AboutBody

Who is St Elias?
By Fr. Alam Alam

The prophet Elijah (Elias in Arabic) is one of the prominent figures of the Old Testament. This part of the Holy Bible covers a long period of time. Historically it extends over 2000 years, from the patriarch Abraham to John the Baptist who is the link between the Old and the New Testaments. Elijah's story is recorded in the Bible (Books of Kings 1 & 2)

WHO IS THE PROPHET ELIJAH (Mar Elias in Arabic)
1. What does the word 'Mar' mean?
Christian Arabs call the prophet Elijah 'Mar Elias'. 'Mar' is an Aramaic word which means lord'. It is still used by some Christian communities in Orient as a title for their patriarchs. 'Mar' occurs at the end of the Book of Revelation and in the final verse of St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, 'Maranatha' i.e. 'O Lord, come!'
2. What does the name 'Elijah' mean?
In the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament, Elijah is called 'Elyahu' which means 'Yahweh is my God'. The form 'Elias' has passed into Arabic from the Greek word (Hlias). The official Arabic translation of the Bible has adopted a shortened form 'Elya'.
3. When was Elijah born?
We don't know the year of his birth. But it is certain that he lived in the first half of the 9th century BC, as he was a contemporary of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.
4. Where was he born?
The Bible calls him the 'Tishbite' in reference to his birthplace, Tishba, a small village which lay in the Gilead Heights, near the present Ajloon, in Jordan.
5. What was Elijah like?
He had long hair and wore sheepskin. He lived in the desert and mountainous area of Palestine. The Bible does not mention the names of his parents. We don't know anything about his childhood.
6. What was Elijah's mission?
His mission was an important and difficult one. God entrusted him with the delicate task of reestablishing the worship of the true Creator, whereas the King, the Queen and the people had abandoned it for the cult of Baal and Astarte (or Ashera), respectively the god and goddess of fertility in Phoenicia. The cult of these two divinities was widely spread throughout the whole area which we now call the Near East.

WHO WAS KING AHAB?
This king of the Hebrews reigned over Samaria for 22 years, from 875 to 853 BC. 'Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord more than any of his predecessors', says the Bible. 'He married Jezebel, daughter of Athbaal, king of the Sidonians and went over to the worship of Baal for whom he built a temple in Samaria'. (I Kings 16)

WHO WAS QUEEN JEZEBEL?
As mentioned above, she was of Phoenician background. Her father, king of Sidon, was himself a priest of Astarte. When Ahab asked for Jezebel's hand, she accepted the proposal, but imposed one condition: she would bring to Palestine with her the idols of Baal and Astarte, along with 450 priests to attend Baal and 400 others to attend Astarte. The King agreed. But as soon as she became the Queen and had the power in hand, she did not content herself with adoring her own pagan gods, but she induced her weak husband to abandon the religion of his ancestors and indulge in idolatry. The whole people was thus lured into paganism. Moreover, Jezebel started persecuting the prophets of the Lord.

DISASTER PREDICTED BY ELIJAH
At this point, Elijah suddenly enters onto the stage of events as a great prophet in full manhood, a model of courage and straightforwardness, sent by the Lord with an appalling but clear task; to rebuke Ahab and Jezebel for betraying the Covenant and to restore the worship of the one true God. He warns the King, the Queen and the people that, if they do not repent, they will risk severe punishment. No one heeds the warning. Elijah therefore says to the Sovereign:
'As the Lord lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word'. In the whole area, rainfalls stopped for three years and a half. With the drought, famine struck the land. (I Kings 17). The Lord then said to Elijah: "Leave here, go east of the Jordan… I have commanded ravens to feed you there..." Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening...(I Kings 17)

ELIJAH'S BET WITH THE PRIESTS OF BAAL
In order to prove to the people who had been misled, that the Lord is the true and only God, Elijah summoned to Mount Carmel the 450 priests of Baal and the 400 priests of Astarte, who ate at Jezebel's table. There, before a huge crowd, he made a bet with them: They would have to choose a young bull, slaughter it, cut it into pieces and place it on wood as a holocaust, but without starting fire. He would do the same. They would call on their gods to send fire upon the sacrifice and Elijah would call upon the Lord. The divinity who would answer with fire from heaven should be considered the true God. They agreed.
The priests of Baal called on him from morning to noon. There was no one answering. 'Call louder, Elijah mocked them, 'Baal may be asleep'. They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until blood gushed over them. But to no avail.
Elijah then said to all people, 'Come here to me'. He repaired the altar of God which had been destroyed and made a trench around it. He had twelve jars of water poured on the sacrifice. We all know that when wood is damp it does not catch fire easily. Then Elijah came forward saying, 'Lord, let it be known this day that you are God and that I am your servant and have done all these things by your command'. The Lord's fire instantly came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, wood, stones, dust and lapped the water in the trench. Seeing this miracle, the people fell prostrate saying 'The Lord is God, the Lord is God!' (I Kings 18)

ELIJAH CONDEMNS THE PAGAN PRIESTS TO DEATH
Elijah ordered the people, 'Seize the prophets of Baal. Let none of them escape'. They were seized, brought down to the brook Kishon and their throats slit. Today, Elijah's severe punishment would be unthinkable. But we should not forget that their execution took place some 3000 years ago. At that time the laws of war were ruthless. The loser was at the mercy of the winner. Besides, the law of Moses punished idolatry with death. (Exodus 32,27) Our Lord Jesus Christ abolished retaliation and taught us to be tolerant and merciful toward all men, regardless of their creeds.

JEZEBEL PURSUES ELIJAH
As soon as Jezebel learnt that Elijah had put her priests to the sword, she sent a messenger to him swearing that, by the same time the following day, she would do with his life what he had done with the lives of Baal's priests. He therefore fled for his life southward to the desert area of Beer-Sheba.

AN ANGEL FEEDS ELIJAH
'Elijah lay down there and fell asleep under a broom tree, but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat, for the journey will be long. He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water ... Strengthened by that food he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb' (I Kings 19)

GOD MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO ELIJAH
On Mount Horeb, he came to a cave where he took shelter. The Lord asked him to go outside and stand before Him, as He would be passing by. "A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing the rocks - but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake - but the Lord was not in it.
After the earthquake there was fire - but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally there was a tiny whispering sound. Elijah hid his face in his cloak. A voice said to him, 'Elijah, why are you here?' He replied, “I have been most zealous for the Lord. They have forsaken their Covenant, torn down your altars and put your prophets to the sword. I alone am left and they seek to take my life. " (I Kings 19)

ELIJAH IN THE DESERT OF DAMASCUS
The Lord said to him, 'Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus... you shall anoint Elisha, son of Saphat, as prophet to succeed you...' Elisha was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. This meant he was calling him to be his disciple. Elisha leftthe oxen and followed him as his attendant. (I Kings 19)

AHAB SEIZES NABOTH'S VINEYARD
Ahab had a palace in Jezreel. One of his subjects, called Naboth, had a vineyard next to the palace. The King offered to buy this property in order to embellish his palace with a surrounding orchard, but Naboth declined the offer. Ahab returned home disturbed. When Jezebel discovered the reason, she trumped up an accusation against Naboth and had him stoned to death by the people. Then she told her husband to go and take possession of the vineyard. The Lord commanded Elijah to meet the King on his way and deliver to him the following message: 'After murdering, do you also take possession? In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, they shall lick up your blood too and devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel'. (I Kings 21)

AHAB'S TRAGIC DEATH
War flared up anew between Ahab and the neighbouring king of Aram. During the battle, Ahab, who was fighting in a chariot, was fatally hit by an arrow. The blood from his wound flowed to the bottom of the chariot and the dogs licked it. (I Kings 22)

JEZEBEL'S AWFUL END
Jezebel survived her husband for some time. Another war broke out and she was attacked in her palace by invading soldiers who threw her down from the window of her palace to the vineyard which she had usurped by killing Naboth. Her corpse was eaten by dogs, as prophesied by Elijah. (2 Kings 9)

ELIJAH IS TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN
When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven, the prophet went with Elisha to the Jordan river. He took his mantle, rolled it up and struck the water which divided, and both crossed over on dry ground. As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot with flaming horses came between them and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha cried out, 'My father, my father ... Then he picked up the mantle which had fallen from his master. The spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha and he became his successor as a prophet... (2 Kings 2)

WHY DO WE CALL ELIJAH 'The Living'?
It clearly appears from the preceding passage that Elijah has not died, but was taken up to heaven alive. That is why we call him 'Al-Hayy' in Arabic i.e. the living. " For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." (Matt. 19, 26)

ELIJAH WILL RETURN AT THE LORD'S SECOND COMING
'Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the Day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible Day, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their sons, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...'
That is what prophet Malachi says (3,23). For this reason, the Eastern Church, in its hymns, calls Elijah the 'Second Forerunner' of Christ, the first one being, of course, John the Baptist.

ELIJAH'S TOP-RANKING STANDING
No doubt, Elijah is a prophet of prominent position. He appeared with the greatest figure of the Old Testament, Moses, at the Transfiguration of the Lord.
In response to a question from his disciples, Jesus once said, 'Elijah will indeed come and restore all things...' He then compared Elijah's mission to that of John the Baptist. Announcing the birth of John, the angel had said, 'John will go before him (the Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers toward their children... and prepare a people fit for the Lord'. (Luke 1,17)

WHAT DOES ELIJAH MEAN FOR US NOWADAYS?
Elijah is an outstanding prophet indeed. He offers us a rare example of faithfulness and loyalty to the Lord. He is the personification of courage in the accomplishment of duty. He valiantly resisted the tyranny of the vicious ruler Ahab and of his wicked wife Jezebel. He struggled against the whirling wind of idolatry and converted the misled people to the worship of the Lord. He sacrificed the fleeting attractions of this world, lived as an ascetic in the desert and put himself entirely at the service of the Lord's cause. No surprise therefore that 'the hand of the Lord should rest upon him'. (1 Kings 18:46)
For all these reasons, St Elias, the prophet Elijah, is venerated not only in our church, but also throughout the Christian world, where many chapels, churches and monasteries are dedicated to his honour.

SAINT ELIAS
(873-854 BC)

By: Catherine Rizk

How honored we should feel that our church bears the name of such a remarkable prophet -- St. Elias, the patron of our Church and one of God's greatest personages in Scripture. We celebrate his feast on July 20th.
How many of us know of his life, his works and his wondrous ways? In Arabic, he is called Elyas El Hay or "Elias, The Living."
After the death of Solomon, King of the Jews, the kingdom was divided into Juda and Israel. The kings of both countries were often weak and sinful, and idolatry which Solomon had tolerated became widespread. Finally, King Achab of Israel sought to establish the worship of Baal, so God raised up ELIAS of Thesbat to challenge him. In order to prove to the people that the Lord was God and not Baal, Elias told them to prepare two bullocks, one for the prophets of Baal to cut and lay upon the wood with no fire under it; one for Elias to do the same. Then the prophets were to pray to their Baal and Elias to his Lord and "the god that shall answer by fire, let him be GOD." The priests of Baal prayed and cried to Baal for almost a day with no response. Elias then prayed to God to hear his plea and let the people learn that his Lord was God. And the fire of the Lord fell and the people were convinced. (For your further information and reading pleasure, refer to III Kings, Chapter 18.)
Elias was gentle, tender, understanding, zealous: "With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant; they have thrown down Thy altars; they have slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I alone am left; and they seek my life to take it away."(III Kings, 19-10). Elias was sincere and honest. He could not stand the half-and-half life. He was an example of "follow the convictions of your faith" and "THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD, THY GOD."
The personal appearance of our patron saint was unusual--clothed scantily and wearing a leather girdle, his hair long and shaggy, he impressed both kings and people as the rugged ascetic. . . Utterly detached from the needs of the body, he was fed by ravens, by a widow, and by an angel.
Once there was a drought and Elias prayed for rain--and the rains came. At another time, Elias visited a widow of Sarephta, who having no food for him and her son as a result of the famine, was saddened not to be able to offer him refreshment. Elias multiplied the few morsels she did have, and hence fed her household--and then some. Then there was the time he restored life to the widow's son. His life was full of wonders and devotion to God.
That one day, as Elias and Elisius (his successor) were walking and talking together, a fiery chariot appeared with fiery horses which parted them from one another-- and Elias went up into Heaven transported by a whirlwind. Elias was present at the Transfiguration of Our Lord and will return to earth for His Second Coming. (That is why St. Elias is called "Elias, the Living.")
To this day, the name of Jebel Mar Elyas, usually given to Mt. Carmel, perpetuates the memory of the man of God. Various places on the mountain are still in great veneration among the Christians of all denominations and among the Moslems: Elias's Grotto; El-Khadr, the supposed school of the prophets; El-Muhraka the traditional spot of Elias's sacrifice; Tell-el-Kassis or Mount of the Priests.