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Elijah (�ֱלִיָּהוּ "Whose/my Elohim|God
is Tetragrammaton|the Lord", Standard Hebrew
Eliyyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔliyy�hû), also
Elias (New Testament|NT Greek language|Greek
Ἠλίας), is a prophet of the Hebrew Bible or
Old Testament. His name has been variously
translated as "whose God is Tetragrammaton|the
Lord", "God the Lord", "the strong Lord", "God of
the Lord", "my God is the Lord", "the Lord is my
God", and "my God is Jehovah".

==In the Bible==
Elijah is first introduced in Books of Kings|1
Kings 17:1 as delivering a message from God to
Ahab, king of kingdom of Israel|Israel. He is
sometimes known as "Tishbite|The Tishbite", being
from the town of Tishbe.

Having delivered his message to Ahab, he retired
at the command of God to a hiding-place by the
brook Cherith, beyond Jordan river|Jordan, where
he was fed by ravens. When the brook dried up God
sent him to the widow of Zarephath, a city of
Zidon, from whose scanty store he was supported
for the space of two years. During this period the
widow's son died, and was restored to life by
Elijah (1 Kings 17:2-24).

During these two years a famine prevailed in the
land. At the close of this period of retirement
and of preparation for his work, Elijah met
Obadiah, one of Ahab's officers, whom he had sent
out to seek for pasturage for the cattle, and bade
him go and tell his master that Elijah was there.
The king came and met Elijah, and reproached him
as the "anti-Israel|troubler of Israel". It was
then proposed that sacrifices should be publicly
offered, for the purpose of determining whether
Baal or the Israelite God was the true God. This
was done on Mount Carmel, Israel|Mount Carmel; the
result was that a miracle took place convincing
those watching that Baal was false and that the
Israelite God was real. The prophets of Baal were
then put to death by the order of Elijah. 

Jezebel (biblical)|Jezebel, enraged at the fate
that had befallen her priests of Baal, threatened
to put Elijah to death (1 Kings 19:1-13). He
therefore fled in alarm to Beersheba, and went
alone into the wilderness, and sat down in
despondency under a juniper|juniper tree. As he
slept, an angel touched him, and said unto him,
"Arise and eat; because the journey is too great
for thee." He arose and found a cake and a cruse
of water. Having partaken of the provision, he
went forward on his way for forty days to Horeb,
where he took residence in a cave. Here God
appeared to him and said, "What dost thou here,
Elijah?" In answer to Elijah's despondent words
God manifests to him his glory, and then directs
him to return to Damascus and anoint Hazael king
over the Arameans(Syria), Jehu king over Israel,
and Elisha to be prophet in his room (1 Kings
19:13-21; compare 2 Kings 8:7-15; 9:1-10).

Some six years after this, he warned Ahab and
Jezebel of the violent deaths they would die (1
Kings 21:19-24; 22:38). He also, four years
afterwards, warned Ahaziah of Israel|Ahaziah, who
had succeeded his father Ahab, of his approaching
death (2 Kings 1:1-16).  During these intervals he
probably withdrew to some quiet retirement, no one
knew where. His interview with Ahaziah's
messengers on the way to Ekron, and the account of
the destruction of his captains with their
fifties, suggest the idea that he may have been in
retirement at this time on Mount Carmel. The
Carmelites have a tradition that they were founded
by Elijah at this time.

The time now drew near when he was to be taken up
into heaven (2 Kings 2:1-12). He went down to
Gilgal, where was a school of the prophets, and
where his successor Elisha, whom he had anointed
some years before, resided. Elisha was solemnized
by the thought of his master's leaving him, and
refused to be parted from him. "They two went on",
and came to Bethel and Jericho, and crossed the
Jordan, the waters of which were "divided hither
and thither" when smitten with Elijah's mantle.
Arrived at the borders of Gilead, which Elijah had
left many years before, it "came to pass as they
still went on and talked" they were suddenly
separated by a chariot and horses of fire; and
"Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven,
"Elisha receiving his mantle, which fell from him
as he ascended.

Elijah's chosen successor was the prophet Elisha;
Elijah designated Elisha as such by leaving his
mantle with him (2 Kings 2:13-15), so that his
wish for "a double portion" of the older prophet's
spirit (2:9), in allusion to the preference shown
the first-born son in the division of the father's
estate (Deuteronomy 21:17), had been fulfilled.

==New Testament references==
No one of the old prophets is so frequently
referred to in the New Testament. The priests and
tribe of Levi|Levites said to John the Baptist
(Gospel of John|John 1:25), "Why baptizest thou,
if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias?" Paul of
Tarsus|Paul (Epistle to the Romans|Romans 11:2)
refers to an incident in his history to illustrate
his argument that God had not cast away his
people. Epistle of James|James (5:17) finds in him
an illustration of the power of prayer. (See also
Gospel of Luke|Luke 4:25; 9:54.)

Elijah was similar to John the Baptist in the
sternness and power of his reproofs (Luke 9:8).
According to Gospel of Matthew|Matthew 11:11, he
was the Elijah that "must first come" (Matt.
11:11, 14). In John the Baptist one can see him we
see "the same connection with a wild and
wilderness country; the same long retirement in
the desert; the same sudden, startling entrance on
his work (1 Kings 17:1; Luke 3:2); even the same
dress, a hairy garment, and a leathern girdle
about the loins (2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4|Matt.
3:4)."

How deep the impression was which Elijah made "on
the mind of the nation" may be judged from the
fixed belief, which rested on the words of Book of
Malachi|Malachi (4:5, 6), which many centuries
after prevailed that he would again appear for the
relief and restoration of the country. Each
remarkable person as he arrives on the scene, be
his habits and characteristics what they may, the
stern John equally with his gentle Successor, is
proclaimed to be Elijah (Matt. 11:13, 14; 16:14;
17:10; Gospel of Mark|Mark 9:11; 15:35; Luke 9:7,
8; John 1:21). His appearance in glory on the
mount of transfiguration does not seem to have
startled the disciples. They were "sore afraid",
but not apparently surprised.

Some Christian theologians of a conservative,
pre-millennial perspective believe that Elijah
must return to physically die here on earth
eventually. This plays into many eschatological
scenarios.  Conservatives who come from
amillennial or preterist positions would probably
see John the Baptist as a fulfillment of this
expectation, in the time of Jesus.  Christian
theologians of a more liberal persuasion would
tend to interpret Elijah's eschatological
significance in a less literal sense.

==Other Biblical Elijahs==
The Elijah spoken of in Books of Chronicles|2
Chronicles 21:12-15 is by some supposed to be a
different person from the foregoing. He lived in
the time of Jehoram of Judah|Jehoram, to whom he
sent a letter of warning (compare 1 Chr. 28:19;
Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah 36), and acted as a
prophet in Judah; while the Tishbite was a prophet
of the northern kingdom. But there does not seem
any necessity for concluding that the writer of
this letter was some other Elijah than the
Tishbite. It may be supposed either that Elijah
anticipated the character of Jehoram, and so wrote
the warning message, which was preserved in the
schools of the prophets till Jehoram ascended the
throne after the Tishbite's translation, or that
the translation did not actually take place till
after the accession of Jehoram to the throne (2
Chr. 21:12; 2 Kings 8:16). The events of 2 Kings 2
may not be recorded in chronological order, and
thus there may be room for the opinion that Elijah
was still alive in the beginning of Jehoram's
reign.

==In Islam==
In the Qur'an, Elijah is a Prophets of
Islam|prophet known as Ilyas.

==In art==
Elijah was the subject of an eponymous oratorio by
Felix Mendelssohn; see Elijah (oratorio).

==See also==
Eli-Jah Look here for the meaning of these
syllables.

==External links==
*http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=
245&letter=E&search=Elijah Jewish Enyclopedia
Entry on Elijah
*http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05381b.htm
Catholic Encyclopedia Entry on Elijah
*http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/dhi.c
gi?id=dv1-65 Dictionary of the History of Ideas:
Cosmic Voyages - Mentions (in passing) the story
of Elijah being carried up to heaven in a flaming
chariot as an inspiration for human flight
*http://www.eliyah.com/ Eliyah is a Yahwist who
aspires to fulfill the mission of Eliyahu the
Prophet.