Elijah, Minor Player in the Old Testament, but a Bigger Deal in Christian and Muslim Writings

Nadene Goldfoot                                              

Elijah, the Tishbite, (of Tishbe in Gilead--of Transjordania, settled by the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh (Num. 32; Josh. 22:9,15)")was a Jewish prophet of the Kingdom of Israel  who lived in the 9th century BCE  during the reign of King Ahab (876-853 BCE)  whose father was King Omri, and King Ahaziah (853 BCE). Ahaziah of Judah (Hebrew: אֲחַזְיָהוּ, ʼĂḥazyāhū; or Jehoahaz I (2 Chronicles 21:17; 25:23), who was the son of King Ahab.  Ahaziah was also a Baal worshipper like his mother!!  Some Jewish King he turned out to be.  Ahaziah and his uncle, King Jehoram (853-843 BCE) , were killed in battle in 843 BCE.  

                           The Havdalah at the end of Shabbat

"In Jewish tradition, Elijah is the one who will announce the coming of the messiah and the redemption of Israel, a fact celebrated in a song traditionally sung during the Havdalah service at the close of Shabbat, which prays for Elijah’s return “speedily in our time.” Some also sing this song during the Passover Seder, as they invite Elijah into their homes to drink from a cup of wine poured just for him, and during ritual circumcisions, as a newborn male is brought into the covenant between God and the Jewish people."

What's Elijah going to think when he sees that his turf, Gilead, was not included in today's Israel but remained in Jordanian hands?  

Elijah lived after the period of Solomon who reigned from 961-920 BCE by about 100 years.  

 Ahab was the sixth king of Judah, and the son of Jehoram and Athaliah, the daughter (or possibly sister) of king Ahab of Israel.   Others say Ahaziah was the son of Ahab.  The future for Elijah's people was that they were in Northern Israel, and would be  kidnapped by Assyria in 732-721BCE and taken into exile, becoming one of the 10 tribes that became the  LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL.  

Ahab's wife was Jezebel, and she was an outsider whose aim was to introduce her cult of Baal into Israel, which went against everything they stood for.  Elijah fought her by working to restore the purity of Divine worship, and had to intensify his efforts because of what she was doing.  

For political reasons, the court of that period with Ahab as its leader, had been tolerating the cults in the neighborhood of people in Israel.  "Apparently, they saw nothing wrong with combining the contradictory  beliefs of Baalism  and monotheism."The courts must have thought they could handle it;  were using appeasement, overly tolerating behavior that went against their own and allowed it to happen in order to keep the peace and gain the support of these people.                        

In 1 Kings 18:21, the prophet Elijah as directed by God stood before Israel and told them to pick a side: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him." Yet the people did not answer him.

Elijah became a thorn in the court's side, and was forced to flee, taking refuge in the desert, because he was against this practice.  The climax came when he was on Mt. Carmel, asking the people who had gathered there, "How long halt ye  between two opinions?" (I Kings 18:21)  and finally, his supporters stepped up, and they slew the prophets of Baal.  

Elijah was also a fighter for social justice.  He dared to rebuke Ahab for murdering Naboth, the Jezreelite,  in order to get possession of his vineyard !  Jezreel was land next to the palace of Ahab-king of what came to be called "Samaria" the northern part of Israel.  Ahab told him that he needed it for an herb garden.   Ahab made the offer of money for the land or a better vineyard elsewhere.  Jezebel enabled Ahab to get the land.                                        

                  Elijah taken up to the chariot of fire

11And it was that they were going, walking and talking, and behold a fiery chariot and fiery horses, and they separated them both. And Elijah ascended to heaven in a whirlwind.  (Melachim II - II Kings - Chapter 2)

Biblical accounting says that Elijah didn't die.  Instead, he ascended to heaven in a fiery chariot.  He occupies a prominent place in Jewish  lore.  Malachi said that (3:23-4) Elijah  will reconcile  fathers and children "before the coming of the great and dreadful day  of the Lord."

This led to Elijah's being depicted in later traditions  as the harbinger of the Messiah.  At the Passover Seder, a glass of wine is traditionally poured for Elijah, and at the circumcision ceremony, a chair is prepared for him.  

I say that Elijah was a minor player in the Old Testament (Tanakh) because he does not have a section in it dedicated to him like Isaiah, Samuel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel has, like the 12 major prophets-Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Yet he has become very well known.   

He is popularly believed to come to the aid of Jewish communities, and also individuals in dire distress and it is believed that he will clarify all obscurities in talmudic law upon his return.                         

Christians and Moslems also use Elijah in their own religious legends.  Christians use parts of Elijah to prove their theories about Jesus.  Christians feel that Elijah is one of the greatest prophets and miracle-workers in the Hebrew scriptures. He is also one of two prophets who appear with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.  

Christians advise their believers:  If you’re going to read only three Bible chapters about Elijah, take 11 minutes and read 1 Kings 17-19. Or take four minutes and read the main part of the story in 1 Kings 18.  Most of Elijah’s story is told in 1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 1-2.  Quick references to Elijah appear in 2 Kings 3:11, 2 Kings 9:36, 2 Kings 10:10, and 2 Kings 10:17. In addition, Elijah shows up near the end of the Hebrew scriptures in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 (letter telling Judah’s king Jehoram about his forthcoming and rather gruesome death).  They do a lot of assuming;  meaning they believe, and often use translations differing from Hebrew translation.  Some Christians read about Elijah and their take of it is the Rapture and 2nd coming of "Elijah" and of Jesus.

Mohammad  (570-632 CE) came recently compared to our Jewish history.  Jewish tribes lived near Mohammad, so there was borrowing of our stories that were read orally for groups to hear.  

Muslims have an Arabic name for Elijah-Ilyas:  Ilyās (Arabic: إلياس) was a prophet and messenger of God (Allah) who was sent to guide the Children of Israel. He was given the prophetic mission to prevent people from worshipping idols. Ilyas is the prophetic predecessor to Alyasa.   Some Muslims believe that Ilyas is still alive and attends Hajj every year, along with Khidr. Some Muslims also believe that Ilyas will return at the end times.  Ilyas' 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. Ilyas' figure has been identified with a number of other prophets and saints, including Idris, which is believed by some scholars to have been another name for Ilyas, and Khidr. Islamic legend later developed the figure of Ilyas, greatly embellishing upon his attributes, and some apocryphal literature gave Ilyas the status of a half-human, half-angel. Ilyas also appears in later works of literature, including the Hamzanama.                          

    Priests in Judaism, replaced now by rabbis.                                                  

       Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879) Jews Praying in the Synagogue on the Day of Atonement (1878)  The Artist: A student of Jan Matejko, Poland’s most celebrated nineteenth-century painter, Maurycy Gottlieb aspired to be both a Polish and a Jewish artist. His many works on Jewish themes include portraits of Jewish notables, as well as depictions of Shylock and Jessica from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.

The Achievement: Located in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Jews Praying in the Synagogue on the Day of Atonement (1878) is the artist’s most famous work. A portrayal of Eastern European Jewish spiritual life, the painting includes an image of the artist himself, looking out from the painting and situated amid fellow residents of his hometown, Drohobych.       

             Danny Eskow, and American Jew in January 1980 doing his morning prayers upon rising.  

                                         Portrait of a rabbi                

                               Reformed rabbi 

Jewish women becoming rabbis, being counted as one of 10 worshippers today...

All this happened 3,000 years ago, when Judaism was first practiced, being almost erased by the influence of their  neighbors and foreign spouses.  It was a struggle for our ancestors to keep the faith.   That was such a long time ago.  

                                                        

                                                    

Just realize the change people went through from WWI (1914-1917) to WWII, (1941-1945) in understandings, attitudes,  clothing, technical advances, musical appreciation.  A 25 year generation can change day into night, dull people to bright people.  Look where 3,000 years has taken us.    

Resource:

https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15908/jewish/Chapter-2.htm

https://sljinstitute.net/the-prophets/elijah-the-prophet/elijah-the-prophet-rapture-and-second-coming-of-elijah/