Who is the holy prophet Elijah. Holy Prophet Elijah. Icons. Miracles Performed by the Prophet

On August 2, the Orthodox Church celebrates Remembrance Day holy prophet Elijah. He is revered not only in Christianity and Judaism, but also in the later Protestant churches and Islam, and traces of his image are also present in paganism.

Life of the Prophet Elijah

Prophet Elijah (translated from Hebrew as “My God”) was born in Thesbia of Gilead in the tribe of Levi 900 years before the birth of Christ. According to legend, when Elijah was born, his father had a mysterious vision: “ noble men welcomed the baby, swaddled him with fire and fed him with a fiery flame».

From an early age, Elijah devoted himself to God, lived in the desert, spent time in fasting and prayer. His prophetic ministry came during the reign of King Ahab, whose wife Jezebel convinced to accept paganism.

Therefore, the worship of the pagan god Baal was cultivated in the country. According to legend, to admonish the king and the Israeli people corrupted by him, the prophet Elijah struck the land with a three-year drought. After some time, through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, the Lord sent abundant rain to the earth, and the drought ended.

The Prophet Elijah is also mentioned in the New Testament: during the Transfiguration of the Lord, he and the Prophet Moses arrived at Mount Tabor to talk with Jesus Christ.

The prophet Elijah performed many miracles. One day he went to Zarephath of Sidon to visit a poor widow who did not spare the last handful of flour and oil, so the flour and oil have not been exhausted in the widow’s house since then. Then the prophet Elijah performed another miracle: he revived the recently deceased son of a widow.

Both in Judaism and Christianity it is believed that Elijah was taken to Heaven alive: “suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and separated them both, and Elijah rushed into Heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11). According to the Bible, before him only Enoch, who lived before the Flood (Gen. 5:24). However, in Orthodox theology there is an opinion that Enoch and Elijah were ascended not to heaven, but to some hidden place, in which they await the day of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Deuterocanonical book, Book of Wisdom of Jesus, son Sirakhova, describes this event as follows: “Elijah was hidden by a whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit” (Sirach 48:12). According to it, Elijah left his outer clothing (“mantle”) for the prophet Elisha, throwing it off the fiery chariot.

Veneration of the Prophet Elijah in Rus'

The Prophet Elijah was one of the first saints who began to be revered in Rus'. In his honor, at the beginning of the 9th century, Prince Askold A cathedral church was erected in Kyiv. Duchess Olga In the name of the prophet Elijah she built a church in the north of Rus'.

After Russia adopted Christianity, the image of Elijah the Prophet replaced the thunder god Perun, revered by the ancient Slavs. The idea that Elijah rides across the sky in a chariot, thunders and shoots lightning, chasing the serpent, is associated both with the image of Perun and with the fact that the prophet Elijah went to heaven alive in a fiery chariot.

Elijah's day

After the adoption of Christianity, the day of remembrance of the Prophet Elijah became dedicated to the traditional folk holiday of the eastern and southern Slavs. The celebration was called Elijah's Day.

Elijah the prophet with his life and deesis. From the Church of Elijah the Prophet in the Vybuty churchyard, near Pskov. End of the 12th century. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Elijah's day was considered the boundary of the seasons, while among the southern Slavs (for example, in Macedonia) this day was called the middle of summer, and in Russia - the turn to winter. Rain was expected after Ilyin's day. On this day they began to enjoy the fruits of the new harvest. The Slavs associated the holiday with a wedding and the symbolism of fertility: they prayed for a rich harvest, and girls prayed for getting married.

Celebrating this holiday began the day before - on the Thursday before Elijah's Day, when ritual cookies were baked in some areas, or from Marina Lazoreva, when they stopped doing field work.

In addition, on the eve of Elijah's Day, they took precautions to protect their home, farm and crops from rain, hail or lightning.

On this day, prayer services were held in the field and in churches and chapels dedicated to Elijah the Prophet (often established by vow); in some places the peasants had fasted throughout the previous week; they fumigated the house and buildings with incense, took out of the house or hid all shiny, sparkling objects in order to protect themselves from the wrath of Elijah.

In Rus', almost everywhere, an obligatory rite of Elijah’s day was a collective meal (“brotherhood”) with the slaughter of a ram or a bull purchased by pooling. In addition, beer or wort was brewed for Ilya's brotherhood. Such fraternities ended with youth festivities, games, round dances and songs. The organizers of Ilya's brotherhood, unlike other holidays, were men.

Elijah's Day was considered the calendar boundary of the seasons, when the first signs of autumn appeared in nature and the behavior of animals, birds and insects changed.

On Elijah’s Day it was strictly forbidden:

• to work - work on this day will not bring any results and may anger Elijah the prophet, who severely punished for disrespectful attitude towards his holiday. The worker on this day was stopped and punished by his fellow villagers: in the Kaluga province, for example, they unharnessed the horse from the cart on which he was going to carry hay, and the horse team was taken to a tavern and drank together;
• swim - because from this day on all evil spirits return to the water (devils, mermaids, hair - from Midsummer's Day until now they were on land, where Elijah the Prophet shot them with lightning).

Sayings and signs of Ilyin's day:

• Ilya holds thunderstorms.
• Not swords against Elijah, he will burn the heaps with heavenly fire.
• Peter (June 29) - with a spikelet, Ilya - with a kolobok.
• From Ilya's day the night is long and the water is cold.
• Elijah the prophet rides horses across the sky, and from fast running one of the horses loses a horseshoe, which falls into the water, and the water immediately gets colder.
• Until Elijah the priest will not beg for rain; after Ilya, the woman will catch up with her apron.
• A ram's head on the table for the prophet Elijah (Vologda province).
• On Elijah's Day, cattle are not driven out into the fields to pasture.
• After Ilya, mosquitoes stop biting.

Ahab - king of the kingdom of Israel in 873-852 BC. e., son and heir of Omri. The history of his reign is detailed in the Third Book of Kings.

Enoch is a descendant of Seth, son of Jared and father of Methuselah, the seventh patriarch starting from Adam. The fifth chapter of Genesis says that Enoch “walked with God” and lived 365 years, after which “he was no more, because God took him” (Gen. 5:22-24).

*** Baal is a deity in the Assyrian-Babylonian ethnoculture, revered in Phenicia, Canaan and Syria as the thunderer, the god of fertility, water, war, sky and sun. Baal created heaven and earth, stars, animals from primeval chaos, and from a mixture of earth with his blood he created man.

**** Prince Askold (died in 882) - Prince of Kiev (according to one version, he ruled jointly with Prince Dir).

Reference:

There is an Orthodox church in Moscow in honor of the prophet Elijah— Temple of Elijah the Everyday Prophet. It is located at 2nd Obydensky Lane, 6. The temple was built in 1702- 1706 on Ostozhye. The rector since November 2, 2012 is Archpriest Maxim Yurievich Shevtsov.

… Elijah the prophet rose like fire, and his word
burned like a lamp...Sire. 48:1

The name of the prophet Elijah is translated as “My God is the Lord” - which expresses the main content of his ministry (cf.: 3 Kings 18.36) - this is a zealous struggle for the worship of the one God and who demonstrated His power through his deeds. Prophet Elijah- one of the most revered saints of the Old Testament. He was born in Thesbia of Gilead in the tribe of Levi 900 years before the birth of Christ.

According to the legend that has come down to us from Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus, when Elijah was born, his father had a mysterious vision: handsome men welcomed the baby, swaddled him with fire and fed him with a fiery flame.

The Holy Prophet Elijah was truly an ardent zealot of faith and piety; from an early age he devoted himself to the One God, lived in the desert, spent time in fasting, prayer and piety. His prophetic ministry occurred during the reign of the most wicked Israeli king, Ahab. Jezebel, Ahab's wife, convinced her husband to accept the pagan religion.

The worship of Baal was cultivated in the country, the people fell away from the true faith of their ancestors in the One God, the prophets of Israel were persecuted and killed. To admonish the king and the Israeli people corrupted by him, the prophet Elijah struck the land with a three-year drought, “closing the heavens with prayer.”

After this, in order to avoid the wrath of Jezebel, at the direction of God, he hid at the stream Horath, where ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and evening.

The people at that time suffered from unbearable heat and hunger. The Old Testament legend tells that the Lord, in His mercy, seeing the suffering of people, was ready to spare everyone and send rain to the earth, but did not want to violate the words of the prophet Elijah. It was important for the prophet to turn the hearts of the Israelites to repentance and return them to true worship of God.

Divine prophet, you, zealous for the Lord Almighty, have closed the heavens with prayer, saying: let rain and dew not fall on the earth except with the words of my mouth.

After some time the stream dried up. Prophet Elijah, according to the word of God, went to Zarephath of Sidon to visit a poor widow. Because she did not spare the last handful of flour and oil, through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, flour and oil have not been exhausted in the widow’s house since then. Here the prophet Elijah performs another miracle: he revived the widow’s suddenly ill and dead son, sympathizing with the woman’s grief.

In the third year of drought, the prophet Elijah returned to Ahab. The prophet Elijah proposed a contest with the priests of Baal to find out whose god was the true one. Having gathered the people on Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah proposed to build two altars: one from the priests of Baal, the other from the prophet Elijah to serve the True God. “On which of them fire falls from heaven, that will be an indication whose God is true,” said the prophet Elijah, “and everyone will have to worship Him, and those who do not recognize Him will be put to death.”

The priests of Baal danced, prayed and stabbed themselves with knives all day, but nothing happened. By evening, the holy prophet Elijah erected his altar of 12 stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, laid the sacrifice on the firewood, ordered a ditch to be dug around the altar, and ordered to water the sacrifice and firewood with water. When the ditch was filled with water, the fiery prophet turned to God with a fervent prayer and petition, so that the Lord would send fire from heaven to admonish the erring and embittered Israeli people and turn their hearts to Himself. Fire fell from the sky and ignited the sacrifice of the prophet Elijah.

The people shouted: “Truly the Lord is One God and there is no other God besides Him!” Then, by order of the prophet Elijah, the priests were killed. Through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, the Lord sent abundant rain to the earth, and the drought ended.

Divine prophet, you, through prayer and mercy, again open the heavens, and richly grant rain to thirsty people.

However, despite the miracles and great signs that happened through the prayer of the prophet, Jezebel wanted to kill him because he put the priests of Baal to death. Persecution and persecution begin again. Ilya runs into the desert.

This stern and unyielding zealot of the true faith fell into despair for the first time - it seemed to him that only he remained faithful to the true God, that there was no one left on earth to whom he could convey and preserve the faith of the fathers in the One God.

And on Mount Harib, this great prophet was honored, as far as is possible for a person, to contemplate God face to face. The Lord consoled him, saying that there were still people on earth who had never worshiped idols, and pointed Elijah to Elisha, whom He chose as a prophet after Elijah.

Such a striking event in the life of the prophet Elijah showed him how merciful the Lord is, that He is not only a formidable punishing judge. Elisha became a disciple of the prophet Elijah and witnessed his ascent to heaven in a chariot of fire.

Elijah was taken to Heaven alive: “ suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared, and separated them both, and Elijah rushed in a whirlwind to Heaven"(2 Kings 2:11). According to the Bible, before him, only Enoch, who lived before the Flood, was taken alive into heaven (Gen. 5:24).

The Apocryphal Book of Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach describes this event as follows: “ Elijah was hidden by a whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit"(Sirach.48:12). According to it, Elijah left his outer clothing (“mantle”) for the prophet Elisha, throwing it off the fiery chariot.

Elijah first said to Elisha, “Ask what you can do before I am taken from you.” And Elisha answered: “Let the spirit that is in you be doubly upon me.” Elijah said: “You are asking a difficult thing. If you see how I will be taken from you, then so be it for you.” Soon a fiery chariot appeared, and a whirlwind carried Elijah to heaven. This was a man who raised the dead during his lifetime, this was a prophet who did not see death, but was exalted by God into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Elijah the wonderful prophet, having enlightened his mind with the dawn, became all divine: and the king of the wicked, the unjust judgment is in vain indignant, and he also sends renunciation to the judgment of God: likewise the queen, as unmerciful and a lover of gold, was betrayed to the judgment of God. But through the prayers, Christ, of Your prophet Elijah, save us all, for You are merciful.

The Prophet Elijah appears again in the New Testament: during the Transfiguration of the Lord, he, along with the Prophet Moses, appeared on Mount Tabor to talk with Jesus Christ.

According to Church tradition, the prophet Elijah will appear on Earth again. He will be the forerunner of the second coming of Christ to earth and will accept physical death during the sermon.

The Prophet Elijah was one of the first saints of God who began to be revered in Rus'. In his name, even under Prince Askold, at the beginning of the 9th century, a cathedral church was erected in Kyiv. And the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga built a church in the name of the prophet of God Elijah in the north of Rus', in the village of Vybuty.

The holy prophet Elijah, who labored in ancient times in distant Palestine, has always been perceived by the Orthodox Russian people as one of the saints closest to our fatherland. Processions of the cross were and are still taking place in the Ilyinsky churches, especially during drought.

Elijah's day was considered the boundary of the seasons, while among the southern Slavs (for example, in Macedonia) this day was called midsummer, and in Russia - the turn to winter. After Ilyin's day, rain was expected and it was forbidden to swim (so as not to drown or get sick). Also, this holiday was associated in the ideas of the Slavs with the theme of marriage and the symbolism of fertility: they prayed for a rich harvest, and girls prayed for getting married.

According to church tradition, based on the prophecy of Malachi: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Mal.4:5), the prophet Elijah will become the forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ to earth and will be killed for preaching Christ , thereby repeating the fate of John the Baptist, who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” as the Forerunner of the Savior (“Elijah must come first and arrange everything; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but treated him as wanted; so the Son of Man will suffer from them" (Matthew 17:11-12), says Christ).

The fact that Elijah is one of the heralds of Christ is evidenced by his miracles. During the drought that followed the sins of King Ahab and the people of Israel, he settled in the house of a widow from Zarephath of Sidon, a pagan by birth - just as Christ came to the perishing people of Israel, but, being rejected, was accepted by the pagans.

In the widow’s house, Elijah raised her only son, who had died of illness, just as Christ would raise the dead in His earthly life.

Another miracle in the widow’s house - while the prophet was in it, the oil in the jug did not dry out and the flour did not run out - anticipates the miracle of the loaves and fishes with which the Lord fed those who heard Him.

The Gospel testifies to the fact that Elijah is the greatest of the prophets by the fact that only he and Moses were honored with a conversation with Christ during His Transfiguration on Tabor.

There are different explanations why Christ chooses these two prophets for conversation.

Firstly, Elijah, like Moses, had the experience of direct communication with God: Moses received the law from God, and also communicated with the Almighty as closely as possible for a person - he saw “the back of God” (Ex., 33). Elijah stood face to face before God at His call, “hiding his face with his mantle” (1 Kings 19).

Saint John Chrysostom expresses a different opinion: “one who died and the other who has not yet experienced death” appeared before Christ in order to show that He “has power over life and death, rules over heaven and earth.”

August 2 is “Day of the Airborne Troops”. Warriors in blue berets celebrate their holiday widely, and those of them who profess themselves Orthodox remember, not without pride, that on the same day the Church remembers the prophet Elijah.

Therefore, recently the prophet Elijah is increasingly called the patron saint of airborne troops. There is nothing wrong with such calendar symbolism, especially since many of the prophet’s miracles were warlike in the Old Testament.

At the same time, it is important not to forget the main thing: Prophet Elijah - patron of the faithful of the Lord, for he himself was faithful to Him despite all circumstances, he is also a mentor to the lost, for with his miracles he enlightened the lost people, he is also an example of a chaste life, for he lived in purity, not being married...

It is close to everyone in their own way. Therefore, the prophet Elijah, from whom we are separated by millennia, is one of the most beloved saints among the people.

TO THE PROPHET ELIJAH

Troparion, tone 4

In the flesh, an Angel, / the foundation of the prophets, / the second Forerunner of the coming of Christ, the glorious Elijah, / who sent Elisha’s grace from above / to drive away illnesses / and to cleanse lepers, / and also grants healing to those who worship him.

Kontakion, tone 2

Prophet and seer of the great deeds of our God, / Elijah of great name, / who filled the water-flowing clouds with your broadcasts, / pray for us to the One Lover of Mankind.

Greatness

We magnify you, / holy, glorious prophet of God Elijah, / and honor your glorious ascent to Heaven / on a chariot of fire.

Another greatness

We magnify you, / prophet Elijah is more glorious, / and we honor you, as if you were in the flesh, / your fiery ascent to Heaven.

Another greatness

We magnify you, / prophet and forerunner of the coming of the Lord, glorious Elijah, / and honor your fiery ascension to Heaven with flesh.

Prayer to the Prophet Elijah

O holy, glorious prophet of God Elijah, great zealot of the law of God. You were a fair and brave avenger in the murder of the priests of Baal: for you wanted to see the glory of God not begging, but multiplied forever, and you were not afraid of their multifarious fury, for you slaughtered the priests of Jezebel on the potots of Kissov with a knife, watch as a whirlwind Having been caught in a fiery chariot, you ascended to the heights of heaven with glory. For this reason, we, unworthy and sinners, humbly pray to you, honest prophet of God: grant us worthily to glorify and sing of your most honorable intercession, so that having found you as a great intercessor, we may be worthy of rich mercy from the Lord.

On August 2, the Orthodox Church remembers the prophet of God Elijah, one of the beloved saints in Rus', whose Hebrew name is translated as “(Yahweh) my God.” Read about the prophet Elijah and other saints with this name in the material of the magazine “Thomas”.

Saint Elijah the prophet

Soon after the division of Israel into the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, the kings of Israel fell away from the True God. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel were idolaters. They made sacrifices to Baal and persuaded the people to do so. The prophet Elijah announced to the king the will of the Lord: for the wickedness of Ahab, Israel would suffer a great drought.

There was no rain in the entire country for three years, people were dying of hunger. But Ahab's heart remained deaf. For a long time, Elijah hid from the king at a spring in the desert. Every day the crows brought him meat and bread. When the spring dried up, the Lord commanded Elijah to go to Phenicia, to the village of Sarepta.

He settled in the house of a poor widow. Through Elijah’s prayer, the flour in her house did not end throughout the drought.

One day the widow's son fell seriously ill and died. Elijah took the boy, laid him in his room and, bending over him, cried out to God three times... - and the boy came to life.

After three years, Elijah came to Ahab again. He ordered the people of Israel to be gathered to the mountain. Several thousand people and 850 priests of Baal gathered. Elijah ordered to make two altars: one to Baal, the other to the True God. All day long the priests of Baal cried out to their god, but the sky was silent.

Then Elijah erected his altar, laid the sacrifice, ordered a ditch to be dug around it, and ordered water to be poured over the sacrifice and the wood. Through the prayer of the prophet, fire came down from heaven and burned the sacrifice, wood, water and even stones. The people fell to the ground, crying: “Truly the Lord is One God
and there is no other God besides Him!”

Then the sky opened and pouring rain began to fall.

Despite Ahab's repentance, his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet. Elijah fled to Judea. The prophet walked for forty days and, having reached Mount Horeb, settled in a cave. Here, after a terrible storm, earthquake and flame, the Lord Himself appeared to the grieving Elijah “in the quiet wind.”
For his zeal for the Glory of God, the prophet Elijah was taken to Heaven alive. His disciple, the prophet Elisha, witnessed Elijah's ascent to heaven in a chariot of fire.

Other famous saints named Elijah

In the calendar of the Orthodox Church there are more than 30 saints with the name Elijah. Many of them are new martyrs.

Venerable Elijah of Muromets, Pechersk

The Church venerates this saint as St. Elijah of Pechersk. Folk tales know him as the epic hero Ilya Muromets.

Ilya Muromets. Victor Vasnetsov. Fragment of the painting “Bogatyrs”. 1881-1898

Ilya Muromets lived in the 12th century. He was from the Chernigov region, and he really was a strong warrior. At the end of his life, Ilya became a monk at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In 1643 he was canonized.

In 1988, a commission of the Ukrainian SSR Ministry of Health conducted an examination of the relics of St. Elijah of Muromets. Research has shown that the monk was a strong man and had a rather tall height for the Middle Ages, 177 cm. He was found to have signs of spinal disease (the epic Elijah could not move from birth until the age of 33) and traces of numerous wounds.
Today the relics of Elijah of Pechersk rest in the Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Ilya Muromets is the main character of 15 of the 53 plots of Russian heroic epics. The exploits of a hero are a traditional popular popular print. The most famous image of Ilya Muromets is Viktor Vasnetsov’s painting “Bogatyrs” (1881).

1. Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. During the Transfiguration, the apostles see Christ talking with Moses and Elijah.

2. The Seer of the Apocalypse says that the prophet Elijah will be the forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ to earth and will accept death from the servants of the Antichrist.

3. The Temple of the Prophet Elijah “on the stream” is the first temple in Rus'. It is mentioned in the treaty between Prince Igor and Byzantium in 944. In the church of the prophet Elijah, the baptized Varangians vowed to comply with the terms of the treaty.

4. Ilyinka is one of the oldest streets in Moscow. It leads from Red Square to Ilyinsky Gate Square. The street got its name from the 16th-century Ilyinsky Monastery with the stone Church of Elijah the Prophet. The monastery was abolished after the fire of 1626, the church became a parish church and exists to this day.

5. The name Ilya was quite common in Russia. The surname Ilyin, which comes from him, is quite common already in the 18th century. For example, captain 1st rank Dmitry Ilyin was one of the heroes of the Chesma naval battle (1770). And the Russian religious philosopher Ivan Ilyin is known throughout the world.

6. Elijah’s Day is one of the most famous Russian folk holidays. When pagans adopted Christianity, many folk customs were “churched” and replaced by Christian ones. For example, pagan farewells to winter entered the Orthodox tradition as Maslenitsa - the preparatory Cheese Week before the start of Lent. A similar story happened on the day of remembrance of the prophet Elijah.

7. The saying “Peter and Paul reduced the hour, Elijah the prophet dragged away two” has no connection with the Holy Scriptures. The fact is that after August 2 it starts to get dark two hours earlier.

8. Prophet Elijah is considered the patron saint of airborne troops. This veneration arose from the calendar coincidence of the day of remembrance of the prophet and the day of the Airborne Forces: on August 2, during the exercises of the Moscow Military District near Voronezh in 1930, the first parachute landing was landed. Many paratroopers pray to the prophet Elijah as their “professional” protector.

There are few saints in whose lives the destinies of the Old and New Testaments are so closely intertwined, as in the prophet Elijah. Born nine centuries before the coming of Christ the Savior into the world, the prophet Elijah saw the glory of His Transfiguration on Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30). The holy prophet was the first in the Old Testament to perform the miracle of resurrecting the dead (1 Kings 17:20-23), and he himself was taken alive to Heaven, thereby prefiguring the coming Resurrection of Christ and the general destruction of the dominion of death. His ardent call to repentance and menacing denunciations were addressed to his contemporaries, his compatriots, mired in wickedness and idolatry. The inhabitants of the Earth will hear the same accusations and call to repentance before the Second Coming of Christ, when many, having deviated from true faith and piety, will live in the darkness of errors and vices. Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament Church, the holy prophet Elijah is revered for his indestructible firmness of faith, the impeccable severity of his virgin life, and his fiery zeal for the glory of God. He is often compared to “the greatest of those born of women,” the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, about whom it is said that he came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17).

The holy prophet Elijah was born in the 10th century BC in Thesbia of Gilead and came from the tribe of Levi. According to legend, his father Sovakh, at the birth of his son, saw how bright angels talked with the baby, swaddled him with fire and fed him with a fiery flame. From a young age, Saint Elijah retired to the deserted Mount Carmel, where he grew and strengthened spiritually, spending his life in strict fasting, prayer and contemplation of God.

After the death of King Solomon, the state was divided into two kingdoms - the Kingdom of Judah with its capital in Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Israel with its capital in Samaria. And if in Judea the former piety was preserved to some extent, then the kingdom of Israel very quickly deviated from the faith of its fathers to serving the pagan gods. Impiety especially increased under King Ahab, whose wife Jezebel, being a pagan, vigorously propagated the cult of the idol of Baal.

The holy prophet Elijah, zealous for the glory of the True God, entered public service as a formidable and bold denouncer of the sharp increase in idolatry and moral depravity. He announced to the king that, as punishment for the iniquities of the Israelites, there would be neither rain nor dew for a long time, and this disaster would end only through the prayer of the prophet (1 Kings 17:1). Ahab did not listen to the prophetic voice and did not repent. Then the terrible sentence of Saint Elijah was carried out - for three and a half years the people of Israel suffered from heat, drought and famine. The prophet himself, by the command of God, took refuge from the wrath of his fellow tribesmen and the persecution of Ahab in a secluded place near the stream Horath, where every morning and every evening ravens brought him food - bread and meat. According to the explanation of St. John Chrysostom, the Lord commanded the ravens to take care of the prophet’s food in order to teach him to be more merciful and lenient. “Look, Elijah,” says the saint, as if on behalf of God Himself, “at their (the ravens’) love for mankind; those who do not have love for their own chicks serve you as if they were hospitable... Imitate the change of the ravens, and be lenient towards the Jews.”

About a year later, when the stream of Horath dried up, the Lord sent the prophet Elijah to the small Phoenician city of Zarephath of Sidon to a poor widow who, along with her family, was in dire need. The Prophet Elijah, wanting to test the faith and virtue of the widow, ordered her to bake bread for him from the last remnants of flour and butter. The widow fulfilled the command, and her selflessness did not go unrewarded: according to the word of the prophet, flour and oil in this house were miraculously constantly replenished throughout the famine and drought. Soon the Lord sent a new test of the widow’s faith: her son died. In inconsolable grief, she decided that the holiness of the prophet Elijah, incompatible with her sinful life, became the cause of the boy’s death. Instead of answering, the holy prophet took her dead son in his arms and, after three times intense prayer, resurrected him (1 Kings 17, 17-24).

After three years of drought, the Lord sent Saint Elijah to Ahab to announce the end of the disaster. At the same time, the prophet ordered the king to conduct a “test of faith.” All the inhabitants of Israel and all the priests of Baal gathered on Mount Carmel. When two altars were built, Saint Elijah invited the priests of Baal to pray to their gods for fire to descend from heaven onto the sacrifice. The priests prayed all day, but there was no fire. Then the holy prophet Elijah ordered to pour a large amount of water on the altar he had prepared, so that it filled the entire ditch around the altar. Then he turned with fervent prayer to the True God and immediately fire came down from heaven and burned the sacrifice and even the stone altar and the water around it. Seeing this, the people fell to the ground in fear and exclaimed: “Truly the Lord is God!” (3 Kings 18, 39). The prophet Elijah ordered the capture of the priests of Baal and killed them at the stream of Kissova. Through the saint’s prayer, the sky opened and it began to rain.

Despite the prophet’s ardent zeal and the abundance of God’s grace that strengthened him, he was not alien to natural human weakness, especially manifested in the Old Testament, before the coming of the Savior. The Prophet Elijah, after a miracle on Mount Carmel, expected Israel to turn to God, but it happened differently. Jezebel's hardened heart burned with anger and she threatened to kill the prophet for exterminating the priests of Baal. The weak-willed Ahab, who repented of the terrible sign, took the side of his wife, and the prophet Elijah had to flee to the south of Judea, to Bathsheba. All his efforts to eradicate wickedness seemed helpless to him, and in great sadness he went into the desert and there he cried out to God: “Enough already, Lord, take my soul, for I am no better than my fathers” (3 Kings 19:4). The Lord consoled the saint with a vision of an Angel, who strengthened him with food and commanded him to go on a long journey. The prophet Elijah walked for 40 days and 40 nights and, having reached Mount Horeb, settled in a cave. Here the Lord, with a special vision, again called him to be more merciful. In sensory images - a storm, an earthquake and fire - the meaning of his prophetic ministry was revealed to him. To contrast with these visions, the Lord appeared to him in the breath of a quiet wind, making it clear that the hearts of sinners are softened and turned to repentance more by the action of God’s mercy, and the formidable manifestations of God’s power are more likely to lead to horror and despair. In the same vision, the Lord revealed to the prophet that he was not the only one who worshiped the True God: there were still seven thousand people in Israel who did not bow the knee to Baal. At the command of God, the prophet Elijah again went to Israel to consecrate Elisha to the prophetic ministry.

The holy prophet Elijah came to the court of the Israeli kings twice more. The first time was to expose Ahab for the illegal murder of Naboth and the appropriation of his vineyard (1 Kings 21). Hearing the prophet’s reproof, Ahab repented and humbled himself, and for this God softened His anger. The second time - to expose the new king Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, for the fact that in his illness he turned not to the True God, but to the Ekron idol. The holy prophet predicted to Ahaziah the fatal outcome of his illness for such unbelief, and soon the prophet’s word came true (2 Kings, 1).

For his fiery spiritual zeal for the glory of God, the prophet Elijah was taken alive to Heaven in a chariot of fire. His disciple Elisha witnessed this ascent and, together with the mantle of Saint Elijah that fell from the chariot, received a prophetic gift twice as great as that of the prophet Elijah.

According to Church tradition, the prophet Elijah, together with the forefather Enoch, who was also taken alive to Heaven (Genesis 5:24), will be the Forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ to Earth. For three and a half years, Saints Enoch and Elijah will preach repentance and perform many miracles. With their preaching they will convert people to the true faith. They will be given the power, as during the earthly life of the prophet Elijah, to “shut the heavens so that it does not rain in the days of their prophecy” (Rev. 11:6). After three and a half years of their preaching, the Antichrist will fight with them and kill them, but by the power of God they will be resurrected after three and a half days.

Iconographic tradition often depicts the holy prophet Elijah ascending to Heaven on a fiery chariot.

The Russian Orthodox people have always treated the memory of the holy prophet Elijah with reverence. He was revered by the Slavs back in the pre-Christian era of our national history. The first temple in Kyiv, even under Prince Igor (before the Baptism of Rus), was dedicated to the holy prophet Elijah; in the chronicle of St. Nestor this temple is called cathedral, that is, the main one. In Constantinople, where there were many Varangian-Russians in the service of the Greek emperors until the 10th century, a church was also built in the name of the prophet Elijah, which was intended for baptized Russian people, as is known from the agreement between the Kievites and the Greeks in 944.

After the Baptism of Rus' in 988, Elias churches began to be erected in large numbers throughout the country. Since ancient times, the believing Russian people have revered the holy prophet Elijah as the patron saint of the harvest, and therefore with special zeal and love they turn to the saint of God on the day of his memory with a prayer for the blessing of the new harvest. The depth of veneration for the holiday of the Prophet Elijah is evidenced by handwritten church calendars (calendars), in which this holiday is called “the holy ascension of the prophet Elijah” or “the fiery ascension of the holy prophet Elijah.” Usually on the day of the holiday, processions of the cross and blessing of water are held in the places where the Elias churches are located.

The following is known from Russian history about the history of the establishment of one of these religious processions. In 1664, Moscow and its environs suffered a terrible drought, which lasted from May 15 to July 20 (old style). The authenticity of this event is confirmed by historical evidence.

The disaster that occurred prompted Muscovites to fervent nationwide prayer, and the residents of Moscow decided to especially honor that saint, on whose memorial day the drought would end and the rain would fall. On July 20, heavy rain began, the earth came to life and many people thanked God for his mercy. Seeing in this event the providence of God and the bold prayers of the holy prophet Elijah, it was decided to carry out a procession from the Assumption Cathedral to the church of the prophet Elijah on Voronkovo ​​Field. When establishing this religious procession, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich said: “Just as the prophet Elijah once sent down rain on the fields of the kingdom of Israel, just as now that prophet has irrigated the parched fields of the Russian state.”

The sacred books contain a huge number of descriptions of miracles revealed through the lives of holy people. Many of them are connected with the history of the saint of God, Elijah the Prophet, revered by all believers.

The life story of the great Prophet Elijah evokes delight and surprise. His veneration is due to a number of miracles performed by him during his life and after gaining the Kingdom of Heaven. The holy saint will hear and cover every person who turns to him in prayer and will cover him with a veil of intercession.

History of the icon

900 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Elijah was born. His name means "of the Lord." During his life, the saint was a zealous Christian, his sermons inspired faith and immeasurable love for the Creator in the hearts of people.

The prophet had a gift and saw what was invisible to others. The saint of God predicted unbearable heat and droughts for the sins of the people. The Lord Himself, seeing the torment and suffering of people, could not send even one drop of rain, so as not to disrupt the holy mission of the prophet Elijah.

The saint sought to convert lost souls to worship and repentance. The time came when drought dried up the last source of water. Ilya, like all people, was hungry, but did not turn away from the faith and strength sent to him from Above. In one of the most difficult moments, the saint asked a poor woman for shelter and food. For the kindness that the widow did not refuse, her house no longer knew hunger.

In prayer, Elijah turned to God, asking him to give him strength. The inexplicable miracle of resurrection also dates back to his lifetime and is considered one of the miracles performed by the great prophet.

But, despite the miracles, he was persecuted and hid from pagan persecution. There is a legend that Prophet Elijah did not die, but being alive went to God in a heavenly chariot.

Description of the icon

The canons of icon painting go back to ancient times, where the saint was depicted with long hair, a thick beard and with a scroll of Holy Scripture in his hands. A distinctive feature of modern icons is the depiction of different subjects. In one image, Ilya is depicted with a raven, in the other - with a Heavenly chariot. Much has been modified, but the general meaning has been preserved in all subsequent lists.

Where is the icon

In almost every region of Russia, churches of God have been erected to the holy prophet, in which there are copies of icons. Therefore, we should point out only the most significant images that showed the world a miracle.

The first and oldest icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of the Prophet Elijah. The ancient image of the saint is decorated with stamps and depicts a plot from the life of the saint. Also in this temple is kept the second icon of the saint of God, which depicts scenes of Elijah’s life in the desert.

The second temple of the Prophet Elijah, as well as the third church in the name of the saint of God, were also erected in Moscow. One of the revered images takes part in religious processions, another adorns the entrance to the Upper Temple, the third image is kept in the Transfiguration Monastery.

What does an icon help with?

The miraculous image of the saint helps you succeed in absolutely any undertaking. People turn to the help of the prophet of God in moments of weakening faith, captivity of passions, slander and unbelief. Prayers strengthen faith and grant blessings in deeds, protect against poverty, decline and disease. With the image of the great prophet, peace, prosperity and prosperity will come to the house.

Prayer before the icon of the Prophet Elijah

“Holy prophet of the Lord Elijah, I appeal to you, lover of mankind and righteous man of God. Offer the prayers of unworthy servants (name) to our Father, may He hear our repentance and contrition for shameful sins. May heavenly intercession help us move away from vice and the devil’s tricks. Strengthen our faith, grant humility and meekness, love for our neighbor, patience. Deliver, great saint, with your prayer from the wrath of the Creator. You, who have lived in the world and tasted sorrows, we glorify you, wishing you eternal blessings in the Kingdom of the Lord. We give glory to our Father, the merciful Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen".

Days of celebration

The veneration of the icon takes place on the popularly known Orthodox holiday of Elijah’s Day. Believers pay tribute to God's prophet Elijah on August 2. And the huge number of traditions associated with this day makes the festival one of the favorite and revered celebrations in Russia.

Only faith and observance of all the commandments of the Lord will give you a happy destiny, love and grace. We wish you well-being and strong faith. be happyand don't forget to press the buttons and

02.08.2017 04:38

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