20 July: Elijah

Today is celebrated by some denominations as the feast day of Elijah, Prophet of the Old Testament. 10 things you might not know about him:

1. While the Old Testament books of Kings give plenty of stories about what he did, there's not much information about Elijah's origins. There's no mention of who his parents or grandparents were or even whether Elijah was his real name. His name means "Yahweh is God", and some scholars believe this was a name he gave to himself when confronting the prophets of Baal. Some Jewish literature claims he wasn't even a man, but an Angel in human form.
2. God sent him to confront the king at the time, Ahab, and his wife Jezebel (whose name to this day is associated with wicked women) who worshipped the god Baal. He was to tell them there would be no more rain in the land until they gave up their wicked ways. Challenging the king would have been a risky thing to do, but God had a plan. He told Elijah to hide in the wilderness near a brook from which he could drink; and where Ravens, at god's command, would bring him food.
3. A drought lasting for years was of course going to cause hardship for ordinary people, such as the Widow At Zarephath. Elijah ran into her just as she had given up hope for herself and her son, and was gathering sticks to cook the last of their food before they starved to death. When Elijah asked her for food and water, she pointed out that she didn't have enough for herself and her son. Elijah told her to make a small loaf of Bread for him out of what she had; if she did that her jar of Flour and jug of oil would never be used up until the rain came back. And sure enough, it wasn't.
4. While staying with the woman, Elijah became the first person mentioned in the Bible to raise someone from the dead. The woman's son became ill and stopped breathing. Elijah prayed over him and he came back to life.
5. Another of Elijah's deeds was to challenge the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in front of all the people. The challenge was that both he and the prophets were to set up an altar and put a sacrifice on it, but not to burn it as they usually did, but to ask Baal to signal his acceptance of the sacrifice by burning it himself. Meanwhile Elijah would do the same with a sacrifice to God. Whichever God sent Fire to burn their sacrifice would be deemed to be the true God. The Baal sacrifice remained untouched, but Elijah's was burned. In fact, to prove the point beyond any doubt, God not only barbecued the sacrifice but burned the altar and the stone it was built on as well. Elijah's challenges were particularly galling to the worshippers of Baal because he was their god of thunder, Lightning and rain.
6. The mountain where this took place gave its name to the Carmelite Order which reveres Elijah as its spiritual father and patron. The first hermits of the order set up home on Mount Carmel. Elijah as also revered as the patron of Bosnia/Herzegovina.
7. Elijah is mentioned a fair bit in Jewish tradition and folklore. He is said to be present at every circumcision ceremony and a Chair is always set aside for him. At passover, he is said to drop in on every family and so they set out a drink for him. There's also a saying that if Dogs seem happy for no apparent reason it is a sign that Elijah is nearby.
8. On one occasion, Elijah met Lilith, who was, according to legend, Adam's first wife and an evil witch. He met her one day and demanded to know where she was going. She told him she was going to find and kill a pregnant woman and eat her child. Elijah cursed her in the Name of the Lord, but she pleaded with him and said she would provide amulets that Elijah could give to pregnant women, and that she would never harm any woman or child who possessed one.
9. Rather than die, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. In Lebanon, this event is celebrated as a major holiday with Fireworks, said to represent the "chariot of fire" Elijah was swept away in. Elijah appears again in the New Testament, talking with Jesus at the transfiguration. It's said that before the second coming of Christ, Elijah will return as a harbinger.
10. He's not only revered in Judaism and Christianity but in Islam, too, and is even acknowledged in some pagan faiths. They identify him with gods of the sun and lightning and as a patron of Mountains and high places.

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