision of handsome men talking to the baby, swaddling him with fire and feeding him with a fiery flame. From a young age, he settled in the desert and lived in a strict feat of fasting and prayer. First of all, Elijah prayed to God to turn sinners to repentance.
Called to prophetic service during the reign of the idolater King Ahab (874-853), who worshiped Baal (the sun) and forced the Jewish people to do the same.
One day the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab and ordered him to predict that if he and his people did not turn to the true God, then his kingdom would suffer famine. Ahab did not listen to the prophet, and drought and great famine struck the country. During the famine, Elijah lived for a year in the desert, where ravens brought him food, and for the next two years he lived with a widow in the small Phoenician town of Sarepta. This widow lived in poverty and the prophet Elijah, wanting to test the widow’s faith and virtue, ordered her to bake bread for him from the last of the flour and butter. The widow fulfilled the command, and her selflessness did not go unrewarded: according to the word of the prophet, flour and oil in this house were miraculously constantly replenished throughout the famine and drought. 
Soon the Lord sent a new test of the widow’s faith: her son died. In inconsolable grief, she decided that the holiness of the prophet Elijah, incompatible with her sinful life, became the cause of the boy’s death. Instead of answering, the holy prophet took her dead son in his arms and, after three times intense prayer, resurrected him (1 Kings 17:17-24).
After three and a half years, Elijah returned to the kingdom of Israel and told the king and all the people that all the disasters of the Israelites were due to the fact that they had forgotten the true God and began to worship the idol Baal. To prove the error of the Israelites, Elijah proposed to make two altars - one to Baal and the other to God, and said:
“Let us make sacrifices, and if fire comes down from heaven on the altar of Baal, then he is the true God, but if not, then he is an idol” (see 1 Kings 18:21-24).
First they made an altar to Baal, piled up wood, slaughtered a bull, and the priests of Baal began to pray to their idol: “Baal, Baal, send us fire from heaven.” But there was no answer, and fire did not descend from heaven on Baal’s altar. IN 
That evening Elijah made his altar, laid out the wood, watered it first with water, and began to pray to God. And suddenly fire fell from the sky and consumed not only the wood and the sacrifice, but also the water and stones of the altar. Seeing this, the people fell to the ground in fear and exclaimed: “Truly the Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). The prophet Elijah ordered the priests of Baal to be captured and killed at the stream of Kissova.
After the miracle, the Prophet Elijah expected Israel to turn to God, but the restoration of true faith did not happen. Yes, and Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, a convinced pagan, was angry with the prophet for the destruction of the priests, and the weak-willed king, who repented from the terrible sign, took the side of his wife.
The Prophet Elijah was forced to flee to the south of Judea. The Lord consoled the saint with a vision of an Angel, who strengthened him with food and commanded him to go on a long journey through the desert. Elijah runs to the sacred Mount Sinai, where Moses once received his famous laws. The prophet Elijah walked for 40 days and 40 nights and, having reached Mount Horeb, settled in a cave. All his efforts to eradicate wickedness seemed helpless to him:
“Enough now, O Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4).
Elijah, in despair, speaks to God about the failure of his mission and the “failed” history of Israel:
“The children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, destroyed Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword; I am left alone, but they are looking for my soul to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10).
The Lord, with a special vision, again called him to be more merciful. In sensory images - a storm, an earthquake and fire - the meaning of his prophetic ministry was revealed to him. To contrast with these visions, the Lord appeared to him in the breath of a quiet wind, making it clear that the hearts of sinners were softening and turning to repentance more through the action of God's mercy. In the same vision, the Lord revealed to the prophet that he was not the only one who worshiped the True God: there were still 7,000 people in Israel who did not bow the knee to Baal. He must return to the country and choose a successor in the person of Elisha, who will complete the fight for the faith he began.
At the command of God, the prophet Elijah again went to Israel to consecrate Elisha to the prophetic ministry.
The holy prophet Elijah came to the court of the Israeli kings twice more. The first time was to expose Ahab for the illegal murder of Naboth and the appropriation of his vineyard (1 Kings 21). Hearing the prophet’s reproof, Ahab repented and humbled himself, and for this God softened His anger. The second time - to denounce the new king Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, for the fact that in his illness he turned not to the True God, but to the Ekron idol. The holy prophet predicted the death of Ahaziah for such unbelief, and soon the prophet’s word came true (2 Kings 1).
For his fiery spiritual zeal for the glory of God, the prophet Elijah was taken alive to Heaven in a chariot of fire:
“Suddenly there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and separated them both, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11).
His disciple Elisha witnessed this ascent and, together with the mantle (outer clothing) of Saint Elijah that fell from the chariot, received a prophetic gift twice as great as that of the prophet Elijah.
Then, at the Transfiguration of the Lord, he appeared together with the prophet Moses and appeared before Jesus Christ, talking with him on Mount Tabor. The two most authoritative men of the Old Testament personify the Law and the Prophets - the first and most important two sections of Holy Scripture.
In the biblical tradition, Elijah is one of the two Old Testament saints who did not see death on earth, but were awarded heaven before the coming of Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, before him, only Enoch, who lived before the Flood, was taken alive into heaven (Gen. 5:24). Therefore, on some icons of the Resurrection you can see Elijah and Enoch at the gates of heaven, meeting the ancient righteous, led out by Christ through the broken gates of hell.
According to the tradition of the Holy Church, the prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Terrible Second Coming of Christ to earth and will suffer bodily death during the sermon.
Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) about the prophet Elijah:
“The life of the prophet Elijah teaches us what true prophets were like, called by God for a special service, for a special mission - to proclaim to people about God. The prophets were persecuted: “A prophet has no honor in his own country” (John 4:44), that is, where he preaches, he is not understood. All prophets had enemies and ill-wishers, people who wished them death. Like all people, prophets had their weaknesses, and they were not always able to carry out the incredibly difficult mission that was entrusted to them - to testify about God to people who did not want to hear this testimony.
As we read about the lives of other prophets, we learn that when the Lord called them, some of them refused. One said that he was too young, the other - Jonah - completely fled from the Face of God, realizing that he did not have the strength to fulfill the mission entrusted to him by God. The prophet Elijah in despair asked God for death. But the prophets were always supported by the grace of God; in their ministry they came into direct contact with God, meeting Him in personal spiritual experience.
At different periods of human history, God sent prophets to people so that people would hear the Word of Truth from them, so that they would testify with miracles to the presence of God and the power of God. And in all eras, prophets were weak people - just like you and me. Their prophetic mission far exceeded their natural human strength, and they, not relying on their own strength, sought help from God. They asked God for spiritual reinforcement in difficult moments, when they were abandoned by people, persecuted, when enemies sought their death. And the Lord mysteriously strengthened them with the grace of the Holy Spirit.”
GREATNESS
We magnify you, holy, glorious prophet of God Elijah, and honor your glorious ascent to Heaven in a chariot of fire.
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The holy prophet Elijah - one of the greatest prophets and the first virgin of the Old Testament - was born in Thesbia of Gilead in the tribe of Levi 900 years before the Incarnation of God the Word.
Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus reports the following legend about the birth of the prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born, his father Sovakh saw in a vision that handsome men greeted him, swaddled him with fire and fed him with a fiery flame.” The name Elijah (the fortress of the Lord) given to the baby determined his entire life. From an early age he devoted himself to the One God, settled in the desert and spent his life in strict fasting, contemplation of God and prayer. Called to prophetic service under the Israeli king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot for true faith and piety. At that time, the Israeli people fell away from the faith of their fathers, abandoned the One God and worshiped pagan idols, the veneration of which was introduced by the wicked king Jeroboam. The wife of King Ahab, the pagan Jezebel, especially supported idolatry. The worship of the idol Baal led the Israelites to complete moral decay. Seeing the death of his people, the prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab of wickedness, urging him to repent and turn to the True God. The king did not listen to him. Then the prophet Elijah announced to him that, as punishment, there would be no rain or dew on the earth for three years and the drought would end only through his prayer. And indeed, through the prayer of the prophet, the sky closed, and drought and famine occurred throughout the entire earth. The people suffered from unbearable heat and hunger. The Lord, in His mercy, seeing the suffering of the people, was ready to spare everyone and send rain to the earth, but did not want to violate the words of the prophet Elijah, who was burning with the desire to turn the hearts of the Israelis to repentance and return them to true worship of God. Preserving the prophet Elijah from the hands of Jezebel, the Lord sent him during the disaster to a hidden place near the stream Cherith. The Lord commanded the predatory crows to bring food to the prophet, thereby instilling in him pity for the suffering people. When the stream of Choreth dried up, the Lord sent the prophet Elijah to Zarephath of Sidon to a poor widow who suffered with her children in anticipation of starvation. At the request of the prophet, she prepared him unleavened bread from the last handful of flour and the rest of the oil. Then, through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, flour and oil from then on did not run out in the widow’s house throughout the famine. By the power of his prayer, the great prophet performed another miracle: he resurrected the dead son of this widow. After three years of drought, the Merciful Lord sent a prophet to King Ahab to end the disaster. The Prophet Elijah ordered all Israel and the priests of Baal to be gathered to Mount Carmel. When the people gathered, the prophet Elijah proposed to build two altars: one from the priests of Baal, the other from the prophet Elijah to serve the True God. “On which of them fire falls from heaven, that will be an indication whose God is true,” said the prophet Elijah, “and everyone will have to worship Him, and those who do not recognize Him will be put to death.” The priests of Baal were the first to begin the sacrifice: they called out to the idol from morning to evening, but in vain - the sky was silent. In the evening, the holy prophet Elijah erected his altar of 12 stones, according to the number of tribes of Israel, laid the sacrifice on the firewood, ordered a ditch to be dug around the altar, and ordered to water the sacrifice and firewood with water. When the ditch was filled with water, the fiery prophet turned to God with a fervent prayer and petition, so that the Lord would send fire from heaven to admonish the erring and embittered Israeli people and turn their hearts to Himself. At the prayer of the prophet, fire came down from heaven and burned the sacrifice, wood, stones and even water. The people fell to the ground, crying out: “Truly the Lord is One God and there is no other God besides Him!” Then the prophet Elijah killed all the priests of Baal and began to pray for the sending of rain. Through his prayer, the sky opened and abundant rain fell, watering the thirsty earth.
King Ahab realized his error and mourned his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. The Prophet Elijah fled to the kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his powerlessness to eradicate idolatry, asked God for his death. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go on a long journey. The prophet Elijah walked for forty days and nights and, having reached Mount Horeb, settled in a cave. Here, after a terrible storm, earthquake and flame, the Lord appeared “in a still wind” (3 Kings 19:12) and revealed to the grieving prophet that He had preserved seven thousand faithful slaves who did not worship Baal. The Lord commanded the prophet Elijah to anoint (or dedicate) Elisha to the prophetic ministry. For his fiery zeal for the Glory of God, the prophet Elijah was taken to Heaven alive in a fiery chariot. The prophet Elisha witnessed the ascent of the prophet Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot and received, along with his fallen mantle (cloak), the gift of a prophetic spirit twice as great as the prophet Elijah had.
According to the tradition of the Holy Church, the prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Terrible Second Coming of Christ to earth and will suffer bodily death during the sermon.
The life of the holy prophet Elijah is described in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings; Sir. 48, 1-15; 1 Mac. 2, 58). During the Transfiguration of the Lord, the prophet Elijah talked with the Savior on Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30).
Since the day of the fiery ascension to Heaven of the Prophet Elijah, his veneration in the Church of Christ has never been interrupted. The Russian Orthodox Church sacredly honors the prophet Elijah. The first church built in Kyiv under Prince Igor was in the name of the prophet Elijah. After Baptism, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga (July 11) built the temple of the Prophet Elijah in her homeland, in the village of Vybuty.
The iconographic tradition depicts the prophet Elijah ascending on a chariot with wheels of fire, which is surrounded on all sides by flames and harnessed by four winged horses.
This blessed seer showed zealous love for the Lord and rightly denounced kings who had apostatized from the true faith. He performed numerous miracles and predicted the coming of the Savior of mankind. The life of the prophet Elijah and prayers to him have always been perceived by the people and rulers of Rus' with colossal reverence.
Divine Purpose of a Prophet
The blessed seer was sent to the holy land by the Lord, since the people of Israel had lost faith and fell into complete lawlessness. Idolatry was established here at the initiative of the cowardly king Jeroboam, who was afraid that the population would reveal the injustice of his rule. Having deliberately created golden statues for worship, he himself fell away from the true faith and horribly seduced the people under his care.
According to the chronicles, the blessed seer was born in the city of Tishvit, in the country of Gilead. He came from the family of Aaron, his father was Savah, who learned about the birth of an extraordinary son by a divine sign. During the birth itself, men in white robes spoke to the baby, fed him and swaddled him with symbolic flames. The angels made Elijah the prophet who would overthrow idolatry with the flame of his speeches or the wrath of his weapons.
Holy Prophet Elijah
A child with a priestly pedigree was educated among righteous men. From an early age, Elijah surrendered to the mercy of the Lord and loved virginity, being pure in soul and body. The Prophet often retired to a deserted place to serenely reflect on the power of the Almighty Creator. Here the blessed seer talked with Him for a long time and was like a seraphim - the closest creature.
God fulfilled every wish that came from the pure heart of the seer, because he gained true vision and His favor.
The prophet grieved for wicked kings, unjust judges and common people ossified in idolatry. He consciously sought to correct this order of real things and asked God to convert sinners to humble repentance.
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Knowing that the Almighty accepts only a voluntary apology, Elijah mercifully demanded temporary punishment for fallen souls. Finally, the blessed prophet begged the Executor for the fate of the preacher. The Good Father allowed the sinless seer to go and admonish ignorant people.
Interesting! The prophet's preaching began during the reign of the great sinner Ahab. He built a temple and an altar to the pagan idol Baal, ordering the people of Israel to worship him. It was to Ahab that Elijah came with the great intention of stopping the king from committing iniquities associated with unholy rituals.
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Eloquent persuasion failed to convince the lawless man, so the seer took extreme measures and predicted a great drought if the ruler did not change his mind. A lean time came and a terrible famine came. However, King Ahab became increasingly embittered and killed people indiscriminately, so Elijah maintained the drought: the entire people suffered for the ruler’s sins. Meeting in Samaria
The divine prophet authoritatively ordered to gather the wicked high priests and bring them to the mountain to discuss God with them. Elijah recalled that the Lord led the people out of Egypt, and the idol Baal was only imposed by a cunning and cowardly ruler. The blessed seer proposed to conduct some kind of competition to determine the true God.
- On the one hand, the wicked prophets began to pray to the pagan Baal to send heavenly fire to the ritual calf. They did not succeed; no movements or appeals could awaken Baal. The time had come to show Elijah the Tishbite his own faith.
- Having built an altar of 12 stones, the prophet appealed to the Almighty to show His power and convince those present. An all-consuming fire was sent from heaven, destroying the wood and the sacrifice. The people of Israel fell on their faces and recognized the true God.
- Elijah took the Baal prophets to the shore of the Great Sea and killed them with his own hands, and threw their corpses into the water. Next, he climbed the sacred Mount Carmel and prayerfully asked for rain. The Lord heard the seer and sent colossal precipitation to the earth.
Elijah and the prophets of Baal
- King Ahab realized his own error and mourned the sins that brought so much misfortune. The seer Elijah fled to the kingdom of Judah when he learned that Jezebel, the ruler’s wife, wanted to avenge her prophets and kill the blessed Servant of the Lord. He began to ask for death so that he would never again observe human malice and blasphemy.
- However, the angel fed and watered the seer and strengthened his strength for the long journey. The blessed one traveled for forty days to Mount Horeb and settled in a cave to communicate with the Eternal Father.
Return
On the way back, Elisha joined the seer, becoming his faithful servant and obedient disciple. Ruler Ahab committed a new sin by listening to the insidious slander of his wife. The prophet frightened the king with a quick and harsh death, so the latter threw off his expensive clothes and imposed a strict fast.
- Ahab was killed three years later in battle. When his corpse was taken to Samaria, dogs licked the still fresh blood. This was predicted by a divine seer. The new ruler was Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, who also worshiped Baal.
- When he became very ill, the ambassadors went to ask for healing from the demon in the idol. On the way, they were met by the clairvoyant Elijah, who brought the people of Ahaziah back. The prophet argued that worshiping Baal would only bring death.
- The king desired to see the preacher of God. Those high priests who came with pride to Elijah were burned by heavenly fire, but those who visited him with fear and humility remained alive. Since Ahaziah did not recognize the true God, he died on his bed. His brother Joram took over the kingdom and became the last ruler in the tribe of Ahab. Thus, the command of the Almighty was fulfilled, and the wicked race ceased to exist.
Prophets Elijah and Elisha
Last days
Elijah and his disciple Elisha were on their way to the city of Bethel when the time approached for the departure of the divine seer to the abode of the Lord. To support the prophet in his last minutes, 50 believers followed him. Soon they crossed the Jordan on dry ground, which parted with the wave of Elijah's staff.
Elisha asked the prophet for great presence of mind. The seer promised fulfillment if the disciple saw God take Elijah alive to Himself. Blessed Elisha, who inherited the preaching work, saw the miraculous appearance of a fiery chariot coming for the Servant of God. The seer Elijah is still alive and lives in the villages of paradise. Humanity will see him immediately before the second coming of the Almighty, where he will become a great martyr and suffer from the sword of the Antichrist.
On a note! In Russian churches consecrated in honor of the blessed prophet, godly processions of the cross are often held. His memorial day is set for July 20. This date is traditionally considered the boundary of seasonal beginnings. After Elijah's day, the Orthodox expected a lot of rain. At this time, swimming was prohibited so as not to cause illness. On the day of remembrance of the venerable seer, they pray for a rich and healthy harvest or for a favorable marriage. But one should not give too much importance to popular beliefs, since they often distort the true meaning.
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Important! The life of the prophet Elijah shows that this saint gave his entire life to the All-Good Father. He zealously kept the divine commandments and sought to return the rule of Israel to the tribe of David.Prokom walked an honest path in life, destroyed a lot of uncleanness and ascended to the heavenly abodes, where he continues to listen to the merciful and just speeches of the Almighty.
Archpriest Andrey Tkachev. Holy Prophet Elijah
The Prophet Elijah is not just one of the most revered saints, both in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Prophet Elijah is one of the most famous people in human history. He is revered not only in Christianity and Judaism, but also in later Protestant sects and Islam, and traces of his image are present even in pagan religions.
We have collected the most interesting facts about the prophet Elijah.
1. Unknown name of the prophet Elijah
We know nothing about the origin of the prophet Elijah, about his genealogy, and even his name may not be a proper name.
"Eliyahu" in Hebrew means "Yahweh is my God." There is an opinion that the prophet took this name for himself during a confrontation with the priests of Baal.
2. Preacher of the One God
Contemporary to Elijah, King Ahab of Israel and his wife Jezebel were idolaters: they made sacrifices to the pagan deity Baal (Jezebel came from the Phoenicians who worshiped him, and was herself a priestess) and persuaded the people to do so. Elijah openly denounced the king and queen, thereby earning the hatred of the latter.
As punishment for the king’s persistence in idolatry, the Lord sends heat to the country. For three years there was no rain or dew from the sky. The drought stopped only through the prayer of Elijah, which put the priests of Baal to shame.
This happened under the following circumstances.
Elijah gathered the people of Israel and the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel and proposed to build two altars - to God and to Baal - and to offer sacrifices on them, but not to set it on fire. If Baal burns his victim with fire from heaven, then he is the true God. If the Lord is the true God, He is.
Baal, of course, “did not accept” his sacrifice. God burned not only the sacrifice, but also the wood, the stone altar, and even the ditch with water, which, by order of Elijah, surrounded the altar.
The people of Israel repented and praised God, and Elijah personally killed all the priests of Baal as those who seduced people. After this, he prayed to the Lord for rain, and the Lord respected his prayer.
3. Alive in Heaven
According to Holy Tradition, in the history of mankind there are only three people taken to heaven alive: the Apostle John, Enoch and Elijah.
Moreover, if different interpretations are possible about Enoch (in chapter 5 of the book of Genesis it is said vaguely about his departure from earthly life: “he was no more, because God took him”), and we know about John only from Tradition, then about the prophet Elijah it is specifically said in the Bible: “Suddenly there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and separated them both, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11).
4. Elijah - the forerunner of Christ
According to church tradition, based on the prophecy of Malachi: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Mal.4:5), the prophet Elijah will become the forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ to earth and will be killed for preaching Christ , thereby repeating the fate of John the Baptist, who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” as the Forerunner of the Savior (“Elijah must come first and arrange everything; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but treated him as wanted; so the Son of Man will suffer from them” (Matthew 17:11-12), says Christ).
The fact that Elijah is one of the heralds of Christ is evidenced by his miracles. During the drought that followed the sins of King Ahab and the people of Israel, he settled in the house of a widow from Zarephath of Sidon, a pagan by birth - just as Christ came to the perishing people of Israel, but, being rejected, was accepted by the pagans.
In the widow’s house, Elijah raised her only son, who had died of illness, just as Christ would raise the dead in His earthly life.
Another miracle in the widow’s house - while the prophet was in it, the oil in the jug did not dry out and the flour did not run out - anticipates the miracle of the loaves and fishes with which the Lord fed those who heard Him.
5. Elijah - interlocutor of Christ
The Gospel testifies to the fact that Elijah is the greatest of the prophets by the fact that only he and Moses were honored with a conversation with Christ during His Transfiguration on Tabor.
There are different explanations why Christ chooses these two prophets for conversation.
Firstly, Elijah, like Moses, had the experience of direct communication with God: Moses received the law from God, and also communicated with the Almighty as closely as possible for a person - he saw “the back of God” (Ex., 33). Elijah stood face to face before God at His call, “hiding his face with his mantle” (1 Kings 19).
Saint John Chrysostom expresses a different opinion: “one who died and the other who has not yet experienced death” appeared before Christ in order to show that He “has power over life and death, rules over heaven and earth.”
6. Elijah in Judaism
The tradition of the prophet Eliyahu as the forerunner of the Moshiach (Messiah) existed in ancient, pre-Christian Judaism, and it continues to this day. Moreover: it is believed that Elijah will not only return to earth before the coming of the Messiah, but will also anoint him as king (since there can be no other indication other than directly from God through the prophet to a legitimate king after a centuries-long break in dynasties).
Jewish tradition also claims that Eliyahu visits the home of every family celebrating Passover (the remembrance of the exodus from Egypt) - therefore, during the ritual Passover meal, a glass is left on the table for the prophet.
7. Elijah in Islam
The Prophet Elijah in the Islamic tradition is called by the name Ilyas. His biography briefly repeats the biblical biography of the prophet: he taught to worship the One God, and punished him for worshiping the idol Baal.
Some interpreters of the Koran and Islamic theologians believe that Idris (Enoch), Khidr (prophet - teacher of Moses, also immortal; there is no analogue in the Bible) are other names of Ilyas. The eschatological meaning that is invested in the figure of Elijah in Christianity and Judaism does not exist in Islam. But the belief that he was taken to heaven alive also exists in Islam - it is believed that he travels around the world with Khidr.
In later Islamic literature and legends, Ilyas generally becomes half-man, half-angel.
8. Ilya in folklore
Due to the fact that, according to Elijah's prophecy, the heavens were closed for three years and rain fell on the earth through his prayer, Elijah is often associated with pre-Christian heavenly deities. Not the least role in these associations was played by the image of the prophet leaving for heaven - on a fiery chariot.
Already in the Christian era, in the fifth century, the poet Sedulius associated the Greek sun god Helios with the name Elijah, especially since both of these names are very close in sound (the name “Elijah” in Greek transcription sounds like “Elias”).
In the Slavic tradition, some functions of the pagan thunder god Perun were transferred to the figure of Elijah the Prophet. And the Komi people even introduced Elijah into the pantheon of their gods: Elijah the prophet is considered an assistant to one of the demiurge deities. His attributes are flint and steel, with which he strikes thunder and lightning.
9. Veneration of the Prophet Elijah in Orthodox Rus'
The veneration of the prophet Elijah in Rus' was widespread even before her Baptism by Prince Vladimir. The first temple built in Kyiv during the reign of Prince Igor was dedicated to the prophet Elijah.
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, after her baptism, built a temple, also dedicated to the Prophet Elijah, in her native village of Vybuty (Pskov region).
10. Whose patron is the prophet Elijah?
August 2 is “Airborne Forces Day”. Warriors in blue berets celebrate their holiday widely, and those of them who profess themselves Orthodox remember, not without pride, that on the same day the Church remembers the prophet Elijah. Therefore, recently the prophet Elijah is increasingly called the patron saint of airborne troops.
There is nothing wrong with such calendar symbolism, especially since many of the prophet’s miracles were warlike in the Old Testament. At the same time, it is important not to forget the main thing: the prophet Elijah is the patron saint of the faithful of the Lord, for he himself was faithful to Him in spite of all circumstances, he is also a mentor to the lost, for with his miracles he enlightened the lost people, he is also an example of a chaste life, for he lived in purity, without being married...
It is close to everyone in their own way. Therefore, the prophet Elijah, from whom we are separated by millennia, is one of the most beloved saints among the people.
Thunder rolled across the sky, and the old women crossed themselves, cautiously glancing sideways at the clouds. “Elijah the Prophet rode in a chariot,” they can be heard whispering. Older people remember scenes like this. Who is he who shakes heaven and earth? Let's open the Bible and listen to what it tells us.
Israel in the darkness of paganism
900 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the wicked king Jeroboam reigned in Israel. For reasons of self-interest, he abandoned the true God, fell into idolatry and carried away the entire unfortunate people with him. Since then, a whole galaxy of kings of Israel worshiped idols. The inhabitants of the country suffered many troubles because of their wickedness. But the Lord, in His boundless mercy, did not abandon the apostates, but tried to return them to the true path, sending them prophets and denouncing paganism through their mouths. Among them, the most ardent fighter for the true faith was the prophet of God Elijah.
Birth of a new prophet
The Bible says that he was born in the east of Palestine, in the city of Tishbit. At the moment of his birth, his father, a priest, had a vision: he saw some men swaddling the baby with fire and putting flame into his mouth. This was a prediction that in his mature years the words of his sermons would be like fire, and he would mercilessly burn out wickedness among his compatriots who had fallen into sin. They named the newborn Elijah, which translated from Hebrew means “my God.” These words perfectly expressed his destiny to become a vessel of God’s grace.
Growing up, the prophet Elijah, as befits the son of a priest, led a pure and righteous life, retiring for long periods into the desert and spending time in prayer. And the Lord loved him, sending down everything he asked. The young man himself grieved endlessly in his soul, seeing around him the terrible bacchanalia of idolatry. The rulers and people made human sacrifices. Everything was mired in vice and debauchery. The true God was forgotten. Before his eyes, those rare righteous people who still remained in Israel and tried to condemn the dishonor were put to death. Elijah's heart was filled with pain.
Terrible accuser of wickedness
At that time, Jeroboam's successor, King Ahab, reigned in the country. He was also wicked, but his wife Jezebel was especially devoted to idols. She worshiped the Phoenician god Baal and instilled this faith in the Israelites. Pagan altars were built everywhere and temples were erected. The Prophet Elijah, defying mortal danger, went to the king and menacingly denounced him for all the iniquities he was committing, trying to convince their fathers of the truth of the one God. Seeing that the king’s heart was impenetrable to the truth, to prove his words and to punish the apostates, he sent, by the power of God, a terrible drought across the entire country, from which the crops perished and famine began.
Speaking about the miracles shown by the saints during the period of their earthly life, one should pay attention to a very important detail: it is not they themselves who work miracles, since they are ordinary people during this period, but the Lord God acts with their hands. By virtue of their righteousness, they become a kind of transmission link between the Almighty and people. After death, while remaining in the Kingdom of God, the saints, through our prayers to them, can beg God to fulfill what they ask for.
The Prophet Elijah risked not only becoming a victim of the royal wrath, but also dying of starvation along with ordinary people. However, God spared his life. The Lord led his prophet to a distant place where there was water and ordered a raven to bring him food. It is worth noting that, which is present in almost every Orthodox church, it is often depicted with a raven bringing food.
Miracles in Sarepta
The next miracle performed was the salvation from starvation of a poor widow from the city of Zarephath, where Elijah went at the command of God. Because the poor woman did not spare the last piece of bread for him, her meager supplies of food became inexhaustible by God’s power. When the widow's son died of illness, the prophet Elijah, showing a new miracle, restored the boy's life. His name was Jonah. The Bible tells about his amazing fate. Having matured over the years, the young man became an ardent zealot of the true faith. One day, heading on a ship to the city of Nineveh, where he was going to appeal to the inhabitants with a call to repent, he got into a storm and ended up overboard, where he was swallowed by a whale. But by the will of God, three days later Jonah was thrown out alive and unharmed. This stay in the belly of the whale and subsequent return to the world is a prototype of Christ's three-day resurrection.
Contest with the priests and the end of the drought
By the third year of drought, the last wells had already dried up. Death and desolation reigned everywhere. The merciful Lord, not wanting the tragedy to continue, ordered the prophet Elijah to go to King Ahab and convince him to turn away from worshiping demons. After three years of terrible disasters, even such a wicked man should have understood the destructiveness of idolatry. But the king’s mind became clouded from anger.
Then the holy prophet, in order to prove the truth of his God and turn the king and people of Israel away from idolatry, volunteered to compete with the priests of Baal. They accepted the challenge and built their own altar. The prophet began to call heavenly fire on them with prayers. The servants of Baal were four hundred and fifty, but the prophet Elijah was one. But only the prayer of the righteous man was heard, and his altar was illuminated with fire, and the efforts of the priests were in vain. They danced and stabbed themselves with knives - all in vain. The people praised the true God, and the disgraced priests were immediately executed. The people were clearly convinced that the messenger of God was right.
After this, the holy prophet Elijah, ascending Mount Carmel, offered a prayer to the Lord for the gift of rain. Before he had time to finish, the heavens opened and a noisy downpour poured onto the earth, watering the fields and gardens. Everything that happened was so impressive that even King Ahab repented of his errors and began to mourn his sins.
Visit of the Prophet Elijah by God
However, the embittered Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, set out to take revenge for her shame and ordered the death of the prophet. He was forced to hide in the desert. One day, exhausted from hunger and thirst, the prophet Elijah fell asleep. An Angel of God appeared to him in a dream and commanded him to direct his path to Mount Horeb and settle there in a cave. When Elijah woke up, he saw food and a jug of water in front of him. This was very useful, since the journey was forty days and forty nights.
Bitter experiences about the fate of his pagan people plunged the prophet Elijah into deep sadness. He was on the verge of despair, but the all-merciful Lord honored him with his visit on Mount Horeb and announced that the righteous had not yet dried up in the land of Israel, that He had preserved seven thousand of His faithful servants, that the time was near when King Ahab and his wife would perish. In addition, the Lord announced the name of the future king, who would destroy the entire family of Ahab. To top it all off, the prophet Elijah learned from the mouth of God the name of his successor, whom he should anoint as a prophet. After some time, the Almighty sent Elijah a disciple - the pious Elisha, who began to fight paganism just as zealously.
King Ahab's New Sin
Meanwhile, the wicked King Ahab again entered the path of sin. He liked the vineyard of an Israeli named Naboth, but when he tried to buy it, the king was refused. His proud heart could not bear such shame. Having learned about what had happened, Queen Jezebel, through her minions, slandered Naboth, accusing him of cursing both God and the king. The crowd stoned the innocent man, and Ahab became the owner of the vineyard. But his joy was short-lived. The Lord, through the mouth of His prophet Elijah, denounced the slanderer and predicted a quick death for him and his deceitful wife. Once again the king shed tears of repentance. Three years later he was killed. His wife and children survived the wicked man for a short time.
The descent of heavenly fire on the servants of King Ahaziah
After Ahab, his son Ahaziah reigned. Like his father, he worshiped Baal and other pagan gods. And then one day, having become seriously ill, he began to call on them for help. Having learned about this, the Prophet Elijah angrily condemned him and predicted his imminent death. Twice the angry king sent detachments of soldiers to seize Elijah, and twice fire came down from heaven and destroyed them. Only the third time, when the messengers fell on their knees before him, did the Prophet have mercy on them. After Elijah repeated his diatribe, Ahaziah died.
Ascension to Heaven Alive
Other miracles performed by Elijah the Prophet are also described in the Bible. One day, with a blow of his cloak, he stopped the waters, forced them to part, and crossed to the other side along the dry bottom in the same way as Joshua had done before.
Soon, at God's command, a miracle happened - the prophet Elijah was taken alive into heaven. The Bible describes how a fiery chariot suddenly appeared, drawn by flaming horses, and the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven in a whirlwind like lightning. His disciple Elisha witnessed the miracle. God's Grace passed to him from the teacher and with it the ability to work miracles. The prophet Elijah himself is still alive in the villages of paradise. The Lord protects him as His faithful servant. Proof of this can be his appearance in the flesh where he, in the presence of the holy apostles and Moses, talked with the transfigured Jesus Christ.
It should be noted that before him, only the righteous Enoch, who lived before the Great Flood, was taken to heaven alive. This fiery path in the clouds was the reason why thunderclaps were often associated with his name. The Prophet Elijah, whose life is mainly described in the Old Testament, is mentioned several times in the New. It is enough to recall the scene on Mount Tabor, where he appeared to the transfigured Jesus Christ along with Moses, as well as a number of other episodes.
Veneration of the Prophet Elijah in Rus'
Since then, as soon as the light of Orthodoxy shone in Rus', the prophet Elijah became one of the most revered. The first churches in his honor were erected during the time of Prince Askold and the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga. This is largely explained by the fact that the first Christian missionaries on the banks of the Dnieper and Volkhov faced the same problems as the prophet Elijah in Palestine - they had to rescue the people from the darkness of paganism.
When there were summer droughts in Rus', religious processions went to the fields and asked him for help. There was no doubt: the holy prophet Elijah, whose prayer put an end to the three-year drought in Palestine, had the power to send rain to our land.
The Prophet Elijah and his miracles inspired many Russian rulers to create temples in his honor. In addition to the saints already mentioned, Prince Askold and Princess Olga, Prince Igor erected the Temple of Elijah the Prophet in Kyiv. Similar temples are also known in Veliky Novgorod and Pskov.
Temple of the Prophet Elijah in Obydensky Lane
Among those currently operating, the most famous is the Moscow one, whose photo is presented in our article. It is generally accepted that it was built in 1592. The place where the temple is now located is called Ostozhenka, and once it was called Skorod. The fact is that logs were floated here along the river, and it was convenient and quick to build here. It turned out to be a quick house. One day is “routine” and you’re done. This gave the name to the lanes running here.
The wooden church of Elijah the Prophet built in this place was one of the most revered in the city. During the Time of Troubles, in 1612, within its walls the Moscow clergy performed a prayer service, asking for help from the Lord God in expelling the Polish invaders from Moscow. Historical chronicles often mention religious processions to the church on days of drought, as well as on patronal feast days. Representatives of the highest clergy often conducted services there.
The stone building of the temple was erected in 1702, and for three hundred years the flow of pilgrims to it has not dried up. Even in difficult years for the church, its doors were not closed, although there were such attempts. It is known, for example, that the authorities intended to close the church immediately after the end of the liturgy on June 22, 1941. But the Lord did not allow this.
During the period of persecution of the church, the Temple of the Holy Prophet Elijah became a place where parishioners of many churches closed in the capital flocked. They brought with them not only what was saved from confiscation, but also many pious traditions that had been preserved since pre-revolutionary times. Thus, as the community grew, it became enriched spiritually.
With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', “Program 200” was launched in Moscow in 2010 - a project to build two hundred Orthodox churches in the capital. As part of this program, in 2012 in Northern Butovo, at the intersection of Grina and Kulikovskaya streets, the construction of another temple in honor of the Old Testament prophet Elijah began. The building is currently under construction and services are being held in temporary premises. Despite the forced inconveniences, the parish life of the church is very rich. A consulting service has been organized, whose activists are ready to give comprehensive explanations on all issues related to church services. An Orthodox film club has been opened. In addition, there is a Sunday school and a number of sports sections for children. The Temple of Elijah the Prophet in Butovo, without a doubt, will become one of the prominent religious and cultural centers of our capital.
The image of the prophet Elijah today
Nowadays, the church carries out extensive work to promote Orthodox culture. Books are published, films are made. Among other materials, the publication “The Holy Prophet Elijah. Life". There is a lot of interesting things for children and adults there. Modern icon painters have created a gallery of works representing the acts of Saint Elijah. Following established canons, they creatively rethink the religious and moral meaning of the image.
It is also impossible not to remember that the holy prophet Elijah is the patron saint of the Russian airborne troops. Every year on August 2, ceremonial services are held in the churches of the Airborne Forces units. More than a thousand years ago, the light of Orthodoxy shone in Rus', and over these years, Elijah the Prophet, whose earthly life was spent in Palestine, became a truly Russian saint, an intercessor in troubles and an example of selfless Christian service to God.
