Biography of elijah

This is applicable to John the Baptist coming to prepare the way for the Lord and His baptism; it also refers to Elijah appearing during the transfiguration to prepare for Jesus by restoring keys of sealing power. Elijah's narrative in the Quran and later Muslim tradition resembles closely that in the Hebrew Bible and Muslim literature records Elijah's primary prophesying as taking place during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel as well as Ahaziah.

While neither the Bible nor the Quran mentions the genealogy of Elijah, some scholars of Islam believe he may have come from the priestly family of the prophet Aaron. Elijah is mentioned in the Quran, biography of elijah his preaching is recounted in a concise manner. The Quran narrates that Elijah told his people to come to the worship of God and to leave the worship of Baalthe primary idol of the area.

The Quran states, "And Elias was indeed one of the messengers. The Quran makes it clear that the majority of Elijah's people denied the prophet and continued to follow idolatry. However, it mentions that a small number of devoted servants of God among them followed Elijah and believed in and worshiped God. But not the chosen servants of Allah.

He was truly one of Our faithful servants. Abdullah Yusuf Ali says, "The third group consists not of men of action, but Preachers of Truth, who led solitary lives. Their epithet is: "the Righteous. Zachariah was the father of John the Baptist, who is referenced as "Elias, which was for to come" Matt ; and Elias is said to have been present and talked to Jesus at the Transfiguration on the Mount Matt.

Muslim literature and tradition recounts that Elijah preached to the Kingdom of Israelruled over by Ahab and later his son Ahaziah. He is believed to have been a "prophet of the desert—like John the Baptist ". Muslims believe that it was because the majority of people refused to listen to Elijah that Elisha had to continue preaching the message of God to Israel after him.

Elijah has been the subject of legends and folktales in Muslim culture, usually involving his meeting with Khidr, and in one legend, with Muhammad himself. One hadith reported that Elijah and Khidr met together every year in Jerusalem to go on the pilgrimage to Mecca. He then translated the supplication in Arabic to a group of visiting scholars:.

Will I find that you punish me although you know that I rub my face on Earth to worship you? Will I find that you punish me although you know that I give up sins for you? Will I find that you punish me although you know that I stay awake all night just for you? Although most Muslim scholars believed that Elijah preached in Israelsome early commentators on the Quran stated that Elijah was sent to Baalbekin Lebanon.

Scholars who reject identification of Elijah's town with Baalbek further argue that the town of Baalbek is not mentioned with the narrative of Elijah in either the Quran or the Hebrew Bible. Druze, like some Christiansbelieve that Elijah came back as John the Baptist[ 2 ] [ ] since they believe in reincarnation and the transmigration of the soul, Druze believe that El Khidr and John the Baptist are one and the same; along with Saint George.

Due to the Christian influence on the Druze faithtwo Christian saints become the Druze 's favorite venerated figures: Saint George and Saint Elijah. That ravens fed Elijah by the brook Chorath has been questioned. Alternatives have been proposed for many years; for example Adam Clarke d. The parallelism with the incident that follows, where Elijah is fed by the widow, also suggests a human, if mildly improbable, agent.

John Gray chooses Arabssaying "We adopt this reading solely because of its congruity with the sequel, where Elijah is fed by an biography of elijah Phoenician woman. And the word of YHWH came to Elijah saying, Go hence and turn eastward and hide thyself in the Wadi Chorath east of the Jordan, and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the wadi, and I have commanded the Arabs to feed thee there.

And the Arabs brought him bread in the morning and flesh in the evening and he would drink of the wadi. The challenge to the priests of Baal had the two-fold purpose of demonstrating that the God of Israel was greater than Baal, and that it was he who was the giver of rain. According to J. Robinson, "Some scholars have suggested that the pouring of water was a piece of sympathetic magic.

Biography of elijah: Prophet Elijah (Greek name Elias),

Hugo Gressmann suggested that the fire that destroyed the offering and altar was lightning, while Ferdinand Hitzig and others [ ] thought the water poured on the sacrifice and into the ditch might have been flammable naphtha. Baptist scholar H. Rowley rejects both views. Elijah's name typically occurs in Jewish lists of those who have entered heaven alive.

In the Gospel of JohnJesus says: "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, [ even ] the Son of man which is in biography of elijah. Further interpreting this quote, some Christians believe that Elijah was not assumed into heaven but simply transferred to another assignment either in heaven [ ] or with King Jehoram of Judah.

The question of whether Elijah was in heaven or elsewhere on earth depends partly on the view of the letter Jehoram received from Elijah in 2 Chronicles after Elijah had ascended. Some have suggested that the letter was written before Elijah ascended, but only delivered later. For Christians this prophecy was fulfilled in the gospel. After Elijah appears during the Transfiguration alongside Moses, Jesus explains to his disciples that John the Baptist, recently beheaded by Herod Antipas, [ ] had been Elijah reincarnate.

The American founded Nation of Islam believes Elijah returned as Elijah Muhammadblack separatist religious leader who claimed to be a "messenger", not a prophet. This is considered less important than their belief that Allah himself showed up in the person of Fard Muhammadthe founder of the group. It differs notably from most beliefs about Elijah, in that his re-appearance is usually the precursor to a greater one's appearance, rather than an afterthought.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item. Biblical prophet. This article is about the prophet. For other uses, see Elijah disambiguation. Not to be confused with Elisha or Elishah. Judaism Christianity Islam Druze faith [ 2 ].

Biblical accounts [ edit ]. Books of Kings [ edit ]. Widow of Zarephath [ edit ]. Main article: Raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath. Challenge to Baal [ edit ]. Mount Horeb [ edit ]. Vineyard of Naboth [ edit ]. Ahaziah [ edit ]. Departure [ edit ]. Books of Chronicles [ edit ]. Main article: Books of Chronicles. In Malachi [ edit ].

Historicity [ edit ]. In the Aggadah, Talmud, and extra-canonical books [ edit ]. Origin [ edit ]. Zeal for God [ edit ]. Ecclesiasticus [ edit ]. In Judaism [ edit ]. Elijah's chair [ edit ]. See also: Brit milah. Elijah's cup [ edit ]. See also: Passover Seder. Havdalah [ edit ]. See also: Havdalah. In Jewish folklore [ edit ]. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi [ edit ].

Rabbi Eliezer [ edit ]. Lilith [ edit ]. In Christianity [ edit ]. New Testament [ edit ]. John the Baptist [ edit ]. Transfiguration [ edit ]. Other references [ edit ]. Prophet saint [ edit ]. Carmelite tradition [ edit ]. Liturgical commemorations [ edit ]. Pagan associations and mountaintops [ edit ]. In Islam [ edit ]. Main article: Elijah in Islam.

Prophets in the Quran. Listed by Islamic name and Biblical name. Main events. Stories of the Prophets The Three Messengers. Jews, Christians, and Muslims prophets Abrahamic prophets. Quran [ edit ]. Literature and tradition [ edit ]. In Druze religion [ edit ]. Controversies [ edit ]. Miracle of the ravens [ edit ]. Fire on Mount Carmel [ edit ].

Ascension into the heavens [ edit ]. Return [ edit ]. In arts and literature [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. Since he is your lord, bow to him; the biography of elijah of Tyre will sue your favor with gifts. He was a prophet of the desert, like John the Baptist, unlike our holy Prophet, who took part in, controlled, and guided all the affairs of his people.

Both Ahab and Azariah were prone to lapse into the worship of Baal, the sun-god worshipped in Syria. That worship also included the worship of nature-powers and procreative powers, as in the Hindu worship of the Lingam, and led to many abuses. King Ahab had married a princess of Sidon, Jezebel, a wicked woman who led her husband to forsake Allah and adopt Baal-worship.

Eventually, according to the Old Testament, [ ] he was taken up in a whirlwind to heaven in a chariot of fire after he had left his mantle with Elisha the prophet. Either the letter was written before he went to heaven and delivered by a messenger on earth unlikelyor Elijah was "caught away" as was Philip from the Gaza Road to Azotas, about 17 miles, [ ] for an unspecified purpose and returned to the earth.

Consider the evidence: 1. Elijah had been taken to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha had taken over the duties of Elijah in the reign of Jehoshaphat. Jehoram received a letter from Elijah, the prophet. References [ edit ]. Retrieved 17 July Historical Dictionary of the Druzes. ISBN Elijah the Prophet". Archived from the original on 3 June Waiting for the Dawn: An Autobiography.

Biography of elijah: Elijah (flourished 9th century bce) was

The University of Michigan Press. He is also one of two prophets who appear with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Worst failures: Fearing Jezebel, Elijah flees into the desert and asks the Lord to take his life. The prophet Elijah is venerated by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

Biography of elijah: Elijah was a prophet and miracle

According to VeryWellFamilythe name Elijah has the following origin, gender use, and pronunciations:. Prophet Elijah Greek name Eliasthe God-seer, miracle worker, and zealot for faith in God was born of the tribe of Aaron in the town of Tishba, for which he was called the Tishbite. When Elias was born, his father Sabbas saw angels of God hovering around the child, wrapping the child in fire and feeding him flames.

That was a foreshadowing of Elias's fiery character and his God-given fiery power. He spent his entire youth in divine contemplation and prayer, frequently withdrawing into the wilderness to contemplate and pray in tranquility. At that time, the Jewish kingdom was divided into two unequal parts: the kingdom of Judah, consisting of only two tribes--the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with their capital in Jerusalem; and the kingdom of Israel, consisting of the remaining ten tribes, with their capital in Samaria.

The descendants of Solomon governed the former, and the descendants of Jeroboam, a servant of Solomon, governed the latter. The greatest confrontation that the prophet Elias had was with the Israelite King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel, for they worshipped idols and were turning the people away from serving the One Living God. In addition, Jezebel, a Syrian, persuaded her husband to erect a temple for the Syrian god Baal and appointed many priests to the service of this false god.

Through great miracles, Elijah displayed the power and authority of God. He closed up the heavens so that there was no rain for three years and six months; he called fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice to God, which the pagan priests were unable to do for the false god, Baal; he brought rain by his prayer; he miraculously multiplied flour and oil in the home of the widow in Zarephath, and resurrected her son; he prophesied to Ahab that the dogs would lick up his blood, and to Jezebel that the dogs would consume her flesh--all of which came to biography of elijah and he performed many other miracles, and prophesied other events as well.

He spoke with God and heard the voice of God in the calm after the wind, earthquake, and fire on Mount Horeb. Before his death, he designated Elisha as his successor in the prophetic calling; with his mantle, he divided the biographies of elijah of the Jordan. Finally, he was taken up into the heavens in a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses.

At the end of the world, Elijah will appear again to put an end to the power of the Antichrist Revelation Little is known about his birthplace, other than it is likely the historical town of Listib, the ruins of which are in present-day Jordan. Elijah's father was Savah, but it is not known who his mother was. This is not unusual because important figures in the Old Testament were often introduced by their name followed by " ben " meaning "son of," followed by the name of the father, but not the mother.

Nothing is recorded about his background before Elijah appears suddenly to promote traditional orthodox Jewish beliefs. The name "Elijah" is spelled in several different ways, depending on how it is translated from Hebrew in the Old Testament. In biblical texts, his first appearance places him about halfway through the reign of King Ahab, son of Omri who founded the northern kingdom in Samaria.

This would place Elijah somewhere around BCE. The Bible attributes the following actions to Elijah:. In Kings 1Elijah suddenly appears during the reign of Ahab to announce a drought that God will send in punishment for worshipping the cult of Baal. Later, Elijah meets prophets of Baal to determine which tribal god is supreme; as the story goes, Elijah "wins" when Jehovah answers his prayers.

Biography of elijah: Elijah was born in BCE in

The Bible states clearly that he was from Gilead 1 Kingsso he was certainly at some time from Trans-Jordan. The Heb. KB, p. NW of Gerasa. Personal characteristics. Elijah often is regarded as a wilderness dweller, prob. His simple attire and diet did not prevent him from moving in more sophisticated circles, and he had repeated opportunities to address the king in person.

Elijah was a man of great physical endurance; his feat of running before the chariot of Ahab from Mt. Carmel to the entrance of Jezreel demonstrates his excellent physical condition. His unhesitating devotion to the Lord made him a bold spokesman for what is right; he did not turn aside from vigorous denunciation of the actions of the hostile king nor did he cringe before the fanatic opposition of the priests of Baal.

The human side of Elijah is evidenced in his flight from the vindictive Jezebel, when she sent him the message that she would take his life. Elijah was not only an enthusiastic religious leader; he was also an ardent patriot and his energetic service for God was coupled with a sincere concern for the nation of Israel. He also had strong interests in education; he continued the schools of the prophets founded by Samuel and he instructed Elisha in their administration.

When he and Elisha left Jericho to cross the Jordan, fifty of the sons of the prophets accompanied them and stood at some distance from them as the two crossed the river 2 Kings When Elisha returned alone, the group at Jericho insisted that fifty men be sent to look for him vv. His career and mighty works. After making this prediction, he was directed by the Lord to hide himself by the brook Cherith, E of the Jordan, where he was supplied morning and evening with bread and meat carried by ravens.

When the waters of the brook dried up, he was divinely commanded to go to Zarephath in the territory of Sidon, where a widow was to feed him. Zarephath is the Sarepta of NT biographies of elijah cf. The unfailing supplies Arriving at Zarephath, Elijah found a widow whose supplies of meal and oil were nearly exhausted. He requested that she first bake a cake for him and later for herself and her son, and explained that this supply of flour and oil would last until the rains returned.