The Prophet Elijah

The period of the kings, due to the national division of Israel, was a time of great chaos, moral decay, corruption, and darkness. Consequently, it was also a time when many prophets emerged to instruct the people. However, among all the prophets, the name most frequently mentioned in the New Testament is Elijah.

Elijah (Hebrew: אֵלִיָּהוּ, Eliyahu) means “Yahweh is God.” In Catholicism, he is known as Elias. According to the Bible, “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain…” (James 5:17-18). Elijah appears suddenly in the Bible with no genealogy or known origin, and ultimately, he did not experience death but was taken directly to heaven by God in a chariot of fire and horses of fire. Some therefore call him a representative of the living God.

Elijah emerged in the 9th century BC, when the kingdom of Israel (early period) had split into the northern kingdom of Israel (later period) and the southern kingdom of Judah. The Bible records that, according to God’s will, Elijah warned King Ahab that if he continued to worship idols, God would judge Israel and bring a drought upon the land. While residing with the widow of Zarephath, Elijah performed the miracles of raising her son from the dead and ensuring that her oil and flour did not run out. After Israel endured three years of drought, Elijah met with King Ahab again and arranged a contest on Mount Carmel. Through a burnt offering, they would determine which god was the true God. The result was a miracle where fire descended upon Elijah’s altar, forcing everyone to acknowledge, “The Lord—He is God!” and ending the three-year drought. Subsequently, Elijah continued to be persecuted by the Israelite monarchy. Finally, he ascended to heaven in a whirlwind by the Jordan River, and Elisha inherited Elijah’s prophetic mission.