Elijah (9th cent. BCE). Israelite prophet. After choosing Elisha as his successor, he was taken up to Heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2. 1–18). According to the book of Malachi, he will return to earth ‘before the great and terrible day of the Lord’ (4. 5). In aggadic literature, Elijah was recognized as the forerunner of the messiah. Consequently, the gospels record speculation that John the Baptist, who wore the same clothes as Elijah (Mark 1. 6; 2 Kings 1. 8) was a reincarnation of the prophet. Subsequently Elijah was believed to be a partner of the messiah who will overthrow the foundations of the heathen (Gen.R 71. 9) and bring about the resurrection of the dead. He most frequently was said to appear on the eve of Passover to help the poor prepare for the seder. It is customary to place a cup for Elijah in the middle of the table, and the door is opened during the seder for the prophet to come in and herald the days of the messiah. At circumcision ceremonies, an unoccupied chair is placed for Elijah.

Elijah (ēlī´jə) or Elias (ēlī´əs) [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 (9th century bc), a Hebrew prophet in the time of Ahab and Jezebel who maintained the worship of Jehovah against that of Baal and other pagan gods. He is said to have been miraculously fed by ravens, to have raised a widow's son from the dead, and to have been carried to heaven in a chariot of fire (1 Kings 17–2 Kings 2).

His successor as the prophet of Israel was Elisha, something signalled in 2 Kings 2:13, when after Elisha had seen the fiery chariot go up to heaven, ‘He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him.’

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.

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