Ilyin's Day is a holiday that takes place on the second of August. About who the prophet Elijah is, about his life and much more, you can read in our article!

Ilyin's day - a holiday on August 2

Ilyin's day is celebrated on August 2. This holiday is dedicated to the very first Saint, who began to be revered in Rus'. In IX, a cathedral church was built in Kyiv, and Princess Olga erected a church in the name of the Prophet of God Elijah in the north of Rus', in the village of Vybuty. On Ilyin's Day, they always prayed for deliverance from drought, because in those days it meant famine and lack of harvest. Ilyin's day usually fell on the border of the seasons and was considered the middle of summer, when the time was already approaching winter.

After Ilyin's day, they usually did not swim in the reservoirs. There was a belief that one could drown. Many people still adhere to it. And the girls these days prayed for marriage, since Ilyin's day was accompanied by the traditional period of weddings. The modern Orthodox understanding of the holiday has departed far from popular beliefs, which are more related to paganism than to the true veneration of the Biblical prophet. We will introduce you to the story of the prophet Elijah, tell you about his life and prophecies. The holy prophet Elijah devoted himself to the service of God and was taken alive to Heaven. The Scripture says that he was “hidden by a whirlwind”, before him only one person was honored with such an honor in Scripture.

The prophet Elijah is also mentioned in the New Testament, it is also surprising that he is also revered as a prophet by Muslims. In the Qur'an there is a mention of a prophet named Ilyasin. IN holy book Muslim prophet Elijah was also identified with other people who escaped death and ascended to Heaven alive. This was a sign of the special disposition of the Lord and the great spiritual merits that rare righteous people are capable of. It is important for Christians not to forget that superstitions and rituals similar to pagan ones do not apply to Ilyin's day in the Orthodox sense. Ilyin's day also coincides with a secular holiday - the day of the Airborne Forces.

Or me(ancient Hebrew אֵלִיָּהוּ (Eliyahu), אֵלִיָּה (Eliya) - “My God is Yahweh”) - (1st half of the 9th century BC), one of the Old Testament prophets.

The name of the prophet Elijah is translated as "My God is the Lord", which expresses the main content of his ministry (cf.: 1 Kings 18:36) - a zealous struggle for the worship of the one God and His deeds showed His power.

The life of the prophet Elijah

The prophet Elijah is 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 a legend that has come down to us from St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, when Elijah was born, his father had a mysterious vision: handsome men greeted the baby, swaddled him with fire and fed him with fiery flames.

The holy prophet Elijah was indeed an ardent zealot of faith and piety, from an early age he devoted himself to the One God, lived in the wilderness, spent time in fasting, prayer and piety. His prophetic ministry fell on the reign of Israel's most wicked king, Ahab. Jezebel, Ahab's wife, convinced her husband to convert to a 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 people of Israel corrupted by him, the prophet Elijah struck the earth with a three-year drought, "closing the heavens with a prayer." After that, in order to avoid the wrath of Jezebel, at the direction of God, he hid at the stream Cherath, where the ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and evening.

The people at that time suffered from unbearable heat and hunger. The Old Testament tradition tells that the Lord, in His mercy, seeing the suffering of people, was ready to spare everyone and send rain on 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.

Prophecies and Miracles of the Prophet Elijah

Divine prophet, you are jealous of the Lord Almighty, with a prayer you concluded heaven, rivers: rain and dew do not fall on the earth, only the verb of my mouth.

After a while the stream dried up. The prophet Elijah, according to the word of God, went to Sarepta Sidon to a poor widow. For the fact that she did not spare the last handful of flour and oil, according to the prayer of the prophet Elijah, flour and oil have not been depleted in the widow's house since then. Here the prophet Elijah performs another miracle: he revived the suddenly ill and dead son of a widow, sympathizing with the grief of a woman.

In the third year of the drought, the prophet Elijah returned to Ahab. The prophet Elijah proposed to arrange a competition with the priests of Baal to find out whose god is true. 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 the fire from heaven falls, that will be the indication whose God is true,” said the prophet Elijah, “and all will have to bow to 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 firewood, ordered that a ditch be dug around the altar, and ordered water to be poured over the sacrifice and firewood. When the ditch filled with water, the fiery prophet turned to God with a fervent prayer and petition that the Lord would send down fire from heaven to admonish the erring and hardened Israeli people and turn their hearts to Himself. Fire fell from heaven and kindled the sacrifice of the prophet Elijah.

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

Divine prophet, you, by prayer and mercy, open the heavens again, 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 to death the priests of Baal. Persecution and persecution begin again. Elijah runs into the desert. This stern and adamant zealot of the true faith for the first time fell into despair - it seemed to him that he alone remained faithful to the true God, that there was no one left on earth to whom he could pass on and preserve the faith of the fathers in the One God.

And so, on Mount Hareb, this great prophet was rewarded, as far as it is possible for a person, to contemplate face to face with God. 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 bright 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 fiery chariot.

Ascension

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 to heaven alive (Gen. 5:24).

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

Elijah the prophet, having enlightened his mind at dawn, is all divine: and the king of the wicked, the unjust court is indignant in vain, the same and the court of God sends renunciation to him: so the queen, as if unmerciful, and gold-loving, betrayed the judgment of God. But by the prayers, Christ, of Your prophet Elijah, save us all, for you are merciful.

What can we learn from the life of the prophet Elijah?

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev)

Today the Church celebrates the memory of the holy prophet of God Elijah. In the Third and Fourth Books of Kings we read about the great deeds of the prophet, about the miracles that he performed before the people of Israel. We read about how, in order to prove the existence of the true God, he calls four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and makes a sacrifice to the Lord, and they make sacrifices to their gods; and the sacrifice of the prophet, through his prayer, is consumed by Divine fire, but the fire does not touch the victims of false prophets.

We read about how Elijah comes to the house of a poor widow and resurrects her son, about how the prophet flees from the wrath of the wicked Queen Jezebel into the wilderness and, not finding the strength in himself for prophetic ministry, in despair cries out to God: “Enough already, Lord; take my soul." But God consoles him, not only sending him water and bread, but also mysteriously, in an extraordinary way, appearing to him "in the quiet breath of the wind." Feeling this light breeze, Elijah understands that the Lord appeared to him not in terrible natural phenomena—not in a storm, not in an earthquake, not in fire—but precisely in a light breath of the spiritual wind. With this breath of the Holy Spirit, God comforts the prophet and gives him new strength.

Finally, we see Elijah walking with his disciple the prophet Elisha, and Elisha learns that his teacher will be taken away from him that day. Elijah says, "Ask what to do to you before I am taken from you." And Elisha answers: "The Spirit that is in you, let it be doubly upon me." Elijah said, “You are asking for hard things. If you see how I will be taken from you, then it will be so for you. Soon a fiery chariot appeared, and a whirlwind carried Elijah to heaven. This was a man who, during his lifetime, raised the dead, this was a prophet who did not see death, but was lifted up by God into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The life of the prophet Elijah teaches us what the true prophets were, called by God to a special ministry, to a special mission - to proclaim to people about God. The prophets were persecuted, and today we heard the words of Christ in the Gospel reading: “A prophet has no honor in his own country” (John 4:44), i.e., where he preaches, he is not understood. All the prophets had enemies and ill-wishers, people who wished them dead. Like all people, the prophets had their weaknesses, and they were not always capable of the incredibly difficult mission that was assigned to them - to testify about God to people who did not want to hear this testimony.

As we read about the lives of other prophets, we learn that when the Lord called them, some of them refused. One said that he was too young, the other - Jonah - generally fled from the Face of God, realizing that he did not have the strength to fulfill the mission assigned to him by God. The prophet Elijah in desperation asked God for death. But the prophets were always strengthened by the grace of God, in their ministry they directly came into contact with God, met Him in their personal spiritual experience.

These meetings were different. Sometimes the Lord came in a light breeze, that is, in some kind of hidden spiritual consolation, as was the case with the prophet Elijah. But it also happened that not only the prophet, but the whole people was a witness to the manifestation of God, when, for example, the same Elijah decided to show with the help of fire whether the Lord or Baal should be the God of Israel. At different periods of human history, God sent prophets to people so that people would hear the word of truth from them, so that they would testify by miracles to the presence of God and the power of God. And in all ages the prophets were weak people - just like you and me. Their prophetic mission far exceeded their natural human strength, and they, not relying on their own strength, sought help from God. They asked God for spiritual reinforcement in difficult times, when they were abandoned by people, persecuted, when enemies were looking for their death. And the Lord mysteriously strengthened them with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

And we learn one more thing from the life of the prophet Elijah - that every prophet left behind spiritual offspring. The prophets were not people who, like the celebrities of this world, flash brightly and disappear. The prophets left disciples behind them, so the cause they served did not die even after their death. When Elijah was taken up to heaven by the chariot of God, Elisha took his mantle, that is, a cloak, and struck the water with it, and the water parted, and Elisha realized that the spiritual heritage of the prophet Elijah had passed to him. It often happened that the disciples turned out to be higher than the teacher, because the spirit that was on one prophet passed to another and acted through him with even greater force. So the spiritual succession passed from one prophet to another, up to the last of the prophets and the first of the apostles - John the Baptist. Then it passed from one apostle to another, then to bishops, to priests and to all the people of God, who also passed this grace-filled testimony about God from generation to generation; it has come down to us, and now we are its owners.

Therefore, when we remember the Old Testament prophets, we do not remember some people who lived in antiquity and became famous for their great deeds three thousand years ago, but saints whose spiritual heritage continues to live in our Church. Remembering them and praying to them, we hope to at least to a small extent be imbued with the spirit in which they lived, and receive at least a particle of that grace of God, which was given to them not for their own sake, but in order to help them carry out the difficult mission of witnessing about God before people, that cross, under the weight of which we sometimes bend, not finding the strength in ourselves to carry it.

Sometimes we say: Lord, this is impossible, this cross is too heavy for me. And then the grace of God comes in the "breath of a still wind", and its refreshing and strengthening breath gives us new strength.

The Human Face of God. M., 2000.

This week on August 2 we celebrate the day of memory of the Prophet Elijah

The holy prophet Elijah, one of the greatest prophets and the first virgin of the Old Testament, was born in Thesbia of Gilead in the tribe of Levi 900 years before the Incarnation of God the Word. Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus reports the following legend about the birth of the prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born, his father Owls saw in a vision that handsome men greeted him, swaddled him with fire and fed him with fiery flames.” The name Elijah (the fortress of the Lord) given to the baby determined his whole life. From an early age, he devoted himself to the One God, settled in the desert and spent his life in strict post, Divine Thought and Prayer.

Called to the prophetic ministry under the Israeli king Ahab, the prophet became an ardent zealot of the true faith and piety. At that time, the people of Israel fell away from the faith of their fathers, left the One God and worshiped pagan idols, the veneration of which was introduced by the wicked king Jeroboam. King Ahab's wife, the pagan Jezebel, was especially supportive of idolatry. The worship of the idol Baal led the Israelites to complete moral decay. Seeing the death of his people, the prophet Elijah began to convict King Ahab of impiety, urging him to repent and turn to the True God. The king did not listen to him. Then the prophet Elijah announced to him that, as a punishment for three years, there would be neither rain nor dew on the earth, and the drought would stop only through his prayer. And indeed, through the prayer of the prophet, the sky closed, drought and famine set in all over the earth. The people suffered from unbearable heat and hunger. The Lord, in His mercy, seeing the suffering of people, was ready to spare everyone and send rain on the earth, but did not want to violate the words of the prophet Elijah, who was burning with the desire to turn the hearts of the Israelites to repentance and return them to true worship of God. Keeping the prophet Elijah from the hands of Jezebel, the Lord sent him during a disaster to a secret place near the stream Cherath. The Lord commanded the predatory ravens to bring food to the prophet, thereby instilling in him pity for the suffering people. When the stream Khorath dried up, the Lord sent the prophet Elijah to Sarepta of Sidon to a poor widow who was suffering with her children in anticipation of starvation. At the request of the prophet, she prepared unleavened bread for him from the last handful of flour and the rest of the butter. Then, through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, flour and oil have not been exhausted in the widow's house since then throughout the famine. By the power of his prayer, the great prophet performed another miracle - he resurrected the dead son of this widow. After three years of drought, the Merciful Lord sent a prophet to King Ahab to end the calamity. The prophet Elijah ordered to gather all Israel and the priests of Baal to Mount Carmel. When the people gathered, the prophet Elijah offered 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 the fire from heaven will fall, that will be an indication whose God is true,” said the prophet Elijah, “and everyone will have to bow to Him, and those who do not recognize Him will be put to death.” The priests of Valla were the first to begin the sacrifice: they called out to the idol from morning to evening, but in vain - the sky was silent. 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 firewood, ordered that a ditch be dug around the altar and ordered water to be poured over the sacrifice and firewood. When the ditch filled with water, the fiery prophet turned to God with a fervent prayer and petition that the Lord would send down fire from heaven to admonish the erring and hardened Israeli people and turn their hearts to Himself. At the prayer of the prophet, fire descended from heaven and burned the sacrifice, firewood, stones, and even water. The people fell to the ground, crying out: “Truly, the Lord is One God and there is no other God besides Him!”. Then the prophet Elijah killed all the priests of Baal and began to pray for rain. Through his prayer, the heavens opened and a heavy rain fell, watering the thirsty earth. King Ahab realized his error and wept over his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. The prophet Elijah fled to the kingdom of Judea and, grieving over the impotence to eradicate idolatry, asked God for his own death. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him, strengthened him with food and ordered him to go on a long journey. The prophet Elijah walked for forty days and nights, and having reached Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave. Here, after a terrible storm, earthquake and flame, the Lord appeared “in a quiet wind” (1 Kings 19:12) and revealed to the grieving prophet that He had saved seven thousand faithful servants who had not bowed to Baal. The Lord commanded the prophet Elijah to anoint (consecrate) Elisha for the prophetic ministry.

For your fiery jealousy of Glory God's prophet Elijah was taken to Heaven alive in a fiery chariot. The prophet Elisha witnessed the ascent of the prophet Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot and received, together with his fallen mercy (cloak), the gift of the prophetic spirit twice as much as the prophet Elijah had.

According to the tradition of the Holy Church, the prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Terrible Second Coming of Christ to earth and during the sermon he will accept bodily death. The life of the holy prophet Elijah is described in the Old Testament books (1 Kings; 2 Kings; Sir. 48:1-15; 1 Mac. 2:58). During the Transfiguration of the Lord, the prophet Elijah talked with the Savior on Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30).

Materials from the site pravoslavie.ru were used for the article.

There are few saints in whose lives the fates of the Old and New Testaments are so closely intertwined, as in the case of 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 (Matt. 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30). Holy prophet first Old Testament performed the miracle of the resurrection of the dead (1 Kings 17:20-23), and was himself taken alive into Heaven, thus foreshadowing the coming Resurrection of Christ and the universal destruction of the dominion of death. His ardent call to repentance and formidable denunciations were addressed to his contemporaries, his compatriots, mired in impiety and idolatry. The same accusations and call to repentance will be heard by the inhabitants of the Earth before the Second Coming of Christ, when many, deviating from the true faith and piety, will live in the darkness of delusions and vices. Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament Church, the holy prophet Elijah is revered for his unshakable firmness of faith, the impeccable rigor of a 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 Thesvia of Gilead, descended from the tribe of Levi. According to legend, his father Owl, 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. WITH young years Saint Elijah withdrew to the desert Mount Carmel, where he grew and strengthened spiritually, spending his life in strict fasting, prayer and contemplation.

After the death of King Solomon, the state was divided into two kingdoms - Judah with its capital in Jerusalem and 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 the fathers to the service pagan gods. Impiety especially increased under King Ahab, whose wife Jezebel, being a pagan, intensively planted the cult of the idol of Baal.

The holy prophet Elijah, zealous for the glory of the True God, entered the public service as a formidable and bold accuser of the sharply increased idolatry and moral licentiousness. He announced to the king that in punishment for the iniquity of the Israelites there would be no rain or 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 formidable 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 Chorath, where every morning and every evening the 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 indulgent. “Look, Elijah,” says the saint, as if on behalf of God Himself, “at their (ravens) philanthropy; those who do not have love for their own chicks serve you as hospitable ... Imitate the change of ravens, and be indulgent towards the Jews.

About a year later, when the stream Khorath dried up, the Lord sent the prophet Elijah to the small Phoenician city of Sarepta 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 self-denial did not go unrewarded: according to the word of the prophet, flour and oil in this house miraculously constantly replenished during 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, caused the death of the lad. Instead of answering, the holy prophet took her dead son in his arms and, after thrice 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 calamity. 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 to the sacrifice. The priests prayed all day, but there was no fire. Then the holy prophet Elijah ordered that the altar prepared by him be poured with a large amount of water, 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!” (1 Kings 18:39). The prophet Elijah ordered the capture of the priests of Baal and killed them at the Kissov stream. Through the prayer of the saint, the sky opened up and it began to rain.

Despite the ardent zeal of the prophet and the abundance of God's grace that strengthened him, he was not a stranger to natural human weakness, which was especially evident in the Old Testament, before the coming of the Savior. The prophet Elijah, after performing 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 the extermination of the priests of Baal. Weak-willed Ahab, who repented from a formidable 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 sorrow he went into the wilderness and there cried out to God: “Enough already, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). The Lord comforted the saint with the 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, he settled in a cave. Here the Lord, by a special vision, again called him to be more merciful. In sensual images - storm, 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 still 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 terrible manifestations of the power of God can rather lead to horror and despair. In the same vision, the Lord revealed to the prophet that he was not alone in worshiping the True God: there are seven thousand more people in Israel who did not bow the knee before Baal. At the command of God, the prophet Elijah again went to Israel to consecrate Elisha to the prophetic ministry.

Twice more the holy prophet Elijah came to the court of the kings of Israel. The first time - to convict Ahab of the illegal murder of Naboth and the appropriation of his vineyard (1 Kings, 21). Ahab repented and humbled himself when he heard the prophet's rebuke, and for this God softened His wrath. The second time - to denounce the new king Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, because he, in his illness, turned not to the True God, but to the Akkaron idol. The holy prophet predicted Ahaziah the death of his illness for such unbelief, and soon the word of the prophet 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 fiery chariot. 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 large as that of the prophet Elijah.

According to the tradition of the Church, the prophet Elijah, together with the forefather Enoch, who was also taken alive to Heaven (Gen. 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. By their preaching they will convert people to the true faith. They will be given the authority, as in the earthly life of the prophet Elijah, "to shut up the sky, 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 in three and a half days.

The icon-painting tradition often depicts the holy prophet Elijah ascending to Heaven in 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 in the pre-Christian era of our national history. The first church in Kyiv, still under Prince Igor (before the Baptism of Rus'), was dedicated to the holy prophet Elijah; in the annals of St. Nestor, this church is called a cathedral, that is, the main one. In Constantinople, where there were many Varangians-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 people of Kiev and the Greeks in 944.

After the Baptism of Rus' in 988, Ilyinsky churches began to be erected in multitudes throughout the country. In the holy prophet Elijah, the believing Russian people have since ancient times revered the patron saint of the harvest, 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 of the feast of the prophet Elijah is evidenced by the handwritten church calendars (calendars), in which this holiday is called “the holy ascent of the prophet Elijah” or “the fiery ascent of the holy prophet Elijah”. Usually on the day of the holiday, processions of the cross and blessing of water are performed in those places where the Ilyinsky churches are located.

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

The calamity that occurred prompted the Muscovites to an ardent prayer of the whole people, and the inhabitants of Moscow decided to especially honor that saint, on whose feast day the drought would end and rain would fall. On July 20, heavy rain fell, the earth came to life and many people thanked God for mercy. Seeing in this event the providence of God and the bold prayers of the holy prophet Elijah, it was supposed to make a procession from the Assumption Cathedral to the church of the prophet Elijah on the Voronkovo ​​field. When establishing this procession Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich said: “Just as once the prophet Elijah sent down rain on the fields of the kingdom of Israel, in the same way now that prophet watered the withered fields of the Russian state.”

IN Orthodox world there are a lot of different legends and stories that make a person not only wonder, but also admire. All of them were created, if not during the life of the revered saints, then after their ascension to heaven already thanks to prayers to them.

One of the most famous and recognized in the Orthodox world is St. Elijah the Prophet. After all, it is this God's servant He is the second chosen one after Moses, through whom the Lord addressed earthly people. In addition, this saint is one of the few whom God took to himself, while not leaving a single witness to this action. Therefore, it is not surprising that the icons of Elijah the Prophet, the photo and description of which are presented in this article, are so revered by believers all over the world. There are images of this saint in many temples. And not only in the monasteries on the territory of our country, but also outside it, the icon of the Prophet Elijah is found.

Description

In the old days, icon painters portrayed all the saints in almost the same way. They had a beard and long hair, a cloak and a scroll in their hands. Sometimes a cap could also be seen on the heads of the prophet. They distinguished where and which prophet is depicted only by the inscription on the tablet at the top or on the scroll. Of course, today all images are somewhat modified, but the general meaning and plots are still preserved. This statement also applies to icons depicting Elijah the Prophet. Most often there are two thematic images associated with it. This is the stay of the saint in the wilderness and the icon "The Fiery Ascent of Elijah the Prophet". In fact, of course, there are many more stories. However, these two images are found in temples and in the homes of believers more often than others.

Icons depicting the prophet

The very first image of St. Elijah was painted in the years of the early Byzantine period. On it, the prophet appears before the believers as a stern man with brown eyes with a piercing gaze, dressed in a woolen cloak. Ilya on this icon has a magnificent beard and long hair. Subsequently, the prophet began to be depicted in a woolen hat and with a dagger in his hands. It was believed that in this way the icon painters conveyed to the icon its strength and rage, which was addressed to the non-believers.

To date, there are two radically different options for writing images of this prophet. They are tied to various periods of his earthly existence. Some icon painters depicted him sitting on a stone in the desert in thought. Ilya looks around, and a tame raven gets food for him. The legend says that at this moment the saint listens to the Divine voice through the thickness of thoughts and earthly problems.

Another option shows Elijah the Prophet at the moment of his transition to the Kingdom of Heaven. On such an icon, he is depicted hovering on a cloud, with his eyes turned to the sky, or looking at the earth he is leaving.

What helps the icon of Elijah the Prophet

In general, this saint is incredibly popular among the people. Elijah's day is celebrated annually on the second of August. folk traditions they represent him as a mighty old man who, riding a chariot across the sky, sends punishing fiery arrows with his hand. No less popular is the icon of Elijah the Prophet. It is believed that the saint can contribute to the successful outcome of the undertaking, although it is more often believed that the saint helps more in agricultural affairs. People turn to him during a drought with a request to send rain or, conversely, clear weather during torrential downpours. It is believed that the icon "Ilya the Prophet" helps the prayer to get rid of various disturbing diseases. It also brings anger out of the human heart. Her presence in the home contributes to a peaceful atmosphere in the family. They pray to this saint, asking for protection for loved ones from bodily ailments and quarrels. The icon "Ilya the Prophet" helps a person in all his endeavors. A unmarried girls since ancient times they have been asking the saint for a good, worthy husband.

Significance

Images of this saint can often be found in the homes of farmers, as well as the military. The airborne troops consider him their intercessor and patron, therefore, in each military unit there is a chapel, the main place in which is occupied by the image of St. Elijah the Prophet. The icon, whose significance is incredibly great for believers, is considered one of the most famous and revered.

Holy on ancient Rus' was considered not only a great miracle worker, but also a thunderer who controls the elements. First of all, it was about the rain. The icon "Ilya the Prophet" was present in almost every home. When people were worried about the wealth of the harvest - so that it would not dry out or, on the contrary, would not rot, they fervently prayed to the prophet. The icon with his image helped and helps to cope with any difficulties - lack of material wealth, mental or physical illness. In addition, it is able to ward off sudden death from a person. And in this, judging by the reviews, believers are constantly convinced.

Where can you find icons depicting Elijah the Prophet

In our country, the most famous is the image that can be seen in Moscow in a temple built in honor of this saint on Obydensky Lane. The twenty hallmarks that adorn the icon of "Saint Elijah the Prophet" contain the most important life moments this chosen one of God. In the temple of the same name, it is the most important. Here is another, no less revered Orthodox icon. Elijah the Prophet is depicted in the desert. This shrine was created for the bicentennial anniversary of the temple, which fell at the beginning of the twentieth century. The name of this icon sounds like this: "Christmas time the prophet Elijah in the desert."

Two other equally famous icons are in the Church of the Prophet Elijah, located on the territory of the Novgorod region. One of them was created more than two centuries ago. This image of the saint is carried during the annual religious procession. Another icon, Elijah the Prophet, is relatively young: it is not yet two decades old. And although she appeared in the year 2000, she immediately fell in love with the locals. Novgorodians love and revere her very much, considering her miraculous.

Icon in the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Israel

For several centuries, pilgrims from all over the world have been coming to Mount Carmel to personally touch the shrines associated with the name of this divine guide. The place for the construction of the temple was not chosen by chance. According to legend, it was in one of the caves in this mountain that the prophet Elijah was forced to hide from his pursuers for quite a long time. It was here that he managed to defeat the pagan priest. The temple was built directly above this cave and has the shape of a cross. The small altar located in the courtyard is very similar to the one that Ilya himself created in his time. Next to him stands a neat statue of this prophet, who raised his hand with a blade over the head of a pagan priest. When the army of the Arabs fought with the Jews, the Muslims, having cut it off, considered that they had thereby destroyed the help that it provided to the Christians.

The temple was built relatively recently: on the day of memory of the Holy Prophet Elijah in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Every year, thousands of believers flock to him to pray in front of the icon with his image and to baptize children in front of it.

Where can I buy the icon

Today, the images of Elijah the prophet in a variety of designs are found on sale everywhere. They can be purchased at church shops or jewelry stores, you can buy them from icon painters, or you can create them yourself, for example, embroider with beads. The main thing to be aware of is that the icon must be consecrated, charging it with church power.

How to pray

The image of this saint should be present in every home. Before it you need to put candles and pray. There are many cases where, as it is believed, Elijah the Prophet is sure to help. A prayer read in front of his icon must come from the heart. If a person kneels before the image in the temple, he must follow some rules: go to God's abode only with an open heart and good intentions. Before entering, give to those in need. Entering the temple, you need to cross yourself and bow. After that, you should go to the icon of Elijah the Prophet and light a candle in front of his image. Freed from all extraneous thoughts, you should concentrate on your request. If a person prays at home, then he should put an icon in front of him and light a candle next to him.

The Lord did this in order to save Elijah from killing him by Jezebel, so that Elijah would not die of hunger, and in order to arouse in Elijah compassion for people suffering and dying from hunger and thirst through the ravens and the Chorath stream. Ravens, in comparison with other birds, have a special property (): they are very voracious and have no feeling of pity even for their chicks, for the raven will only bring out his chicks, leave them in the nest, flying away to another place and dooming the chicks to starvation. Only the Providence of God, taking care of every creature, saves them from death: flies fly into their mouths by themselves, which the chicks swallow. And every time when the ravens, by the command of God, flying every day to the prophet, brought him food - in the morning bread, and in the evening meat, conscience in Elijah - this inner voice of God in a person - appealed to his heart:

“Look, crows, being in nature wild, dainty, gluttonous, not loving their chicks, how they take care of your food: they themselves are hungry, and they bring food to you. But you, a man yourself, do not have compassion for people, and you want to starve not only people, but also cattle and birds.

Also, when after some time the prophet saw the stream dried up, he said to him:

“It’s time to have mercy on the tormented creature and send it rain, so that you yourself don’t die of thirst.

But the zealot of God was strong, - on the contrary, he prayed to God that there would be no rain until the unpunished were punished, and until all the enemies of God perished on earth. Then again the Lord, wisely inciting His servant to mercy, sent him to Sarepta of Sidon, which was not under the authority of the king of Israel, to a poor widow, so that he would consider in himself what a disaster he had inflicted not only on rich and married people, but also on the poor. widows, who, not only in times of famine, but also in years of grain harvests and all earthly abundance, often do not have daily food. The prophet, having come to the gates of this city, saw a widow carrying firewood, no more than two logs; for she had only a handful of flour in the tub, and a little oil in the jug. Since Elijah was tormented by hunger, he asked the widow for a piece of bread. The widow, having told him about her extreme poverty of late, said that she wanted to cook dinner for herself and her son from the flour left with her for the last time, and then they would die of hunger. A man of God could be touched by this and take pity on all the poor widows who suffer from hunger; but great zeal for God conquered everything, and he showed no mercy to the perishing creature, wishing to glorify the Creator and show the whole universe His almighty power. Having from God, according to his faith, the gift of miracles, Elijah did so that the flour and oil in the widow's house remained inexhaustible; and he was fed by a widow until the famine ceased. The prophet also resurrected the deceased son of the widow with a prayer, combined with a threefold breath on the deceased, as it is written in the Word of God. There is a legend about this resurrected son of a widow, that his name was Jonah, that it was he who, having come of age, was worthy of a prophetic gift, was sent to Nineveh to preach repentance; being swallowed up in the sea by a whale and after three days cast out by him, he represented the three-day Christ's resurrection, as in the prophetic book and in his life it is narrated in detail.

After three rainless and hungry years, the all-good God, seeing His creation completely destroyed on earth from hunger, had mercy and said to His servant Elijah:

“Go, appear to Ahab; I want to have mercy on My creation and, at your word, send rain on the dry earth, give it drink and make it fruitful. Ahab is already inclined to repentance, is looking for you and is ready to obey you in everything that you command him.

The Prophet immediately went from Zarephath of Sidon to Samaria, the capital city of the kingdom of Israel. King Ahab at that time had a certain Obadiah as a steward, a faithful servant to him and a God-fearing man. He hid one hundred prophets of the Lord from being killed by Jezebel, placing them in two caves, fifty in each, and fed them with bread and water. Calling this steward to himself, King Ahab (even before Elijah came to him) sent him to search the dried streams of grass, so that there would be something to feed the few horses and other livestock that were left alive. As soon as Obadiah left the city, he met the holy prophet Elijah, bowed to him to the ground and said that Ahab was carefully looking for him throughout his kingdom. Saint Elijah answered Obadiah:

- Go, tell your master: here I am, Elijah, I'm going to him.

Obadiah refused, saying:

“I’m afraid that when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord does not transfer you to another country, and then I will turn out to be a liar before my master, and he, angry with me, will kill me. Elijah replied:

“As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand!” today I will show myself to Ahab!

Obadiah returned and told the king. Ahab hastened to meet the man of God. When he saw Elijah, because of the malice hidden in him towards the prophet, he could not refrain from a cruel word and said to Elijah:

Are you the corrupter of Israel?

The prophet of God fearlessly answered Ahab:

“It is not I who corrupt Israel, but you and your father’s house, who forsake the Lord their God and worship the wicked Baal.”

After this, the prophet of God, as having in himself the power of divine help, began to command the king with authority, saying:

- Immediately go and gather all ten tribes of Israel to me on Mount Carmel, bring four hundred and fifty wicked prophets who serve other idols on high mountains and in groves, eating from the table of Jezebel; let them argue with me about God, and we will see which is the true one.

Immediately the king, sending messengers throughout the land of Israel, gathered an innumerable multitude of people, and called all the wicked prophets and priests to Mount Carmel, and he himself went there.

Then the zealot God's Elijah, standing before the assembled, addressed the king and all the people of Israel with these words:

How long will you limp on both your knees? If the Lord God, who brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand, is God, then why do you not follow Him? But if Baal is your god, then follow him.

The people were silent, and could not answer anything, for every Israelite, by his conscience, was convicted of error. Then Elijah continued:

“Here’s what: in order for you now to know the true God, do what I will command you. You see that I alone in all Israel remained a prophet of the Lord; all the other prophets you killed; see also how many prophets of Baal are here. So give us two calves for sacrifice, one for me and the other for the priests of Baal; but we don't need fire. On whose victim the fire falls from heaven and burns it, that god is the true God, and all must worship Him, and those who do not recognize Him, let them be put to death.

After hearing these words, all the people approved the decision of the prophet of God and said:

- So be it; your word is good.

When the calves were brought into the middle of the assembly, Saint Elijah said to the impious prophets of Baal:

“Choose one calf for yourself, and you will be the first to prepare a sacrifice, for there are many of you, and I am one, and I will prepare after.” Having laid the calf on the firewood, do not kindle fire, but pray to your god Baal to send fire from heaven and burn your sacrifice.

The shameless prophets did just that. Casting lots, they took the calf, divided it into parts, put them on the altar on top of the wood, and began to pray to their Baal to send fire to their sacrifice. They called on his name from morning until noon, shouting:

- Listen to us, Baal, listen!

“Shout louder,” he said, “so that your god will hear you; he must not be free now: either he is busy with something, or with whom he is talking, or feasting, or asleep; scream as loud as you can to wake him up.

- Shut up and stop; it's time to be my victim.

The Baal worshipers have stopped. Then Elijah turned to the people and said:

- Come to me!

Everyone approached him. The Prophet took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of Israel, built an altar to the Lord from them, then, putting firewood on the altar, divided the bullocks into parts, put them on the firewood, dug a ditch around the altar and ordered the people to take four buckets and pour water on sacrifice and firewood; so they did. Elijah ordered to repeat; repeated. He ordered to do the same for the third time, and they did. Water poured around the altar, and the ditch filled with water. And Elijah cried out to God, turning his gaze to heaven, saying:

- Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Now hear me, Thy servant, and send fire from heaven to the sacrifice, so that all these people now know that You are the only one of Israel, and I am Your servant, and I brought this sacrifice to You! Hear me, Lord, answer me with fire, so that the hearts of these people turn to You.

And fire fell from the Lord from heaven and destroyed everything that was burned - and firewood, and stones, and ashes, and even the water that was in the ditch - everything was destroyed by fire. At the sight of this, all the people fell on their faces to the ground, crying out:

Ahab returned to his house embarrassed and offended by the answer of Naboth, and from vexation he could not eat bread. Jezebel, knowing the cause of his sadness, laughed at him saying:

“Is it really your power, King of Israel, that even on one person you are not strong enough to manifest your will?” But stop being sad, eat bread and wait a little while: I myself will give you the vineyard of Naboth into your hands.

Having said this, she wrote in the name of the king an order to the oldest citizens of Israel and applied the royal seal to it. It was written that they would raise a false accusation against Naboth, that he had slandered God and the king, and, presenting false witnesses, would stone him outside the city. And that unjust murder was committed on an unlawful order. After the execution of the innocent Naboth, Jezebel said to Ahab:

“Now inherit the vineyard without money, for Naboth is no longer alive.

Ahab, hearing about the murder of Naboth, was a little sad, and then went to the vineyard to take it into his possession. On the way, at the command of God, the holy prophet Elijah met him and said to him:

“Since you unjustly killed the innocent Naboth and illegally took possession of his vineyard, therefore the Lord says: in the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick your blood too; also your wife Jezebel will be eaten by dogs, and your whole house will be destroyed.

Ahab, when he heard these words, wept, took off his royal clothes, put on sackcloth, and imposed a fast on himself. And such a small repentance of Ahab before the Lord had such power that the execution of the appointed punishment for all his house was postponed for a while after the death of Ahab. For the Lord said to his prophet Elijah:

Because Ahab humbled himself. I will not bring trouble on his house during his life, but during his son.

After this Ahab lived for three years and was killed in battle. From the place of the battle he was taken in a chariot to Samaria, and his blood flowing from the chariot was licked by dogs, as the prophet of God had foretold. Also, everything that was predicted about Jezebel and the whole house of Ahab was later fulfilled in due time, already after the taking of Saint Elijah to heaven ().

After the death of Ahab, his son Ahaziah reigned instead of him, who turned out to be the heir to both the throne and the wickedness of his father, for, listening to his wicked mother Jezebel, he worshiped and offered sacrifices to Baal, which greatly angered the God of Israel. One day, due to negligence, Ahaziah fell from the window of his house and became very ill. He sent messengers to the false god Baal, in fact, to the demon who lived in the idol of Baal and gave false answers to those who turned to him with questions. He sent to that demon to ask about his health, whether he would recover from the disease. When the ambassadors of Ahaziah were going to Baal, on the way, by the command of God, the prophet Elijah appeared to them and said:

- Is there no God in Israel, why are you going to ask Baal? Go back and tell the king who sent you, - thus says the Lord: from the bed on which you fell down, you will not get up, but you will die on it.

Returning, the messengers conveyed these words to the sick king. The king asked them:

- What is the appearance of the person who said these words to you?

They answered:

- That man is all in hair and is girded around his loins with a leather belt.

The king said:

This is Elijah the Thesbite.

And he sent the chief of fifty, and fifty men with him, to take Elijah and bring him to him. They went and saw Elijah on Mount Carmel, for he was accustomed to dwell mainly on this mountain. Seeing Elijah sitting on the top of the mountain, the captain of fifty said to him:

- Man of God! come down here; The king orders you to go to him.

Saint Elijah answered the head of fifty:

“If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and burn you and fifty of your husbands.

And immediately fire fell from heaven and burned them. The king sent another commander of fifty with the same number of people, but the same thing happened to them: fire that fell from heaven consumed them too. The king sent a third commander of fifty with fifty men. This chief of fifty, having learned what had happened to those sent before him, came to Saint Elijah with fear and humility, and, falling on his knees before him, begged him, saying:

- Man of God! behold, I and these thy servants who have come with me stand before thee; have mercy on us: we did not come of our own free will, but were sent to you; do not destroy us with fire, as you destroyed those who were sent before us.

And the prophet spared those who came with humility; but he did not spare those who came before, because they came with pride and power, they wanted to take him as a prisoner and lead him with dishonor. The Lord commanded Saint Elijah to go fearlessly with these third parties and to tell the king the same thing that he had spoken before. Therefore the man of God descended from the mountain and went with the chief of fifty and with his men. And coming to the king, Elijah said to him:

“Thus says the Lord: since you sent to ask Baal about your life, as if there was no God in Israel whom you could ask, then for this you will not get up from the bed on which you lie, but you will die.”

And Ahaziah died, according to the word of God, spoken by the mouth of the prophets. After Ahaziah, his brother Jehoram came into the kingdom, because Ahaziah had no sons. On this Joram the race of Ahab ceased, being destroyed by the wrath of God in the days of the holy prophet Elisha, as it is written in his life.

When the time approached, in which the Lord determined to take Elijah alive, in the flesh, Elijah and Elisha went from the city of Gilgal to the city of Bethel. Knowing by the revelation of God about his approaching taking to heaven, Elijah wanted to leave Elisha in Gilgal, humbly hiding from him his forthcoming glorification from God. He said to Elisha, "Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel." The holy Elisha, also, according to the revelation of God, who knew about what was to come, answered:

“As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you,” and they both went to Bethel. The sons of the prophets, who lived in Bethel, approached Elisha alone, and said to him:

Do you know that the Lord will take your master from you over your head?

Elisha replied:

“I know, too, but shut up.

Then Elijah said to Elisha:

“Stay here, the Lord sent me to Jericho.

Elisha answered him:

“As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you,” and they both came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came up to Elisha and said to him:

“Do you know that today the Lord will take your master from you over your head?”

Elisha replied:

- I already know, shut up.

Saint Elijah again said to Elisha:

“Stay here, because the Lord sent me to the Jordan.

Elisha said:

“The Lord lives and your soul lives, that I will not leave you behind,” and let’s go together. After them, at a distance from them, went fifty of the sons of the prophets; when both holy prophets reached the Jordan, Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it; the water parted on both sides, and they both passed through the Jordan on dry land. Having crossed the Jordan, Elijah said to Elisha:

Ask me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.

Elisha replied:

- I ask that the spirit that is in you be twice as much in me as in you.

Elijah said:

- You decided to ask for a difficult one; but, however, if you see how I will be taken from you, then it will be according to you; if you don't see it, you won't receive it.

While they were walking and talking like this, suddenly a chariot and fiery horses appeared and separated them from each other, and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha looked and exclaimed:

- Father, father! Israel's chariot and his cavalry! (With these words, he seemed to say: you, father, were all the strength for Israel: with your prayer and zeal, you helped the kingdom of Israel much more than a great many war chariots and armed horsemen helped it). Elisha never saw Elijah again. Then he took hold of his garments and tore them in sorrow. Soon, Elijah's cloak, thrown from above, fell at his feet. Lifting it up, Elisha stopped on the banks of the Jordan and, like Elijah dividing the water on both sides, he crossed on dry land and became the heir of the grace that worked in his teacher. The holy prophet of God Elijah, on a fiery chariot taken to heaven together with the flesh, is still alive in the flesh, preserved by God in the villages of paradise. He was seen by three holy Apostles during the Transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor (), and again ordinary mortal people will see him before the second coming of the Lord to earth. Having escaped death from the sword of Jezebel, he will then suffer from the sword of Antichrist (