Elijah

Elijah or Elias [both: Heb.,=Yahweh is God], fl. c.875 BC, Hebrew prophet in the reign of King Ahab . He is one of the outstanding figures of the Bible. Elijah's mission was to destroy the worship of foreign gods and to restore exclusive loyalty to God. His zeal brought about a temporary banishment of idolatry (see Jezebel ). Incidents in his life include his raising the widow's son from the dead; his contest of faith with the priests of Baal, resulting in his triumph and their death; his being fed by ravens; his experience of the still, small voice on Mt. Horeb (Sinai); and his departure from earth in a chariot of fire enveloped in a whirlwind. His disciple was Elisha . Unlike other great prophets, Elijah and Elisha left no written records. In Jewish tradition, Elijah is the eschatological herald of the Messiah. John the Baptist and Jesus were asked if they were the incarnation of Elijah, who appeared at the Transfiguration. The prophet is prominent in the Qur'an. Mendelssohn composed an oratorio, Elijah.

Elijah (active 9th century bc) Old Testament prophet. He rebuked King Ahab for his attitude to the Phoenician cult of Baal, promoted by Ahab's wife, Jezebel (1 Kings 17, 2 Kings 2) at the expense of the cult of Yahweh. Elijah, aided by his disciple Elisha, contested that there was no God but Yahweh.

Elijah (Elias). Oratorio, Op.70, by Mendelssohn to text selected from the Bible by Julius Schrubring. For sop., cont., ten., bass, and treble soloists, boys’ ch., ch., and orch. Comp. 1846, f.p. Birmingham 1846, Hamburg 1847, NY 1851.