3. Flight from Jezebel
God in storm, earthquake, or fire, but
in the still small voice. Those were
only signs, his innermost
nature is
grace. In the second place it was important that God should comfort the discouraged
prophet, who imagined himself the last, the only
one remaining faithful, by the announcement that
there were still
7,000 in the country whom God
knew. Finally he received three commissions;
Hazael was to become king over Syria, Jehu over
Israel, and Elisha was to be Elijah's successor in
the prophetical office. These three were to carry
out God's judgment. But the Elijah-narrative
tells only how Elijah called Elisha as his successor,
while the anointing of Hazael and Jehu was brought
about by Elisha. Some have seen often in this a contradiction between the Elijah- and the Elisha-source.
But as the records are only fragmentary, a transference of those acts from Elijah to his disciple
may have taken place, especially as it concerned
political acts for which the proper time had to be
awaited.
Elijah, whose residence was then in the wilderness
of Damascus
(I Kings xix. 15
4. Varied Activities
Ahaziah (II Kings i.). Finally II
Kings ii. tells of his translation, on
which occasion he left his prophet's
mantle to his companion Eliaha. The Chronicler,
who otherwise passes over the stories of Elijah and
Elisha,
mentions
(
II Chron. xxi. 12 sqq.)
a threatening letter written by Elijah to King Jehoram of
Judah, the son-in-law of Jezebel. But Elijah hardly
lived to see the rule of this king. It is possible that
a disciple of the prophet composed the letter with
reference to analogous sayings of Elijah against
the king.
Elijah appears as the moat heroic form among
the prophets. Each of his brief words is an effective deed. The awful apostasy of his people forced
him to appear as an avenger. His elements were
fire and
storm. But though he was obliged to
oppose the seducers, kind traits are not wanting
in his history (see
I Kings xvii. 20
g. Charac- and
II Kings ii. 12).
By his faithful
ter
and zeal for God's law he saved the people
Miracles. and reconciled the rising generation
with the fathers (cf.
Mal. iv. 6).
From the theological point of view, very noticeable
is the conscious monotheism contained in his
mockery
(I Kings xviii. 27)
which, however, is
not
a new trait in him. That Elijah and Elisha took
no offense at Israel's calf-worship, as some modern
writers assert, can not be inferred from their silence
about it. Neither Elijah nor Elisha had any con-
nection with the sanctuary at Bethel; they assembled the people at some other place for worship,
and the manner in which Elijah on Carmel ignored
the royal clergy at Bethel, and on Horeb represents
himself as the only one remaining faithful is sufficiently eloquent. The story of Elijah is rich in
the miraculous and has on this account often been
called legend. It can not be denied that the miraculous is intentionally emphasized and colored by the
narrator. It is also possible that, through oral
transmission in prophetical circles, the account of
the deeds of the great master laid undue stress upon
externals. Yet by his extraordinary powers he
wrought great changes in the' land. The principal
miracles which he wrought before the people (the
announcement of the drought and the ordeal on
Carmel) admit no rationalistic explanation. The
person and history of the prophet stand or fall with
them. Elijah produced an indelible impression
upon his contemporaries and upon posterity. On
the basis of
Mal. iv. 5
the Jews is the time of Jesus expected his return before the Messiah
(
Matt. xvii. 10, xi. 14,
cf. J. Lightfoot,
Horn Hebraica;
on Matt. avii. 10; C. Schoettgen,
Horse
Hebraica; et Talmro dicta, Dresden, 1742, ii. 533 sqq.). On the legendary
appearances of Elijah in the Talmud cf. J. A. Eisenmenger,
Entdecktea Jtcdcnturrt, 12 parts, Dresden,
1892-93, i. 11, ii. 212, 402-404.. There also existed
apocryphal writings under his name; the oldest, the
"Apocalypse of Elijah," is first mentioned by Origen
(on
Matt. xxvii. 9),
and from it according to him the
quotation in
I Cor. ii. 9
is said to have been taken. Among the Mohammedans Elijah became the hero
of many legends; he was blended among them
with the heathenish mythical form El-khidr.
Elijah appears as the name of other Israelites,
I Chron. viii. 27;
Ezra x. 21, 26.
(C. von Orellli.)
Bibliography:
Besides the literature on the History of
Israel cited under
Ahab, consult: T. Ii. Cheyne, Haliominp of Criticism, London, 1888; E. Reran, History of the
People of Israel, ii. 229-242, ib. 1888; R. Kittel,
Geschichte
der HsbrAsr, ii., Go" 1892, Eng. transl., London, 1895;
C. H. Cornill, Prophets of Israel, Chicago. 1897; H. (iunkel,
in Prauasieche Jahrbücher, 1898, pp. 18-51; idem, Elias,
Jahvs and Baal, Tübingen, 1908 (critical reconstruction); W. Erbt, Untareuehungen tur Geschichts der Helirder, part i.. Elia. Elisc,
Jones, Leipsic. 1907: Clermont-Gannenu, in Revue arch6otopiqua,
xmi. 388 sqq.;
Sch�rer, Geschichte, ii. 35, 287-271, 344, 351-352,
524-525. Erg. transl., II. ii. 158-157, iii. 129 sqq.; Smith,
OTJC, pp. 238-237: idem. Prophets, pp. 78 sqq., 118
sqq.; DB, i. 887-892; EB, ii.
1270-74; JR, v. 121-128 (gives literature on Mohammedan and medieval
legend). A homiletical classic is F. W.
Krummsoher,
Elise der TAiabiter, Elberfeld, 1828 and often, Erg. transl.
Cheltenham. 1838 and often.
