The Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets and
the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament. He was born in
Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation
of the Word of God.
St Epiphanius of Cyprus gives the following
account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born,
his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They
swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames.” The name Elijah (the
Lord’s strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the
years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the
wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and
prayer. Called to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the
Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and
piety.
During this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from
the faith of their Fathers, they abandoned the One God and worshipped
pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the impious king
Jereboam. Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to idol worship.
She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan god Baal, which
led many Israelites away from the worship of the true God. Beholding
the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab
for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of Israel.
The king would not listen to him. The Prophet Elijah then declared to
him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the
ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word
of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1) The heavens were closed for three
and a half years, and there was drought and famine throughout all the
land.
During this time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a
cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed by ravens. When
the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta
to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered together with her
children, awaiting death by starvation. At the request of the prophet,
she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the
remainder of the oil. Through the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour
and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of
the famine. By the power of his prayer the prophet also performed
another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow.
After the
end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to
appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. The
Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount
Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the
Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for
the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the
True God.
The Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to
consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his.
Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged
as the true God. The prophets of Baal called out to their idol from
morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the
holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the
number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood,
gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the
sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled
with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. Through the prayer of
the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the
wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying
out: “Truly, the Lord is God!” Then the Prophet Elijah had all the
pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain.
Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking
the parched earth.
King Ahab acknowledged his error and repented
of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God.
The Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over
his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An
angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and
commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for
forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in
a cave.
The Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand in
His presence.There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the
mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them.
The Lord was in “a gentle breeze” (3 Kings 19: 12). He revealed to the
prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had
not worshipped Baal.
Later, the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint
Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory
of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery
chariot. The Prophet Elisha received Elijah’s mantle, and a double
portion of his prophetic spirit.
According to the Tradition of
Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread
Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all
to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign
of the end of the world.
The life of the holy Prophet Elijah is
recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings;
Sirach/Ecclesiastes 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the
Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount
Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30).
Orthodox Christians of
all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for
centuries. The first church in Russia, built at Kiev under Prince Igor,
was named for the Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism St Olga (July 14)
built a temple of the holy Prophet Elijah in her native region, at the
village of Vibuta.
In iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted
ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and
harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from
drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.
Troparion — Tone 4
An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets, / the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, / Glorious Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha, / to dispel diseases and to cleanse lepers. / Therefore, he pours forth healings on those who honor him.Kontakion — Tone 2
Prophet Elijah of great renown, / seer of the mighty mighty works
of God, / by your command you held back the rain! / Pray for us to the
only Lover of mankind!
Source -Oca.org
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